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Degradation of nitenpyram pesticide in aqueous

solution by low-temperature plasma
a a a a a a
S. P. Li , Y. Y. Jiang , X. H. Cao , Y. W. Dong , M. Dong & J. Xu
a
School of Environmental Science and Engineering , Shandong University , Jinan , China
Published online: 31 Jan 2013.

To cite this article: S. P. Li , Y. Y. Jiang , X. H. Cao , Y. W. Dong , M. Dong & J. Xu (2013) Degradation of nitenpyram
pesticide in aqueous solution by low-temperature plasma, Environmental Technology, 34:12, 1609-1616, DOI:
10.1080/09593330.2013.765914

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 Environmental Technology, 2013
Vol. 34, No. 12, 1609–1616, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09593330.2013.765914

Degradation of nitenpyram pesticide in aqueous solution by low-temperature plasma

S.P. Li∗ , Y.Y. Jiang, X.H. Cao, Y.W. Dong, M. Dong and J. Xu
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, China
(Received 30 March 2012: final version received 31 December 2012 )

In order to study the new technique of plasma wastewater treatment, the degradation behaviour of nitenpyram (NTP) pesticide
was investigated in a low-temperature plasma formed during a dielectric barrier discharge process. The reactor was a radial
flow sedimentation tank centred around the water inlet. We studied the effect of pesticide concentration and input power of the
dielectric barrier discharge, together with the effect of external factors on the degradation of nitenpyram pesticide wastewater
such as conductivity and the use of various of catalysts, and the reaction products were analyzed by high-performance liquid
chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS). The results showed that NTP could be effectively removed from aqueous
Downloaded by [York University Libraries] at 14:25 02 January 2015

solution by low-temperature plasma. Increasing the input power could improve the efficiency of degradation, conforming to
a first-order kinetic model. Use of a suitable catalyst clearly improved the degradation process, as also did low conductivity.
The pH of NTP was reduced with discharge time.
Keywords: low-temperature plasma; nitenpyram; degradation; reaction products; HPLC–MS

1. Introduction DBD is a new technology which combines high effi-

Nitenpyram (NTP) is a neonicotinoid pesticide used in
agriculture [1,2] and also for treating domestic animals.
The removal of nitenpyram from wastewater is therefore
a major environmental issue, not only due to its toxicity,
but also since it is difficult to degrade in wastewater. Over
the past few decades the conventional technologies used for
the degradation of organic compounds have not been found
effective for this purpose [3–6]. Photocatalytic degradation
requires a reasonable length of time and has relatively high
operative costs [3]. Aerobic treatment technology is limited
by a long retention time and poor manoeuvrability. Sec-
ondary pollution may be produced through conventional
chemical remediation, resulting in increasing treatment
costs [6]. Studies have therefore been concentrated on the
development of new methods for pesticide degradation. The
advanced oxidation process has been proposed as an effec-
tive technology for treating NTP, but it has drawbacks in
terms of economics, equipment and efficiency [7,8]. How-
ever, low-temperature plasma has now been applied, and
the results show that this technology is effective for the
degradation of pesticides [9].
Low-temperature plasma is a wastewater treatment tech-
nology combining high-energy electron irradiation, oxida-
tion using ozone and decomposition by ultraviolet radiation.
Plasma treatment methods include dielectric barrier dis-
charge (DBD), high-voltage pulsed discharge and contact
glow discharge [10–12]. DBD has a number of advantages
and its prospects are therefore good.
ciency, ease of operation and the ability to degrade many
different types of organic pollutants. Since the electrode
does not make direct contact with the discharge gas, DBD
avoids the problem of electrode corrosion. When DBD
degrades organic compounds, both physical and chemical
processes take place [13,14]. The former can give rise to
high-energy electrons and large quantities of UV radia-
tion and the latter can cause the formation of chemically
active species. These active species play an important role
in degrading toxic pollutants. The principal active species
involved in the degradation of organic pollutants are the
hydroxyl radical and hydrogen peroxide [15–17]. Hydroxyl
radicals are effective in breaking down organic pollutants
in water due to their high oxidation potential, and they
are formed by the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide by
ultraviolet radiation [18].
Considering the need to develop new methods for
treating pesticide wastewater and the advantages of its
degradation by plasmas, we studied the treatment of NTP
in wastewater by a low-temperature plasma produced by
DBD. The reactor had the structure of a radial flow sedimen-
tation tank in which the treated wastewater flowed from the
edge of the reactor. When the discharge begins, high-energy
electrons are formed that react with water and organic
pollutants and produce other active species as described
above [9,14–16]. We examined the effect of initial pH value,
the presence of Fe2+ , and the effect of conductivity on the
degradation of NTP in wastewater.

