Riboflavin-photosensitized degradation of atrazine in a freshwater environment

The effect of the photosensitizer riboflavin (0, 10, 50, 100 muM) on the fate of atrazine (10 mg/l) in a freshwater environment was studied. It was found that at 100 muM riboflavin significantly enhanced the degradation of atrazine and more than 80% of atrazine in a natural water environment was depleted in 72 h. The relative contribution of microbial assemblages and the freshwater matrix to the degradation of atrazine and the degradation kinetics of atrazine were compared under different experimental conditions. The products and pathways of atrazine transformation were studied with GC-MS and HPLC with a photodiode array detector. The results show that dealkylation and alkyl chain oxidation are involved in the degradation of atrazine. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.