Atrazine Environmental Fate: Study in Freshwater Aquatic Microcosms
Contamination of water bodies by pesticides is one of the biggest causes of ecosystem imbalances today, with atrazine being one of the most commonly found agrochemicals in waters and sediments. Atrazine is internationally classified as a compound with a high carcinogenic and mutagenic potential and its presence in the environment poses serious risks to biodiversity and human health. Thus, the objective of this work is to investigate the fate and transformation of atrazine in aquatic environments through adsorption and biodegradation tests in microcosms representative of natural freshwater ecosystems, using synthetic sediments of known composition. For the quantification of atrazine in the systems, Liquid Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry will be used. From the tests, it is expected to obtain adsorption isotherms that characterize the interaction of atrazine with the microcosm sediment matrix, allowing to predict the destination of the compound in lentic aquatic environments of fresh water. The variables evaluated in the microcosms were divided into three classes: monitored variables (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen), controlled (agitation, water quality, origin of the sediment components), independent (type, quantity and quality of clay) and dependent - the variables of greatest interest (mass of pesticide adsorbed to the sediment, equilibrium time of the adsorption process and mass of carbon dioxide produced by biodegradation.