Degradation of Abamectin Using the Photo-Fenton Process

The cultivation of strawberries generally requires substantial use of pesticides, and abamectin is the active principle of one of those most commonly employed. Conventional water treatment does not remove pesticides efficiently, so there is a need to investigate alternative procedures. The use of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) can achieve good results in removal of toxic organic compounds present in aqueous solutions. The photo-Fenton process, one example of an AOP, was employed to study the degradation of abamectin. Results showed that when natural water samples contaminated with abamectin were treated using the photo-Fenton process, 70% of the initial amount of the compound was removed within 60 minutes of UV irradiation, and 60% mineralization was observed after 180 minutes of reaction.