Evaluation of atrazine degradation by iron persulfate activation process in aqueous phase using Taguchi approach

Abstract

Atrazine (ATZ) is one of the most widely used herbicides for the control of annual broadleaf and grassy weeds in the world. Its residual in the environment is of great concern. This research work primarily focused on examining ATZ degradation by the ferrous ion activated persulfate (PS) oxidation process (Fe2+-AP process) and the influence of oxidative parameters on the degradation of ATZ in aqueous phase. The Taguchi Design of Experiment methodology was used to explore the effects of various operational parameters, including ATZ concentration, dosage of Fe2+, dosage of PS, and pH condition (Taguchi L9 orthogonal array). The optimal operational conditions were then determined based on the results of ANOVA statistical analysis. Operational conditions included ATZ at an initial concentration of 5 mg/L, with initial concentrations of 1 mM Fe2+, 10 mM PS, and pH = 3, at 20oC, for a reaction time period of 3 h. The sensitivity of factors for the ATZ degradation followed the decreasing order: PS concentration, pH, ATZ concentration and Fe2+ dosage. The results of this study provide useful operational conditions for the Fe2+-AP process, for application to field remediation of ATZ contamination.