Life extension of biobeds for the remediation of pesticide-contaminated wastewater in banana crops

For the control of the fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis in banana crops, between 42 to 50 applications of 2 kg ha-1 yr-1 of the fungicide ethylenebisdithiocarbamate (EBDC) are made. However, due to occasional spills during handling, there is a risk of contamination of surface and groundwater (Geissen et al. 2010). One mitigation alternative is the use of biobeds that facilitate adsorption and degradation of the contaminant (Torstensson 2000). However, research is required on the parameters that affect the degradation of xenobiotics within biobeds, such as the appropriate proportion of substrates in the bio-mixture (Karanasios et al. 2012). The objective of this research was to evaluate the reduction of toxicity in EBDC-contaminated leachates using mixtures based on organic substrates available at the cultivation sites.