Evaluation of the potential of Potamogeton crispus and Myriophyllum spicatum on phytoremediation of atrazine

Atrazine is one of the most frequently detected pesticides and poses a great risk to humans and the environment. In this study, the effects of two submerged macrophytes, Potamogeton crispus and Myriophyllum spicatum, on phytoremediation of atrazine were evaluated. The results showed that atrazine decayed faster in the pots where these two plants were cultivated than that of the control without the plants during the 60-day course of the experiment. Metabolite analyses of atrazine indicated that atrazine was mainly converted to diaminochlorotriazine and hydroxyatrazine. Dissipation kinetics and risk assessment of atrazine showed that atrazine was degraded rather fast in maize and generally safe for human consumption at the recommended high dosage of atrazine. The maximum permissible intake (MPI) for atrazine was calculated to be 0.23 μg/person/day for a child and 0.72 μg/person/day for an adult. However, due to the large-scale application of atrazine over the years, the atrazine residue still poses a great threat to the environment. By using submerged macrophytes M. spicatum and P. crispus, atrazine could be absorbed from the sediment, hence remediating contaminated sediment and water. This study established a protocol for evaluating submerged plants in absorption or phytoremediation of pesticides.