The sorption of thirteen non-ionic pesticides, with varying n-octanol/water partition coefficients (Kow), by soil material taken from the A horizon of an Acriferric Red Latosol was investigated. Sorption isotherms of the pesticides were determined by the shake flask method. The concentrations of the chemicals in aqueous solutions were measured by HPLC with UV detector. Sorption isotherms of all compounds fitted well the Freundlich model, with sorption coefficient (Kf) values ranging from 0,2 to 202 mL.nmol-1. Log Kf values were shown to be linearly correlated (R² = 0,87) with the log Kow values of the pesticides, revealing that hydrophobic partitioning onto organic matter was the dominant mechanism of their sorption by the studied soil. For most compounds, the observed Kf values were higher than those predicted by the Briggs (1981) equation, which relates the Kf of the pesticide to its Kow and to the content of organic matter in the soil. These results showed that this equation, which was obtained for soils from England, is not adequate do predict the Kf values of pesticides for the soil studied in this work, and that qualitative aspects of soil organic matter may be an important factor to affect the sorption of non-ionic pesticides by soils.
Leaching; agrochemicals; soil
