Electroanalytical studies of sulfentrazone in protic medium, its degradation by the electro-Fenton process, and toxicity assessment using ss-DNA

Sulfentrazone is an herbicide used as a pre-plant incorporated or pre-emergence treatment. The electrochemical oxidation of sulfentrazone was studied, by cyclic, differential and square-wave voltammetry on unmodified and on glassy carbon nanotube-modified electrodes, and by controlled-potential coulometry and electrolysis. The voltammograms of sulfentrazone showed a main irreversible diffusion-controlled pH-dependent oxidation peak. The in situ DNA-damaging capacity of sulfentrazone was also investigated, employing double stranded ds-DNA-modified glassy carbon electrode, without evidence of interaction. On the other hand, in a solution of sulfentrazone and single stranded ss-DNA, the oxidation signals of the respective bases decreased concentration-dependently, indicating binding of sulfentrazone to guanine and adenine. The electro-Fenton method was employed to promote decontamination by eliminating the herbicide, resulting in almost 60% of mineralization.