Occurrence and Removal of Triazine Herbicides during Wastewater Treatment Processes and Their Environmental Impact on Aquatic Life

Abstract

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) represent a major point source for pesticide residue entry to aquatic environment and may threaten ecosystems and biodiversity in urban area. Triazine herbicides should be paid attention to for their ubiquitous occurrence in the environment and long-term residue. The present study aimed to quantify eleven compounds of triazine herbicides during wastewater treatment processes. The solid phase extraction and gas-chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) determination method were developed to identify the target herbicides with approving sensitivity. The pollution levels, removal rates of eleven triazine herbicides along five different treatment stages in WWTP were investigated. The results showed that three herbicides including atrazine, simetryn and prometryn were detected. Their concentrations in influent were among 28.79 to 104.60 ng/L. Their total removal rates from influent to effluent were 14.92%, 10.79% and 4.41%, respectively indicating that they were difficult to be effectively remove during wastewater treatment. Regarding the negative impact of triazine herbicides discharged from WWTPs on downstream water quality and aquatic life, the environmental risks were assessed by calculating the Environmental Relevance of Pesticides from Wastewater Treatment Plants Index (ERPWI) and water cycle spreading index (WCSI). The risk assessment results denoted the possible high risks for atrazine and simetryn to alage, and simetryn concurrently posed a high risk for the daphnia, while prometryn was at medium risk to alage. Atrazine and simetryn in effluent posed high risk for algae, meanwhile, simetryn had high risk for Daphnia. These results suggested a possible threat to the aquatic environment, rendering in this way the ERPWI method as a useful assessment tool. Further extensive study is needed for atrazine and simetryn in order to better understand their migration mechanism in aquatic environment.

Herbicides in Water Sources: Communicating Potential Risks to the Population of Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa

“…Therefore, the presence of herbicides in river water was not unexpected in this study, especially triazine herbicides, which were the most prevalent herbicides in river samples. Triazine herbicides are considered effective and low-cost compounds that are primarily used in crop production [ 5 ]. Herbicides are also used to control weeds in industrial areas, along roadsides, and in public squares [ 6 ].…”

“…Herbicides, on the other hand, are the most commonly used type of pesticides, accounting for 47.5% of total global pesticide consumption [ 4 ]. A herbicide, according to Wang et al [ 5 ], is any chemical, alone or in combination, whose purpose is to regulate, terminate, prevent, or alleviate the development of weeds in a crop. It is also used in forestry, community areas, parks, golf courses, and sports fields to control weeds [ 6 ].…”

The non-edible and disposable parts of oyster mushroom, as novel adsorbent for quantitative removal of atrazine and its degradation products from synthetic wastewater

“…Among the most commonly detected pesticides in the water systems, symmetrical (s )-triazine herbicides have been known to create environmental risks due to its wide spread use along with their extensive applications, spills and incorrect waste disposal [ 29 , 30 ]. Atrazine; (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-1,3,5-triazine) is a category of s- triazine and commonly used all over the world in modern agriculture, due to its broad-spectrum herbicidal properties and low costs to mitigate different types of weeds, mainly in the production of corn and broad leaf plants [ 17 ].…”

Effects of Prometryn Exposure on Hepatopancreas Oxidative Stress and Intestinal Flora in Eriocheir sinensis (Crustacea: Decapoda)

“…Previous studies have shown that the commonly used herbicides glyphosate and atrazine are capable of causing oxidative stress, immune response and potential genotoxicity in E. sinensis [ 16 , 17 ]. In comparison with insecticides and fungicides, herbicides contribute the most to the total pesticide toxicity in water [ 18 ]. Therefore, we hypothesized that prometryn would produce adverse effects in E. sinensis , like other herbicides, even at sublethal concentrations.…”