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Pesticides are recalcitrant contaminants, which are bioaccumulative in nature. A good number of pesticides, particularly organochlorines, have been listed among the Persistent Organic Pollutant list of Stockholm convention. Organochlorine pesticides were significantly used in the past, however, their footprints still exist in environmental matrices.

In the present study, degradation of pesticides using a solar still, with immobilised TiO₂, is performed. Existing solar remediation systems have a limitation of utilizing ultraviolet portion of solar energy and the thermal energy remains unutilized in most cases. Solar distillation with a TiO₂ photocatalysis enhances the purification properties of the solar still in terms of treatment of recalcitrant pollutants.

Organochlorine pesticides like isomers of Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), Endosulphan and Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) can be significantly degraded using a thermo …