Sorption Kinetics and Equilibria of Organic Pesticides in Carbonatic Soils from South Florida.

The article discusses sorption kinetics and equilibria of organic pesticides in carbonatic soils in Florida. Contamination of surface and ground water resulting from application of agricultural chemicals to soils is a national environmental concern. Assessment of pesticide sorption during transport is a precondition for reducing their potential mobility in the vadose zone. The factors that play an important role in determining the fate and transport of pesticides in the environment are sorption kinetics and equilibria parameters. Application techniques for pesticides, combined with the high annual rainfall in South Florida, could result in considerable magnitudes of pesticides reaching nontarget sites. Soil properties and the molecular characteristics are two of the major factors known to influence sorption of pesticides. Sorption of neutral organic pesticides, such as atrazine and diuron, is determined basically by soil organic carbon content. Sorption dictates whether the pesticide will persist, be transported, and pollute the underlying ground water