An investigation of tebuconazole degradation using a gold electrode

Tebuconazole, a pesticide that presents risks for ecosystems, groundwater and human health, was degraded on a gold electrode as the catalyst in 0.05 M NaHCO₃ using cyclic voltammetry (CV). First, tebuconazole was characterized on the gold electrode using CV and square wave voltammetry (SWV). The gold electrode, being highly sensitive, provided linear relationships (currents vs. concentrations) in the range: (0.076–0.76 μmol dm^–3). Based on the CV measurements, the investigated process is irreversible and diffusion-controlled. The observed catalytic role of the Au electrode in the oxidation of tebuconazole and the data obtained from CV and SWV provided the experimental conditions for the degradation of tebuconazole. The degradation was performed by continuous cycling followed by gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC–MS) analysis. This enabled the catalytic elimination of tebuconazole for 60 min, which promoted the use of a gold electrode as the catalyst for the degradation of environmental pollutants. The scheme of the possible mechanism of tebuconazole degradation is given.