Potential use of organic waste substances as an ecological technique to reduce pesticide ground water contamination

SummaryThe heavy use of pesticides in agriculture has meant that the fate due to their movement after their application continue to be a real problem for the environment. In this work, a viable eco-remediation technique based on the use of natural organic substances (NOS) that characterize the Mediterranean region is proposed to demonstrate the efficiency of endosulfan sulphate removal from water. Experimental results showed that the pH of pesticide solutions and temperature negatively affect the adsorption process. According to adsorption kinetic data, 5 h were considered as the equilibrium time for realizing adsorption isotherm. The Freundlich isotherm model describes better the adsorption process of endosulfan sulphate on NOS tested. The Freundlich constant Kf depended mainly on the nature of each adsorbent and ranged from 5.56 for straw to 13.54 for date stones. The adsorption tests gave very satisfying results and point to the possible application of these supports as an ecological remediation technique to reduce pesticide contamination of aquatic ecosystems.