Photocatalytic degradation of acephate on ZnFe₂O ₄-TiO₂ photocatalyst under visible-light irradiation

The ZnFe₂O₄-TiO₂ composite photocatalyst is prepared by sol-gel method and used to degrade acephate successfully. It demonstrates that the photocatalytic degradation of acephate follows pseudo-first-order degradation kinetics (ln(C₀/C)=kt). The rate constant k is affected by initial concentration of acephate, pH, catalyst dosage and H₂O₂ dosage. The lower initial acephate concentration and higher pH value are helpful for increasing the acephate degradation rate. The photocatalyst and H₂O₂ dosage has the optimal value of 2.0 g L^-1 and 8 mmol L^-1, respectively. Under the optimized conditions, after 120 min of irradiation, 89.5% acephate can be decomposed.