∗ Corresponding author. Email: lishanping@sdu.edu.cn

© 2013 Taylor & Francis

 1610
Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the experimental setup. 1.
power supplier; 2. reactor; 3. magenetic blender; 4. high voltage
electrode; 5. quartz glass; 6. beaker; 7. peristaltic pump.
2. Experimental apparatus and method
Downloaded by [York University Libraries] at 14:25 02 January 2015
2.1. Experimental apparatus
Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the experimental
system used in the present investigation. It consists of the
reaction system and a power supply (CTP–2000K) able to
provide a steady high voltage up to 250 V and current in
the range 0–4 A. In the study the optimum voltage used
was found to be 80 V at a current of 1–2.5 A. The reac-
tor had a structure of a radial flow sedimentation tank
(height 100 mm, inner diameter 100 mm and outer diameter
150 mm). The total volume of the tank was 7.85 × 10−4 m3 .
DBD is a discharge system in which one or two electrodes
cover the isolation medium in the reactor. We used quartz
glass (diameter 90 mm) as isolation medium, and the high
voltage electrode was located above the quartz glass. The
ground electrode was placed in the centre of the reactor.
The distance between the barrier and the solution surface
was about 8 mm. The solution was circulated continuously
by means of a pump (BT100–1L) connected in the inlet.
2.2. Chemicals and reagents
NaOH, HCl, FeSO4 and KCl used in the study were ana-
lytical grade. NTP was obtained from Tianjin Chemical
Reagent Company at 95% purity. The analytical eluents
were all of HPLC grade.
2.3. Analysis
Measurement of discharge power was by the instantaneous
power method, in which a voltage and a current probe are
used directly to obtain the working voltage and current
waveform (signals), then converting them to an instan-
taneous power curve by means of digital oscilloscopes.
The distance between the dielectric barrier and wastewa-
ter was adjusted to 8 mm and the parameters of the power
supply were adjusted correspondingly. The discharge time
was 180 min and samples were taken every 20 min. After
180 min, the NTP concentration was determined using
a TU1810PC–UV spectrophotometer at a wavelength of
S.P. Li et al.
269 nm. The degradation efficiency for each sample was
calculated using Equation (1):
C0 − Ct
η= × 100% (1)
C0
where η represents NTP degradation efficiency (%), C0 is
the initial NTP concentration (mg L−1 ) and Ct is the residual
NTP concentration at reaction time t (mg L−1 ). The pH was
measured using a pHs–25C monitor.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Effect of initial concentration on NTP degradation
by low-temperature plasma
Figure 2 shows the effect of initial concentration on
NTP degradation by low-temperature plasma. The dis-
charge time was 180 min and the removal efficiency was
determined at initial NTP concentrations of 50, 100 and
200 mg L−1 .
It is seen from Figure 2 that initial concentration
had a significant effect on the efficiency of removal of
NTP. When the initial NTP concentration was 50 mg L−1 ,
NTP degradation efficiency was 79.1% after 180 min dis-
charge. However, when the initial concentrations were
100 or 200 mg L−1 , removal efficiencies of 82.7% and
70.1%, respectively, were achieved over the same treat-
ment time. This meant that too low or too high an initial
concentration would reduce the NTP degradation rate. This
phenomenon can be explained as follows. If the initial con-
centration is below 100 mg L−1 , some solute molecules are
not immediately able to make contact with • OH and are not
therefore degraded by the low-temperature plasma, result-
ing in a lower removal rate than at concentrations above
100 mg L−1 . On the other hand, if the initial concentra-
tion is too high, the number of molecules increases to the
point at which the quantity of active species (• OH) available
are insufficient to react completely with the excess of NTP
100
80
NTP Removal (%)
60
40 50mg/L
100mg/L
200mg/L
20
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200
Time (min)
Figure 2. NTP degradation at different concentrations.
 Environmental Technology 1611

