Synthesis of the novel zeolite NaY/CuFe2O4/CdS Ternary nanocomposite for the sonocatalytic degradation of Toxic organophosphorus pesticide from water media

In this research, the zeolite NaY/CuFe₂O₄/CdS ternary nanocomposite as a novel magnetically separable catalyst was successfully synthesized by means of the ultrasonic-assisted solvothermal strategy. The structural, morphological and optical features of the nanocomposite were analyzed by using FESEM, EDAX, FTIR, XRD and VSM. The sonocatalytic activity of zeolite NaY/CuFe2O4/CdS was evaluated in the degradation of the toxic organophosphorus pesticide, namely chlorpyrifos (CP, O,O-Diethyl O-3,5,6-trichloropyridin-2-yl phosphorothioate) from water media. Several analytical parameters such as irradiation time, initial CP concentration, process type, catalyst dosage, and initial H2O2 concentration were investigated to achieve the maximum sonocatalytic performance. Regarding the obtained data, the NaY/CuFe₂O₄/CdS sonocatalyst was incredibly able to completely degrade the CP pesticide using the ultrasonic (US)/H2O2 system. The ˙OH free radicals were also recognized as the main reactive oxygen species on the sonodegradation reaction of CP under irradiation. Moreover, the recyclability of the NaY/CuFe₂O₄/CdS zeolite sonocatalyst was implemented, which clearly confirmed that it can be recycled up to sequential four times with almost trivial loss of sonocatalytic performance.