Biodegradation of acetanilide herbicides acetochlor and butachlor in soil

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Ye, Chang-ming | Wang, Xing-jun | Zheng, He-hui

Affiliations: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China

Abstract: The biodegradation of two acetanilide herbicides, acetochlor and butachlor in soil after other environmental organicmatters addition were measured during 35 days laboratory incubations. The herbicides were applied to soil alone, soil-SDBS(sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate) mixtures and soil-HA (humic acid)mixtures. Herbicide biodegradation kinetics were compared in the different treatment. Biodegradation products of herbicides in soilalone samples were identified by GC/MS at the end of incubation.Addition of SDBS and HA to soil decreased acetochlor biodegradation, but increased butachlor biodegradation. The biodegradation half-life of acetochlor and butachlor in soil alone,soil-SDBS mixtures and soil-HA mixtures were 4.6d, 6.1d, 5.4d, and 5.3d, 4.9d, and 5.3d respectively. The biodegradation products were hydroxyacetochlor and 2-methyl-6-ethylaniline for acetochlor, and hydroxybutachlor and 2,6-diethylaniline for butachlor.

Keywords: butachlor, acetochlor; , degradation products , biodegradation kinetics, soil

Journal: Journal of Environmental Sciences, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 524-529, 2002