# A Sustainable Electrochemical-Based Solution for Removing Acetamiprid from Water
###### Abstract  
Pesticides are used worldwide in agriculture to prevent insects and other pests that attack plants and their derivatives. Acetamiprid (ACT) is a type of insecticide belonging to the chemical group of neonicotinoids, which are widely used in agricultural planting to replace organophosphates. Therefore, in this work, the performance of the electrochemical oxidation (EO) process as an alternative solution to eliminate pesticides in water was evaluated. A dimensionally stable anode (DSA, TiO\({}_{2}\)-RuO\({}_{2}\)-IrO\({}_{2}\)) and boron-doped diamond (BDD) were tested as anodes for degrading ACT (30 and 300 mg L\({}^{-1}\)) by using different applied current densities (\(j\)): 30, 60, 90, and 120 mA cm\({}^{-2}\). The degradation process was monitored by using ACT decay, spectrophotometric analysis, and chemical oxygen demand. The results clearly showed that ACT (30 mg L\({}^{-1}\)) was only eliminated from water at the DSA electrode when 90 mA cm\({}^{-2}\) was applied, reaching higher removal efficiencies after 180 min of electrolysis. Conversely, ACT was quickly removed at all applied current densities used, at the same concentration. On the other hand, when the ACT concentration was increased (300 mg L\({}^{-1}\)), 71.4% of the COD removal was reached by applying 90 mA cm\({}^{-2}\) using BDD, while no significant improvements were achieved at the DSA electrode when a higher concentration of ACT was electrochemically treated.  
pesticide; acetamiprid; electrochemical oxidation; wastewater treatment 202317 September 20232 September 20232 September 20232 September 20232 September 20232 September 20232 September 20232 September 20232 September 2023232 September 2023  
Then, there is a need to develop advanced treatment technologies to effectively eliminate potentially toxic compounds that can not be removed by conventional processes.  
In recent years, electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) have received great attention as an alternative technology for removing organic pollutants from synthetic [7; 8; 9] and/or real water matrices in multistage [9; 10] or single-stage systems [9; 11]. EAOPs are treatment methods that are considered promising for the environment since organic compounds can be destroyed until mineralization after the attack of the hydroxyl radical generated in situ (\({}^{\bullet}\)OH). This oxidizing species has a high standard redox potential (E\({}^{\circ}\) = 2.80 V/SHE), and this characteristic guarantees its ability to oxidize organic pollutants [12; 13; 14]. Diamond electrodes are considered the best non-active anodes in EO due to their great effectiveness in mineralizing different organic pollutants in wastewater treatment by free heterogeneous \({}^{\bullet}\)OH (an indirect oxidation approach where electrochemical mineralization is promoted), whereas mixed-metal oxides (MMO) or dimensionally stable anodes (DSA) are considered active anodes [15; 16; 17; 18]. Active anodes favor electrochemical conversion by direct interaction (chemisorption) between organic molecules (reactants or products) at the surface, and the hydroxyl radicals are also stabilized at their surface, forming higher oxidation states [18].  
Therefore, this work aims to evaluate the degradation of a commercial formulation containing ACT by using DSA and BDD anodes with different \(j\) and initial concentrations of the target pollutant, monitoring ACT elimination by spectrophotometric and COD analysis. The development of technologies and smart water solutions to reach Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) by using EAOPs represents a substantial opportunity to guarantee sustainability and increase competence in water management (to treat and distribute water for human use) [19]. Then, efficient SDG6-based electrochemical technologies can be established for eliminating ACT in or from real water samples as a clear benefit for our society, offering a coherent vision for the future [19].