Activated charcoal from green coconut as an alternative to remove 2,4D from water and reduce toxicity in Lactuca sativa L

Water quality is essential for the maintenance of all forms of life on the planet, since the consumption of contaminated water can pose health risks. In this study, green coconut activated charcoal was used in the treatment of contaminated water at concentrations of 2, 5, 10 and 20 mg/L of the herbicide dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). In order to verify the efficiency of the adsorption process, germination bioassays and cytogenetic analyses were performed with seeds of Lactuca sativa L. as a bioindicator. The germination bioassays were carried out with a germination paper roll in triplicate, with 300 seeds per treatment. As for the cytogenetic analysis, 3000 cells were analyzed per treatment. The results showed that the green coconut activated charcoal has adsorptive potential to remove 2,4-D from water, with germination results of 89.6% for treated water, 92% for pure water, and 0% for contaminated water. Regarding the cytogenetic analysis, Mitotic Index (MI) values were high and did not differ statistically for pure and treated water samples. Yet, they were low for contaminated water. As for chromosomal abnormalities, there was a gradual increase depending on the level of exposure to the different 2,4-D concentrations. Thus, we concluded that 2,4-D is toxic to the development of lettuce seeds, and that green coconut activated charcoal was efficient in the adsorption