Abatement of concerning neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin from water by ozone and hydroxyl radical oxidation

The use of pesticides in agricultural practices is nowadays still necessary to ensure crop protection and thus a sustained food production. These substances, therefore, play an essential role in our society. However, pesticides are designed to dissuade, incapacitate or kill living organisms, and although as time goes by these are more selective and less persistent, the employment of these kind of chemicals always poses risks to humans and other non-target living organisms, especially if the environment becomes contaminated with them. A case in point is the presence of neonicotinoid insecticides in water compartments.