Student researches the removal of atrazine
By Courtney Swyden
Texas A&M University soil science graduate student, Timothy Goebel and his advising professors, Drs. Kevin McInnes and Scott Senseman, are researching the removal of the herbicide atrazine from runoff water in agricultural fields.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an estimated 76.4 million pounds of atrazine are applied to agricultural fields annually. Atrazine is used on corn, sorghum, wheat and other crops for controlling broadleaf and some grassy weeds.
Goebel said that his goal is to improve surface water quality by reducing pesticide load in runoff water before it enters streams and rivers.
“This research project attempts to find a solution to a real world problem since pesticide contamination is a current problem which needs to be addressed,” said Goebel, recipient of a $5,000 2004-05 Texas Water Resources Institute research grant.
Goebel explained that consumption of atrazine has been linked to health risks in animals and humans. As a contaminant in runoff water, atrazine exists both in the water as well as bound to the soil particles eroded from the fields.
Goebel and his advisors are researching ways to modify current polymers to create an improved polymer that can capture organic contaminants, and suspend and trap them for removal from water. The water, free of contaminants, can then be reused.
“Most polymeric flocculants, such as the widely used polyacrylamides, are effective in removing colloidal material and associated contaminants, but not in removing appreciable amounts of soluble contaminants such as atrazine,” he said.
The first polymers he modified were able to remove 400 percent more atrazine from solution than the polymer Magnifloc, but were too small to flocculate as effectively as Magnifloc. The second polymers that he modified have shown to be effective at flocculating colloidal material and are currently being tested for their ability to remove atrazine from solution.
“The results suggest that bifunctional polymer can be used to help reduce the pesticide load in surface water systems but further testing would be required to determine the overall effectiveness,” Goebel said.
Goebel is working to obtain a Ph.D. in soil science and hopes to continue working in the field of environmental chemistry and to eventually become a university professor.
Goebel’s research was funded by TWRI through the U.S.Geological Survey, as part of the National Institutes for Water Research annual research program.
For more information on Goebel’s research, visit “USGS Research Grants.”
