Vermiremediation of Biomixtures from Biobed Systems Contaminated with Pesticides
Open Access
- 2 May 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Applied Sciences
- Vol. 10 (9), 3173
- https://doi.org/10.3390/app10093173
Abstract
Biobeds bioremediation systems are effectively used for minimizing pesticide point-source contamination. For keeping the biobed effectiveness, its biomixture needs to be replaced every so often. The exhausted biomixtures can contain pesticide residues and so they require a special treatment before being discharged into the environment. In this study, we explore the potential of vermiremediation for cleaning up biobed biomixtures contaminated with pesticides. Two biomixtures composed of soil:peat:straw (P) and soil:vermicompost of wet olive cake: olive tree pruning (O), contaminated with high loads of four pesticides, were used. Vermicomposting was carried out by Eisenia fetida earthworms for 12 weeks. Results showed that 50% and 70% of the earthworms colonized the contaminated P and O biomixtures, respectively, but the number of alive earthworms decreased with time just as their weight. The colonization of biomixtures did not significantly affect the dissipation of imidacloprid and tebuconazole, but increased 1.4 fold the dissipation of oxyfluorfen in both biomixtures and that of diuron in biomixture P. Although the presence of high loads of pesticides and the composition of the biomixtures limited the vermiremediation, satisfactory results were obtained for diuron and oxyfluorfen. Complementing vermiremediation with other remediation practices could improve the efficiency of this technology.Keywords
This publication has 43 references indexed in Scilit:
- Eco-friendly vermitechnological winery waste management: a pilot-scale studySN Applied Sciences, 2020
- Destination of pesticide residues on biobeds: State of the art and future perspectives in Latin AmericaChemosphere, 2020
- Improvement of pesticide removal in contaminated media using aqueous extracts from contaminated biopurification systemsScience of The Total Environment, 2019
- Pesticide Dissipation and Enzyme Activities in Ungrassed and Grassed Biomixtures, Composed of Winery Wastes, Used in Biobed Bioremediation SystemsWater, Air, & Soil Pollution, 2019
- Biodegradation of high doses of commercial pesticide products in pilot-scale biobeds using olive-oil agroindustry wastesJournal of Environmental Management, 2017
- Vermicomposting: A sustainable tool for environmental equilibriaEnvironmental Quality Management, 2017
- Integrated biodepuration of pesticide-contaminated wastewaters from the fruit-packaging industry using biobeds: Bioaugmentation, risk assessment and optimized managementJournal of Hazardous Materials, 2016
- Potential of earthworms to accelerate removal of organic contaminants from soil: A reviewApplied Soil Ecology, 2014
- The influence of small- and large-scale composting on the dissipation of pesticide residues in a biopurification matrixJournal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2010
- Biobeds for Environmental Protection from Pesticide Use—A ReviewJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2008