DYNAMIC OF CARBAMAZEPINE AND ITS MAIN METABOLITES IN SOIL-PLANT SYSTEM

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a pharmaceutically active antiepileptic compound that can be introduced into the agroecosystem through irrigation with wastewater purified using tertiary treatments. In this greenhouse study, we focused on the fate of CBZ and its metabolites in the soil-plant system. To simulate pharmaceuticals accumulation in soils, the experimental design involved the use of two waters spiked with 200 and 600 ppb of CBZ. Irrigation was carried out in pots with and without basil plants in order to evaluate the effect of the plant on the behavior of CBZ and its degradation products. The results showed a lower concentration of CBZ and its metabolites (acridine and carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide) in soils with basil plants compared to control one and the presence of the aforementioned organic contaminants in the roots and aerial parts of basil. These results are due to the positive role of the basil rhizosphere in the degradation of this compound and/or plant in the removal of the contaminant by absorption processes. The observed morphological parameters (plant height, number of leaves, fresh and dry weight and chlorophyll content) were not affected by CBZ, even at high concentrations. In view of the low concentration of CBZ in the effluents of wastewater treatment plants, far lower than that used in the present experiment, basil can be considered suitable for irrigation with purified wastewater. To exclude risks of toxicity for humans and environment, further ecotoxicological and biochemical studies are necessary.