Adsorption characteristics of endosulfan pesticide in three soils in Palestine

Nidal Zatar's picture
Journal Title, Volume, Page: 
Land Contamination & Reclamation,18 (3), (2010) 303-311
Year of Publication: 
2010
Authors: 
Nidal Zatar
Current Affiliation: 
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, An-Najah National University, Nablus
Shehdeh Jodeh
Karbalaa Jaradat
Preferred Abstract (Original): 
In this paper, adsorption features were studied in detail in three soil samples from Palestine. The samples were red soil, chalk soil and sandy soil, according to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) scale for the classification of soil. Adsorption rates on soil samples were calculated from kinetic studies. The values varied based on the type of soil.
Maximum specific adsorption capacities qmax) for soil samples using the Langmuir model, were as follows: 0.387 (red soil), 0.281 (chalk soil), and 0.075 (sandy soil) in mg/g of endosulfan.
Maximum adsorption was measured in the red soil followed by the chalk soil, but it was lowest in the sandy soil. Also, the proportion of organic matter plays a major role in adsorption on soil samples.
There was a significant reduction in the process of adsorption in the soil samples, in parallel with the decline in pH, and increasing adsorption with increase in concentration of pesticides.
Finally, the results showed that endosulfan mobility is more possible in the sandy soil followed by red, followed by chalk soil. This may be attributed to the crystal lattices of the clay minerals in the red soil, which plays an important role in both processes of adsorption, as it could be a major role for the chemical and biological processes that play a role in the clay and sandy soil samples.