Chemical Treatment Options for Pesticide Wastes Disposal

The development of chemical means of detoxification of pesticide wastes and spills is an increasingly important endeavor for the pesticide industry. The objective of this paper is to review some of the chemical degradation methods for pesticide decontamination that exist today. I n presenting each method, less emphasis has been put on technical detail of the method and more emphasis has been put on the cost of the method, regulatory attractiveness, and simplicity to potential users of the method. Some methods that will be discussed are microwave plasma destruction, photolysis, hydrolysis, ozonation, wet air oxidation, chemical fixation, and reductive degradation. Recent screening experiments carried out by the Product Neutralization Task Force at CIBA-GELGY on the chemical destruction of several of our pesticides show that household bleach (NaOC1) is effective over a broad range of chemicals. Further, results show that for some chemicals, biological destruction or other means of detoxification would be preferred over chemical means. Details of these studies will be discussed.