Abiotic Degradation of Imidacloprid Pesticide with L-Threonine Capped Nickel Nanoparticles

Present study demonstrates the fabrication of L-threonine protected nickel nano particles (L-threonine-Ni NPs) and their application for the reduction of toxic imidacloprid pesticides in the presence of NaBH4. The synthesized nano particles were further characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), FT-IR, and HR-TEM. A quick and efficient method was developed for the decrease of imidacloprid into presence of synthesized nickel nanoparticles. Reduction was carried out at ambient conditions and catalyst was found to be highly effective incomplete reduction of imidacloprid within 90 s. Results also confirm the successful recovery and reusability of Ni NPs without deterioration in its performance after first application cycle. Kinetic study showed that the reduction of pesticide into presence of nickel nanoparticles initially follows pseudo-second order and then pseudo-first order at higher concentrations.