Degradation of metaldehyde in water by nanoparticle catalysts and powdered activated carbon.

Metaldehyde, an organic pesticide widely used in the UK, has been detected in drinking water in the UK with a low concentration (<1 μg L) which is still above the European and UK standard requirements. This paper investigates the efficiency of four materials: powdered activated carbon (PAC) and carbon-doped titanium dioxide nanocatalyst with different concentrations of carbon (C-1.5, C-40, and C-80) for metaldehyde removal from aqueous solutions by adsorption and oxidation via photocatalysis.