Removal of Metribuzin by Ozonation: Effect of Initial Concentration and pH

Micheline O. Honório, Everson Vaz de Liz Junior, Regina de F. P. M. Moreira, Rênnio Felix de Sena, Humberto Jorge José

Department of Chemical Engineering and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, Brazil.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), Jo?o Pessoa, Brazil.

DOI: 10.4236/jep.2013.46065                

Abstract

Herbicides are chemical compounds capable of killing or inhibiting the growth of certain plants and they have been frequently detected in natural waters. Advanced treatments, including those using ozone, have been used in order to remove herbicides from different types of water with good treatment efficiency. The efficiency of ozonation, an oxidative process, in the removal of persistent compounds is affected by several factors, such as pH and the concentration of the contaminant. The compound metribuzin, the herbicide investigated in this study, is persistent and mobile in the environment with a high potential for transport through soils and thus it can reach the groundwater. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different pH conditions (2.5, 5.5 and 12.0) and initial concentrations of metribuzin (20, 50 and 100 ppm) on the removal of this herbicide from water using the ozonation process. In order to identify the possible effect of these two variables on the ozonation treatment, the concentration of metribuzin was determined by spectrophotometry UV-vis spectrophotometer. The results were used to evaluate the best conditions for the ozonation treatment. The ozonation conditions which provided the highest metribuzin removal efficiency (86.5% ± 0.3%) were pH 12.0 and an initial metribuzin concentration of 20 ppm. The findings indicate that oxidation with ozone is effective for the removal of metribuzin from aqueous solutions under the conditions studied.

Keywords

Pesticides; Metribuzim; Ozone; Removal

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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