100 Table 1. Kinetic parameter and energy efficiency for NTP

degradation at different input powers.
90
80 Input
70 power (W) k (min−1 ) R2 G50 (×10−10 mol J−1 )
NTP Removal (%)

60 80 0.0061 0.9751 1.4128

50
140 0.0077 0.9806 1.8328
200 0.0097 0.9793 2.8487
40 200W
140W
30 80W
100
20 FeSO4
Blank
10 Fe2(SO4)3
80
0 MnO2
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200

Removal (%)
Time (min) 60
Figure 3. NTP degradation at different input power levels.
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40

[15–17], so the degradation rate becomes lower than that at

100 mg L−1 . As a result we decided to adopt 100 mg L−1 as
the initial concentration of NTP wastewater.
3.2. Effect of input power on NTP degradation by
low-temperature plasma
In this experiment the power applied was changed from
80 W to 200 W. Figure 3 shows the NTP degradation rates
at different input powers using low-temperature plasma.
It is seen from Figure 3 that the input power had a
marked effect on the removal of NTP. For a discharge
time of 180 min and an input power of 80 W, 140 W or
200 W, the degradation of NTP was 66.7%, 75.1% or 82.7%,
respectively. This is explained by the fact that when the
input power was 140 W or above the plasma was fully
formed and the quantity of active species (O3 , • OH and • O)
in solution increased, and the NTP removal was there-
fore high [19]. Based on the degradation curves shown
in Figure 3, the degradation mechanism was first-order,
according to Equation (2).
 
