Given the extensive use and toxicity of glyphosate, this study aimed to optimize and validate a high-efficiency liquid chromatography method with fluorescence detection for its quantification in water, evaluate its photocatalytic degradation using Ag3AsO4, and assess biological toxicity via the Allium cepa test, the MTT assay, and nitric oxide quantification in RAW264.7 cells. The analytical method was successfully validated, exhibiting a correlation coefficient of 0.99976 and limits of detection and quantification of 0.0314 μg L−1 and 0.1048 μg L−1, respectively, with coefficients of variation below 9.05% and recovery rates between 93.84 and 99.41%. Regarding degradation, the Ag3AsO4 photocatalyst achieved a glyphosate removal rate of 99.46% within 60 min under visible light. Furthermore, the material demonstrated high stability and reusability, with only a 5.03% decrease in degradation efficiency after three consecutive cycles. Biological assays indicated that glyphosate possesses cytotoxic and genotoxic potential in the analyzed cells. These findings confirm the effectiveness of Ag3AsO4, highlighting its potential as a candidate material for environmental remediation, although further studies on metal leaching are required.
Mourão et al. (Wed,) studied this question.