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Degradation of the Pesticides Mecoprop and Atrazine in Unpolluted Sandy Aquifers
Author(s) -
Klint Mikala,
Arvin Erik,
Jensen Bjørn K.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1993.00472425002200020005x
Subject(s) - mecoprop , aquifer , atrazine , environmental chemistry , groundwater , sediment , pesticide , environmental science , chemistry , hydrology (agriculture) , geology , agronomy , mcpa , paleontology , geotechnical engineering , biology
The potential for biodegradation of the pesticides mecoprop [(+/−)‐2‐(4‐chloro‐2‐methyl‐phenoxy)propionic acid] and atrazine [2‐chloro‐4‐ethylamino‐6‐isopropylamino‐s‐triazine] in an aerobic aquifer was investigated in laboratory batch experiments. The experiments were performed with groundwater and suspensions of groundwater and aquifer sediment collected from a pristine sandy aquifer. Following a lag period of 35 to 40 d, mecoprop in a concentration of 100 µg/L was degraded in 30 d in groundwater at 10°C. New additions of 100 to 140 µg mecoprop/L were degraded within a week. In suspensions of groundwater and aquifer sediment, mecoprop in the concentration range 75 to 300 µg/L was degraded in 15 d, following a lag period of less than 7 d. Experiments performed with sediments taken from different depths indicate that there was a considerable variation in the degradation potential within the aquifer. Atrazine was not degraded during an incubation period of 539 d in groundwater and 174 d in suspensions of groundwater and aquifer sediment. The addition of nutrients, primary substrates (acetate and naphthalene), and a pH or temperature increase had not effect on the recalcitrance of atrazine.