Profenofos pesticide biodegradation under presence of natural organic carbon

Abstract

This study was aimed to investigate influence of natural organic carbon on profenofos (PF) pesticide removal contaminated in environment. Microorganism used in this study was Pseudomonas aeruginosa PF2 (PF2) and humic acid was chosen as a model of the natural organic carbon. Initial profenofos concentrations of 20-120 mg/L and initial microbial cell of 10⁴ CFU/mL were applied. Each experiment was performed in a batch test for 7 days. The result showed that PF2 grew from 10⁴ to 10⁸ CFU/mL. Profenofos removed for 23-45% and 30-58% during the tests with humic acid of 0 (control) and 10 mg/L, respectively. The profenofos removal was the integration of adsorption and biodegradation processes. Based on the result, it was found that natural organic carbon reduced the profenofos biodegradation. Nonetheless, overall profenofos removal increased due to adsorption by organic matter.