Photocatalytic Degradation of Alpha Cypermethrin Based on ZSM-5/TiO₂ Hybrid Composites

Zeolite Socony Mobil-5 (ZSM-5) was successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method from the silicon dioxide (SiO2) precursor prepared from rice husk ash. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were decorated on ZSM-5 substrate by a sol-gel method. ZSM-5/TiO2 materials were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis. ZSM-5 was successfully synthesized in crystal structure with an average crystallite size of 3-5 mm. TiO2 nanoparticles with the size of 3-5 nm were distributed on the surface of ZSM-5. ZSM-5/TiO2 materials were used as a photocatalyst to remove alpha – cypermethrin, a kind of the pesticide residues. The results showed that the removal efficiency was 90% with the initial concentration of alpha - cypermethrin of 160 mg L-1. ZSM-5/TiO2 would be a very potential material for using as a photocatalyst for the treatment of persistent organic pollutants.