C0
ln = kt,
Ct
where k is the rate constant (min−1 ). The energy efficiency
and the parameters of the first-order reaction at different
input powers are summarized in Table 1. The correlation
between each set of data is good and the degradation of NTP
using low-temperature plasma fits the first-order kinetic
model.
As shown in Table 1, the rate constant increased with
increasing input power. In addition, when the input power
was 200 W, the energy efficiency of NTP removal was
2.8487 × 10−10 mol J−1 , which was greater that at an input
power of 80 or 140 W. 200 W was therefore adopted as the
operating input power for the subsequent study.
20
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Time (min)
Figure 4. The influence of different catalysts on NTP degrada-
tion.
3.3. Effect of different catalysts
Previous research had shown that Fe2+ could be formed
with H2 O2 , produced in the discharge process [7,20,21] by
the Fenton reaction, and that other metal ions (Cu2+ , Co2+
and Fe3+ ) occurred in the presence of H2 O2 in similar Fen-
ton reactions. The effect of common catalysts (e.g. FeSO4 ,
Fe2 (SO4 )3 or MnO2 ) on NTP removal is shown in Figure 4.
It is seen from Figure 4 that the addition of any of the
three catalysts to the solution can improve the decomposi-
tion rate of NTP. After continued degradation for 120 min
the decomposition efficiency was above 84%, a slight
improvement on the level (82%) after 180 min without
catalyst. Importantly, however, to achieve the same level
(2) of degradation the presence of catalyst can significantly
shorten the reaction time. The catalytic effect at a similar ini-
tial concentration was: FeSO4 > Fe2 (SO4 )3 > MnO2 . This
observation is consistent with that of Ke Gai et al. [22], and
can be explained by the following reaction sequence:
Fe2+ + H2 O2 → Fe3+ + HO• + OH−
Fe3+ + H2 O2 → Fe2+ + HO2• + H+
HO2• + H2 O2 → • OH + O2 + H2 O
Fe2+ reacts with the H2 O2 formed in the discharge process,
and is converted to hydroxyl radicals through the Fenton
reaction. Hydroxyl radicals are highly electronegative and
have a strong oxidizing effect. They are readily able to
 1612
100
90
80
70
NTP Removal (%)
60
50
40
pH = 3.0
pH = 8.2
30 pH = 11.0
20
10
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Time (min)
Figure 5. The effect of pH on NTP degradation.
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attack at high points of electric density and the reaction
time is thus shortened. Although the addition of Fe2+ had
an obvious effect on removal rate, higher concentrations
offered no additional advantage. Excessive concentrations
of Fe2+ would increase the reaction between Fe2+ and • OH,
so more Fe3+ and OH− would be produced, which would
in turn decrease the • OH concentration and thus reduce
the degradation rate. This incidentally confirms that • OH
is the species responsible for the degradation of NTP in
wastewater.
3.4. Effect of the initial pH on NTP degradation by
low-temperature plasma
It is well known that oxidation processes are sensitive to pH.
It has for example been reported that the degradation of phe-
nol in aqueous solution using pulsed high-voltage discharge
plasma is more effective at high rather than low pH [23].
Similarly, pH is an important factor in NTP degradation.
In order to study the effect of pH on NTP degradation, the
pH was adjusted using HCl or NaOH (0.01 mol L−1 ). The
pH of NTP wastewater was 8.2. Figure 5 shows the effect
of initial pH value on NTP degradation by low-temperature
plasma.
As shown in Figure 5, the NTP degradation process was
more effective at an initial pH value of 11, giving 85.4%
NTP removal over at a discharge time of 180 min. For this
discharge time the degradation efficiency was higher at ini-
tial pH 8.2 rather than at pH 3, and it was lower at initial pH
8 than at pH 11. These results indicated that the degradation
of an organic pollutant by oxidation was more efficient at
higher pH.
Since NTP has a pyridine-type structure, and the car-
bon chain is easily oxidized, such a result is consistent with
that of Yin-Sheng Chen et al., whose research was con-
ducted using a pulsed high-voltage discharge plasma [23].
One possible explanation is that hydroxyl radical, which
plays a key role in pulsed discharge degradation, is formed
S.P. Li et al.
9
8
7
6
5
pH
4
3
2
1
160 180 200
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200
Time (min)
Figure 6. pH changes in NTP solution due to low-temperature
plasma.
during the decomposition of ozone at high pH [24,25]. This
presumes that ozone will react with H2 O to form hydrogen
peroxide, which at high pH decomposes to give hydroxyl
radicals, whereas the ozone molecules remain unchanged
at low pH.
As shown in Figure 6, the pH decreased as the discharge
time increased, due to the formation of acidic substances
in the degradation process, showing that the degradation
efficiency of NTP wastewater decreases with decreasing
pH. When the pH is higher, more hydroxyl radicals are
produced and the degradation of NTP increases.
3.5. Effect of initial solution conductivity on NTP
degradation by low-temperature plasma
In the present study the variation in degradation rate
was measured at initial solution electrical conductivities
adjusted to 10, 50, 100, 200 and 400μS cm−1 using KCl
(0.01 mol L−1 ). The results are illustrated in Figure 7.
The trend of the curve in Figure 7 indicates that the
degradation rate decreases with increasing initial solution
conductivity, giving a greater concentration of charged
ions and a decreasing rate constant. The possible reason
is that the charged ions react with active species gener-
ating complex products, and as a result there are fewer
hydroxyl radicals available for reaction with NTP. In addi-
tion, more ions present in the aqueous solution would
change the charge space, and may further decrease the for-
mation of hydroxyl radicals [26]. The total effect is that the
removal of NTP wastewater is low when the initial solution
conductivity is high.
3.6. Changes in COD and TOC
COD and TOC are important indicators of water contami-
nation. The measured results of chemical oxygen demand
 Environmental Technology 1613

90 in wastewater. However, the H2 O2 formed during the degra-

dation process would be oxidized by dichromate during the
80 measurement of COD, as shown below, and this could affect
the COD figures:
70
NTP Removal (%)

+
3H2 O2 + Cr2 O2−
7 + 8H → 3O2 + 2Cr
3+
+ 7H2 O
60 The relationship between the TOC of the NTP solution and
the discharge time is shown in Figure 8(b), and it is seen
50 that the TOC of the solution decreased with treatment time.

40

30
0 100 200 300 400

Electric conductivity (µS/cm )

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Figure 7. NTP degradation at different conductivities.

(a) 140

130

120

110
COD (mg/L)

100

90

80

70

60

50
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200
Time (min)

(b) 120

100

80
TOC (mg/L)

60

40

20

0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200
Time (min)

Figure 8. Change in (a) COD and (b) TOC during the NTP
degradation process.

