Application of solar-based oxidation to the management of empty pesticide container rinse water in Bolivia

Background: The management of empty pesticide containers (EPC) in Bolivia has been recently promoted as a control strategy for dispersed pollution in surface and underground water bodies, as well as in soil. It comprises the rinsing and proper disposal or reuse of clean EPC. However, the rinsing transfers the hazard to water, which must be properly treated before being discharged. Methods: In this study, solar photo-Fenton at low Fe 2+ doses were tested at pilot plant scale in Cochabamba (Bolivia) for the removal of pesticides dimethoate and atrazine in their commercial form, spiked in river water. Results: The results demonstrated that solar photo-Fenton ([H 2O 2] 0 = 200 mg L -1) with Fe 2+ concentrations between 0.5 and 1.5 mg L -1 is an effective method to remove dimethoate and atrazine, at an initial concentration of 10 mg L -1 each. Efficiency increased when increasing Fe 2+ doses, achieving a removal over 99% of both pesticides after a solar irradiation period of 60 minutes (corresponding to an accumulated energy of 4.96 kJ L -1). Conclusions: The presence of high concentrations of natural components of river water, mainly organic and inorganic carbon species, would have contributed to hydroxyl radical scavenging, explaining, together with the low iron dose applied, the high energy (irradiation time) and high hydrogen peroxide concentration required to produce pesticide depletion. Additionally, the relatively low oxidant consumption and mineralization observed leave room for process optimization regarding oxidant and catalyst doses and warrant further studies on its coupling with biological or other post-treatments for the removal of transformation products