Photodegradation of chlorpyrifos with humic acid-bound suspended matter

Land exploitation in several developing countries, including tropical areas, has caused a rapid change of the landscape, from forest to farms. This has led to an increase of pesticide use and concentration of suspended matter in river waters, which may cause soil erosion of these areas. Humic acid (HA), one of the main components in the soil particulate organic matter, has a positive effect on the photodegradation of organic matter in water; however, the efficiency of HA-bound suspended matter (HABSM) for pesticide photodegradation is not known. The aim of this study is to clarify the effect of HABSM on the photodegradation of chlorpyrifos employed in artificial soil particulate covered with HA. Experiments were carried out in liquid HA phase, with/without HABSM phase and HABSM with additional LHA phase under light. The adsorption procedure of the pesticide on HABSM was also studied. Our results reveal that adsorption takes place within a short time period on HABSM and that photodegradation is successfully achieved. The additional LHA + HABSM phase have not demonstrated any significant effect of HA concentration to photodegradation of chlorpyrifos. For instance, when 2.0 mg/L chlorpyrifos was used in the experiments, concentration reductions caused by adsorption, photodegradation under suspended matter and HABSM were found to be 19.3, 17.7, and 61.7% respectively. This finding suggests that HABSM can be considered as a potential catalyst for pesticide photodegradation under sunlight.