Effects of addition of straw, chitin and manure to new or recycled biofilters on their pesticides retention and degradation properties.

Abstract

Pollution of surface and groundwater by pesticides is an increasing problem that needs to be addressed by the authorities as well as by the farmers themselves. Nowadays, some researchers are considering the numerous small spillages at the farm sites as a relevant entry route to be taken into account for predicting surface and groundwater pollution. In order to tackle this problem, several solutions exist for limiting the disposal of pesticide wastes into the environment. One such system is biopurification of farm wastes by biobed, biofilter or phytobac. In this study, the results of pesticides retention by biofilters under outdoor conditions are presented. The biofilters were filled with a mixture of a soil + peat constituent (25% by volume for each of them) and the rest (50%) with straw or with composted manure ot with chitin (in this later case at the rate of 5 g chitin per liter of substrate). The soil + peat constituent was made either of a material already challenged by pesticides (= recycled biofilters) or of untreated material (new biofilters). Selected pesticides (atrazine, carbofuran, chloridazon, chlortoluron, cyanazine, isoproturon and lenacil) were applied onto biofilters and the eluates were collected and analyzed. Two successive injections of pesticides into the biofilters were conducted. After the first pesticides application, the recycled biofilters made of soil + peat previously treated with pesticides had better retention and degradation rates than the new biofilters. Adding manure also improved these properties of biofilters. Columns made of unchallenged soil + peat and straw (new biofilters) were the least satisfactory: up to 25% of carbofuran were lost. Biofilters made of unchallenged soil + peat and chitin retained the least lenacil. Atrazine was the most retained by biofilters (either new or recycled) with added chitin. Cyanazine was almost absent in the percolates of all biofilters. After the second application of carbofuran and isoproturon, all biofilters improved to the point where (with the exception the new biofilters made of chitin) they retained the totality of the pesticides.