Occurrence of the herbicide diuron in the sediment of rivers of the Botafogo river sub-basin, northern coast of Pernambuco

Abstract

The Botafogo hydrographic basin, located in the north of the Pernambuco coast, extends for about 480 km². In the basin, the only water reservoir on the North Coast of the State, integrated to the water supply system of the Metropolitan Region of Recife-PE, is mentioned. The main economic activity in the region is the cultivation of sugar cane and the environmental impacts caused by the crops put pressure on water resources and sediments in the hydrographic basin. This work aimed to analyze the occurrence of herbicides in the sediments of the Catucá stream and Pilão and Botafogo rivers, cited in the Botafogo basin, using accelerated solvent extraction with Dionex's ASE 300 to extract pesticides from the sediment. The results showed that the herbicide Diuron is already present in the sediments of the studied water bodies. inferring from the data, there is a great influence of the agricultural cultivation of sugarcane, in the phytoplankton and benthic community of the region.