Feasibility of using agricultural effluents entering Khorramshahr (Naseri) wetland in haloculture projects from the viewpoint of contamination with pesticides

Water resources deficiency has caused the use of effluents to be considered as a source for re-use in the form of haloculture projects. An attempt has been made to investigate the possibility of using effluent produced by sugarcane production companies in the implementation of haloculture projects, from the viewpoint of the most used pesticides.

Ten water, four sediment, two plant, and two fish samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to determine the concentration of pesticides. In order to assess the ecological risk, toxic unit (TU) and risk quotient (RQ) were calculated.

Glyphosate and Ametryn in all liquid, solid, and biological samples had concentrations below the detection limit. 2.4.D, Metribuzin, and Atrazine had detectable concentrations in the samples. However, their concentrations are lower than the standard values. Metribuzin and Atrazine had high concentrations in the stems and leaves of reeds in the region, which may indicate the role of these plants in the remediation of water and sediment from these compounds.

Using effluent from Amirkabir and Mirzakouchak Khan agro-industrial complexes to implement the haloculture project does not pose a particular problem from the viewpoint of contamination with the studied pesticides. This is confirmed due to the small concentrations of the studied compounds in the liver and below the detection limit in the muscles. However, it is necessary to carry out more studies to evaluate the quality of effluent in terms of the other types of pollution.