Evaluation of the sorption process for imidacloprid and diuron in eight agricultural soils from southern Europe using various kinetic models

Kinetic studies are of great concern for understanding the processes and parameters involved in the sorption of pollutants by soils. Sorption kinetics of imidacloprid and diuron in eight soils of different characteristics, with very low organic carbon content were investigated. Pseudosecond-order kinetic reactions closely correlate with the experimental kinetic (R-2 > 0.98) in all soils. The sorbed amount of diuron was higher than that for imidacloprid. The low OC content of these soils correlated neither with the sorbed amount nor with the kinetic parameters for both pesticides. Imidacloprid sorption was correlated with silt and sand content and cation exchange capacity (CEC); meanwhile for diuron, no correlation was found. Thus, sorption kinetics take place throughout different mechanisms related mainly to the chemical character of the pesticides. Sorption kinetic parameters determined using three of the four models selected (pseudosecond-order kinetic reactions, Elovich equation, and Weber-Morris models) have been shown to be worthy to distinguish the process controlling the sorption kinetic of both pesticides.