Conventional methods for environmental decontamination sometimes just transfer these residues from one place to another. This study deals to the study of the influence of dose rate in the degradation of 2,4-D herbicide in water and methanol solutions by gamma radiation from cobalt-60. The results showed that pure 2,4-D herbicide in water was totally degraded with a dose of radiation of 30 kGy at a dose rate of 2,7 kGy h-1 and 20 kGy with dose rates of 5- 60 kGy h-1. For a total degradation of pure 2,4-D herbicide in methanol to occur a dose of radiation of 150 kGy at a dose rate of 2,7 kGy h-1 and 100 kGy at a dose rate of 5- 60 kGy h-1 were needed. It is concluded that radiolytic degradation of 2,4-D herbicide depends on of the dose and the dose rate. The radiolytic yield from 2,4-D degradation was calculated.
2,4-D; degradation; dose ratio; gama radiation
