Traitement par Oxydation Electrochimique des Rejets Agricoles Chargés en Pesticides.

Abstract

The discharges of the agricultural practices (phytosanitary treatments, rinsing of equipment and atomizers) constitute an important cause of the ecosystem degradation. These practices establish a direct threat for the environment, the living beings and especially for the human health. Consequently, the development of processes to detoxify the pesticide residues before their release in the environment is needed. This study is devoted on the electrochemical oxidation of an organophosphorus compound, the Dimethoate (DIM) using a boron doped diamond anode. The obtained results were compared with the ones obtained by oxidation with the sulfate radical. For both cases, the target molecule has disappeared but the selective reaction of sulfate radicals with organics led to the production of intermediates which are less biodegradable than DIM. Whereas the electrochemical oxidation of DIM via hydroxyl radicals showed that it was possible to render the solution biodegradable without reaching a complete mineralization.