Avanços recentes na degradação do herbicida 2,4-D com fotocatalisadores modificados à base de TiO₂: uma revisão bibliográfica

Abstract

The herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is widely used in agriculture and is frequently found in soils and water bodies due to its high solubility, stability, and toxicity. The presence of this compound in the environment poses environmental and public health risks, which has stimulated the development of advanced technologies for its removal. Among these alternatives, Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs), especially heterogeneous photocatalysis based on titanium dioxide (TiO2), have stood out for their efficiency in generating oxidizing radicals capable of degrading persistent pollutants. However, pure TiO2 has limitations, such as low visible light absorption and a high electronic recombination rate, motivating research on modified photocatalysts. This work presents a literature review on recent advances (2020–2025) in the degradation and mineralization of the herbicide 2,4-D using modified TiO₂-based photocatalysts. To this end, studies available in the Scopus, Web of Science, and SciELO databases were analyzed, tabulated, and their results synthesized regarding the performance of the processes in the degradation and mineralization of the herbicide 2,4-D. The analysis compared different photocatalysis techniques using UV and visible light-activated TiO₂. The results indicated that different TiO₂ modification routes result in distinct photodegradation efficiencies of 2,4-D. A review could contribute to guiding scientific research by indicating the most efficient TiO₂ modification routes and assisting in the development of sustainable solutions for the removal of persistent pesticides from water.