Author(s) :

Sophia Lee, Anna Han, Miriam Kang, Hailey Choi, Taylor Choi, Jacob Park, David Park, Zoe Lok, Ayah Atay.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

Chlorothalonil is a prominent fungicide and mildewcide that is used on a variety of produce, including field and vegetable crops and turfgrass. Chlorothalonil is also used to increase soil respiration and phosphatase activities. However, this fungicide contains harmful properties and can cause health concerns to humans. Chlorothalonil is especially toxic to aquatic species and environments and can pose a threat towards crucial plants such as peanuts and potatoes. Due to the harmful effects of chlorothalonil on our health and the environment, its complete removal from consumable produce is vital. To assist in quickly and thoroughly removing chlorothalonil from various types of produce, we hypothesized that adjusting the pH of the chlorothalonil would help break down the fungicide. However, with the inconclusive results of our pH testing, we shifted a focus on using the surfactant sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) to increase solubility in chlorothalonil for easy removal. This study investigates how SDBS concentration influences chlorothalonil solubility as measured by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The increase in polarity of the chlorothalonil was confirmed with the decrease in Rf values from 0.73 to 0.10 when SDBS increased from 0.00 to 0.400 g, therefore indicating an increase in solubility. The impacts of our research prove the efficacy of the use of SDBS in the removal of the fungicide chlorothalonil from produce that is consumed everyday worldwide.