Degradation of the Herbicide Atrazine in Water by Fenton and Photo-Fenton Processes

BENZAQUEN, T.B.; CURCIO, I.; ISLA, M.A.; ALFANO, O.M.

Encuentro; VI Encontro sobre Aplicações Ambientais de Processos Oxidativos Avançados-6° EPOA; 2011

Previous work showed that Atrazine has a negative impact on the activity of microorganisms present in a biological treatment system [1]. Fenton and photo-Fenton reactions are known for their capacities for the oxidation and even complete mineralization of a great variety of non biodegradable compounds. These capacities mainly depends on radiation and hydrogen peroxide and iron concentrations. In this work, optimization of reagent concentrations was performed to achieve the degradation of the herbicide. Degradability assays were carried out in a lab-scale photochemical reactor operated in batch mode, with ferric salt and hydrogen peroxide initial concentrations falling in the ranges 5 - 15 ppm and 0.5 - 5 mM respectively, in dark and irradiated conditions.