Simulation and quantification of the natural decay of a typical endocrine disrupting chemical Atrazine in an aquatic system

• Degradation of Atrazine (ATZ) in an outdoor environment was investigated. • The overall decay rate constant of ATZ in outdoor is slower in neutral pH and faster at extreme pH levels. • Hydrolysis was found to be a slow but continuous process. • A model incorporating ATZ decay rate constants, pH levels and temperature was proposed. • Photolysis is a non-continuous but fast and dominant process. The degradation of Atrazine (ATZ) in an outdoor environment was investigated by varying the ATZ concentration and pH levels and then cross-checked with temperature and sunlight information. The overall decay rate constant of ATZ in outdoor is slower in neutral pH and faster at extreme pH levels, while parallel tests show that higher ATZ concentration leads to slower decay rate constant. Two abiotic mechanisms including direct photolysis and hydrolysis were identified and studied in the laboratory as a comparison. Hydrolysis was found to be a slow process but it is a continuous process, which is critical as the sunlight intensity is weak. Effect of temperature on the hydrolysis was also studied. A model incorporating ATZ decay rate constants, pH levels and temperatures was proposed. Photolysis, though, is a non-continuous process in the environment. It is a fast and dominant process, which contributes 82–45% (depending on pH levels) of overall ATZ decay at outdoor. In natural environment, humic acid can act as photosensitizer and enhance photolysis of ATZ at low concentration (