Microbial degradation of pesticide residues in bioremediation devices type biological bed

Abstract

The improper handling of agrochemical residues at agricultural production sites implies a potential risk of contamination of surface and groundwater. In these places there are specific sources of pollution that, by leaching or runoff, deposit contaminants in the bodies of water adjacent to the cultivation areas. To reduce this risk in some areas biological beds are used, this is a biologically active matrix that retains and accelerates the degradation process of pesticides through ligninolytic fungi that develop in the lignocellulosic material that makes up the biological bed.

In this study the ability of two biological substrates to degrade and retain cypermethrin, one made with sorghum straw and the other using coconut husk as lignocellulosic material, were evaluated, the experiments carried out reflect that the substrate made from sorghum straw has a higher efficiency in terms of retention and degradation of cypermethrin achieving an average retention of 37% of the aggregate mixture and a degradation of 90% of cypermethrin was estimated over a period of thirty days.