(COD) and total organic carbon (TOC) at different treatment

times are shown in Figures 8(a) and 8(b), respectively. Figure 9. HPLC–MS total ion flow at the degradation time of
It can be seen from Figure 8(a) that the solution COD (I) 10 min, (II) 40 min and (III) 180 min in the NTP degradation
value had relatively little effect on the degradation of NTP process.
 1614 S.P. Li et al.

Table 2. Most important intermediates by HPLC-MS spectroscopy.

m/e Structural formula Intermediate formula

NH
Main component 271.07 C11 H15 C1N4 O2
NO2
Exact Mass: 270.09
N
Mol. Wt.: 270.72

Cl N

NO2
Intermediate 1 272.15 N C10 H10 C1N3 O4
Exact Mass: 271.04
Mol. Wt.: 271.66
Cl N HOOC
Downloaded by [York University Libraries] at 14:25 02 January 2015

NH

Intermediate 2 300.11 NO2

C11 H13 C1N4 O4
N Exact Mass: 300.06
Mol. Wt.: 300.70
Cl N HOOC

NH2

NO2
Intermediate 3 237.19 N C8 H17 C1N4 O2
H Exact Mass: 236.10
Mol. Wt.: 236.70
Cl N
H

When the discharge time was 180 min the removal rate of
the TOC was above 70%. Due to the production of inter-
mediate products, the reduction in TOC was slower than
the NTP degradation rate. As shown in Figure 6, the pH
value decreased with increasing treatment time. This indi-
cated that most of the degraded organic carbon would be
converted into carbon dioxide [23].
3.7. HPLC–MS analysis of NTP degradation
In order to easily understand the mechanism of the degrada-
tion of NTP-contaminated wastewater, a high-performance
liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS)
technique was used to identify the intermediates formed in
the degradation process. Figure 9 shows HPLC–MS total
ion flow during NTP degradation.
As shown in Figures 9(I) and 9(II), the NTP
molecules (retention time t = 4.93–5.03 min) were grad-
ually degraded and intermediate products (retention time
t = 4.60–4.62 min) were generated in the course of the
180 min treatment. It can be seen from Figure 9(III)
that the intermediate products were further degraded as
electrolysis continued, and the chromatographic peaks
at retention times t = 4.60–4.62 min and 6.25–6.27 min
disappeared.
One component and the three main intermediate prod-
ucts generated during NTP degradation were identified
from the HPLC–MS results (Table 2). During the treat-
ment process organic acids were formed, leading to the
decrease in pH mentioned in Section 2.4. When the dis-
charge time was sufficiently long, the NTP molecules were
eventually converted to inorganic carbon and inorganic
nitrogen in the form of bicarbonate, carbon dioxide and
nitrate. These results are in agreement with the literature
[23,27–30].
4. Conclusions
This investigation showed that NTP in wastewater can be
effectively degraded by low-temperature plasma, bearing in
mind the following factors:
• An initial NTP concentration of 100 mg L−1 gave a
satisfactory removal rate. Too low a concentration
reduced the degree of contact with • OH, and the lim-
ited quantity of • OH was insufficient to react with the
amount of NTP present.
• An input power of 200 W for 180 min was optimal for
the discharge, giving 82.7% decomposition of NTP at
 Environmental Technology
an energy efficiency of 2.8487 × 10−10 mol J−1 . The
NTP degradation process fits first-order kinetics.
• Addition of catalysts visibly increased the NTP
degradation rate, shortened the reaction time and
reduced the energy consumption.
• The efficiency of NTP removal decreased with
increasing electrical conductivity.
• High pH increased the NTP degradation rate.
During the degradation process, the COD of the solution
appeared to change very little, but this was influenced by the
fact that the H2 O2 generated from the removal process was
affecting the COD determination. However, the TOC of the
solution gradually decreased. These results further confirm
that low-temperature plasma is effective for the degradation
of NTP in wastewater.
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HPLC–MS analysis confirmed that NTP molecules were
gradually decomposed by low-temperature plasma and that
some intermediate products were produced during the treat-
ment. The nature of these intermediates was the main reason
the pH dropped. When the discharge time was long enough,
the NTP molecules would eventually be converted into
inorganic carbon and nitrogen species.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the Technological Progress Plan
of Shandong, Grant No. 2011GGE27048, China. The authors are
grateful to Dr Pamela Holt of Shandong University for editing the
manuscript.
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