RESUMO
Although pesticides are frequently used for agriculture in the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador), there are, to date, no investigations of pesticide occurrences in its coastal waters. We examined the presence of pesticide residues in the coastal waters of urban areas in two islands of the Galapagos archipelago using a repeated sampling design. Quantification was performed by solid-phase extraction, followed by chemical analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD). The diversity and concentration of pesticide residues in Santa Cruz island were higher compared to Isabela island. In total, sixteen pesticides were detected, including three persistent organic pollutants. Carbendazim (23.93 µg·L-1), cadusafos (4.74 µg·L-1), DDT (2.99 µg·L-1), diuron (1.61 µg·L-1) and aldrin (1.55 µg·L-1) were detected with the highest concentrations between samples. Repetitions in locations show that concentrations of pesticide residues varied considerably in space and time. Comparison with local products indicated agricultural activities on the islands as a possible source. Furthermore, evaluation through ecological risk quotients showed that the observed concentration levels of seven pesticides pose a relatively high risk for three biotic groups (i.e. algae, invertebrates and fishes). Taken together, this study provides insights into the need to regulate, monitor and assess the presence of pesticides in the islands. At a global scale, this study is moreover valuable for the many islands that are facing the same challenges.
RESUMO
The use of natural sorbents to remove fluoride from drinking water is a promising alternative because of its low-cost and easy implementation. In this article, fluoride adsorption on a latosol soil from Misiones province (Argentina) was studied regarding kinetic and equilibrium aspects. Experiments were conducted in batch at room temperature under controlled conditions of pH 4-8) and ionic strength (1-10mM KNO3). Experimental data indicated that adsorption processes followed a PSO kinetic where initial rates have showed to be influenced by pH solution. The necessary time to reach an equilibrium state had resulted approximately 30min. Equilibrium adsorption studies were performed at pH 8 which is similar to the natural groundwater. For that, fluoride adsorption data were successfully adjusted to Dubinin-Ataskhov model determining that the fluoride adsorption onto soil particles mainly followed a physical mechanism with a removal capacity of 0.48mgg-1. Finally, a natural groundwater was tested with laterite obtaining a reduction close to 30% from initial concentration and without changing significantly the physicochemical properties of the natural water. Therefore, it was concluded that the use of lateritic soils for fluoride removal is very promising on a domestic scale.