Environmental fate, toxicological impact, and advanced treatment approaches: Atrazine degradation and emphasises on circular economy strategy

Abstract

The persistent nature of the herbicide atrazine in the environment and its possible negative impacts on ecosystems and human health has sparked growing concerns. The diverse effects of atrazine are explored in this review, which also discusses its environmental fate, toxicity mechanisms, and toxicological effects on aquatic ecosystems, soil, plants, humans, and animals. This review also discusses several physicochemical techniques for atrazine treatment, including adsorption on activated carbon and biochar, as well as chemical techniques like Fenton, ozone oxidation, sulfate radical oxidation, and photocatalytic methods. Biodegradation of atrazine is then analyzed, together with atrazine-degrading microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, other microbes, and genetically modified microorganisms. Knowledge of the molecular biology and microbial metabolic pathways of atrazine-degrading bacteria provides a deeper comprehension of the degradation process. The paper also looks at key factors that affect atrazine degradation and emphasises the circular economy strategy and life cycle analysis as effective options for long-term atrazine management. The paper concludes by outlining future prospects in the field, aiming to address the challenges posed by atrazine and pave the way for environmentally friendly alternatives and effective remediation techniques.