Abstract:The effects of irradiation time, UV light intensity, pH of aqueous solution and initial concentration of imidacloprid and acetamiprid on both pesticides were studied. Results indicated that UV irradiation was effective in the degradation of imidacloprid and acetamiprid, while acetamiprid was more resistant to UV irradiation than imidacloprid. Furthermore, the degradation rate of both pesticides increased obviously with the increase of UV light intensity and irradiation time. The pH of the aqueous solution also showed significant influence on the degradation of acetamiprid, especially at alkaline and basic conditions. The maximum degradation rate of imidacloprid and acetamiprid were 100% and 46.30%, respectively, under 650 μW/cm2 UV light intensity for 30 min treatment with the initial concentration of 0.2 μg/mL (pH=6). Moreover, the degradation of imidacloprid and acetamiprid in aqueous solution followed the first-order kinetics well (R2≥0.95).
