Atrazine (ATZ) is widely used as herbicide, commonly found in association to its degradation products in surface water and groundwater. It belongs to the class of s-triazines and together with the chlorinated metabolites dieethylatrazine (DEA) and deisopropilatrazine (DIA) have carcinogenic potential and toxicity as endocrine disruptors. The limitation of the processes employing chemical coagulation in the removal of atrazine, the known ability of activated carbon to remove microcontaminants in water and the risk that atrazine and the potential toxicity to human health of its metabolits motivated the study of slow sand filtration bed combined with granular activated carbon. The results showed the high efficiency of the slow filtration process with intermediate layer of granular activated carbon in the removal of atrazine and its limitation on the removal of the metabolites DEA, DIA and diethylhidroxiatrazine (DEHA).
atrazine; slow sand filtration; granular activated carbon; metabolites
