Visible light–driven photocatalytic degradation of atrazine in aqueous phase: impact of the g-C₃N₄/TiO₂/NiFe₂O₄ nanocomposite activated by potassium peroxymonosulfate

The present investigation focused on the photocatalytic degradation of aqueous atrazine over g-C₃N₄/TiO₂/NiFe₂O₄ composite in the presence of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) under visible light irradiation. The ternary photocatalyst was synthesized and characterized using XRD, FTIR, nitrogen sorption, SEM, UV–Vis, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. This catalyst exhibited full absorption in the visible spectrum at 815 nm and a high specific surface area of 105 m²/g. The effect of operating conditions encompassing atrazine initial concentration, photocatalyst loading, PMS concentration, and temperature on the degradation reaction extent was investigated. The obtained findings highlighted the efficiency of the ternary composite in the photocatalytic degradation of this widely used and environmentally harmful pesticide. The strategic addition of PMS was shown to be crucial to improving this efficiency. Indeed, in the presence of PMS at a concentration of 5 mM, atrazine conversion reached 97.2% within 300 min of reaction at ambient temperature with a photocatalyst loading of 0.3 g/L. Furthermore, the activation energy of the reaction was evaluated to be 37.3 kJ/mol. The present study showed the promising potential of the g-C₃N₄/TiO₂/NiFe₂O₄ photocatalyst for environmental remediation, offering important perspectives in the fight against pesticide pollution.