Photodegradation of acetochlor in water and UV photoproducts identified by mass spectrometry.

The sunlight photodegradation half-lives of 20 mg/L acetochlor were 151, 154 and 169 days in de-ionized water, river water and paddy water, respectively. When exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, acetochlor in aqueous solution was rapidly degraded. The half-lives were 7.

Biodegradation of acetanilide herbicides acetochlor and butachlor in soil.

The biodegradation of two acetanilide herbicides, acetochlor and butachlor in soil after other environmental organic matter addition were measured during 35 days laboratory incubations. The herbicides were applied to soil alone, soil-SDBS (sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate) mixtures and soil-HA (humic acid) mixtures. Herbicide biodegradation kinetics were compared in the different treatment.