clay and metribuzin

Metribuzin is a widely used herbicide that has been identified as a groundwater contaminant. In this study, slow-release formulations of metribuzin were designed by encapsulating the active ingredient in phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles and adsorbing the vesicles onto montmorillonite.. The maximum active ingredient content in the slow-release formulations was 246 g kg(-1) . Infrared spectroscopy results revealed that the hydrophobic interactions between metribuzin and the alkyl chains on PC were necessary for encapsulation. In addition, water bridges connecting the herbicide and the PC headgroup enhanced the solubility of metribuzin in PC. Adsorption experiments in soils were performed to evaluate the relationship between sorption and leaching. Funnel experiments in a sandy soil revealed that the herbicide was not irreversibly retained in the formulation matrix. In soil column experiments, PC-clay formulations enhanced herbicide accumulation and biological activity in the top soil layer relative to a commercial formulation. PC-clay formulations also reduced the dissipation of metribuzin by a factor of 1.6-2.5.. A reduction in the recommended dose of metribuzin can be achieved by employing PC-clay formulations, which reduces the environmental risk associated with herbicide applications. Moreover, PC and montmorillonite are non-toxic and do not negatively affect the environment.

Topics: Adsorption; Aluminum Silicates; Clay; Environmental Monitoring; Herbicides; Phosphatidylcholines; Silicon Dioxide; Soil Pollutants; Triazines

Metribuzin (MTB) is a herbicide widely used for weed control in growing soybeans and other crops and has been identified in many parts of the world as a groundwater contaminant. To prepare controlled-release formulations (CRFs) of MTB, it was entrapped within a sepiolite-gel-based matrix with one of two proportions of clay/herbicide and used as either a gel or powder after freeze-drying. To determine how its persistence in soil is affected by formulation and soil type, MTB was applied as a CRF or commercial formulation (CM) to soils with different properties. MTB dissipation in all soils investigated was reduced when the herbicide was applied as CRFs, especially in the case of sandy soil and the freeze-dried formulations, with DT(50) values of 57.5 and 104.1 days, respectively, versus 24.8 days for CM. A positive relationship between degradation rates, bioactivity, and soil pH was found. MTB adsorption-desorption studies on these soils were also performed, and no relationship between adsorption-desorption and the degradation rate of MTB was found, possibly because of the low adsorption capacity of the studied soils. MTB when applied as a CRF remains active longer than CM, avoiding the need to use more frequently herbicide applications.

Topics: Adsorption; Aluminum Silicates; Clay; Delayed-Action Preparations; Gels; Herbicides; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Magnesium Silicates; Soil; Solubility; Triazines

Pesticide mineralization and sorption were determined in 75 soil samples from 15 individually drilled holes through the vadose zone along a 28km long transect of the Danish outwash plain. Mineralization of the phenoxyacetic acid herbicide MCPA was high both in topsoils and in most subsoils, while metribuzine and methyltriazine-amine was always low. Organic matter and soil pH was shown to be responsible for sorption of MCPA and metribuzine in the topsoils. The sorption of methyltriazine-amine in topsoil was positively correlated with clay and negatively correlated with the pH of the soil. Sorption of glyphosate was tested also high in the subsoils. One-dimensional MACRO modeling of the concentration of MCPA, metribuzine and methyltriazine-amine at 2m depth calculated that the average concentration of MCPA and methyltriazine-amine in the groundwater was below the administrative limit of 0.1mug/l in all tested profiles while metribuzine always exceeded the 0.1mug/l threshold value.

Topics: 2-Methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic Acid; Adsorption; Aluminum Silicates; Biodegradation, Environmental; Clay; Denmark; Environmental Monitoring; Glycine; Glyphosate; Herbicides; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Models, Statistical; Particle Size; Particulate Matter; Rivers; Soil; Soil Pollutants; Triazines; Water Pollutants, Chemical

Metribuzin is an herbicide widely used for weed control that has been identified as a groundwater pollutant. It contaminates the environment even when it is used according to the manufacturer's instructions. To reduce herbicide leaching and increase weed control, new controlled release formulations were developed by entrapping metribuzin within a sepiolite-gel-based matrix using two clay/herbicide proportions (0.5/0.2 and 1/0.2) (loaded at 28.6 and 16.7% a.i.) as a gel (G28, G16) or as a powder after freeze-drying (LF28, LF16). The release of metribuzin from the control released formulations into water was retarded, when compared with commercial formulation (CF) except in the case of G28. The mobility of metribuzin from control released formulations into soil columns of sandy soil was greatly diminished in comparison with CF. Most of the metribuzin applied as control released formulations (G16, LF28 and LF16) was found at a depth of 0-8 cm depth. In contrast, residues from CF and G28 along the column were almost negligible. Bioassays from these control released formulations showed high efficacy at 0-12 cm depth. The use of these novel formulations could minimize the risk of groundwater contamination while maintaining weed control for a longer period.

Topics: Aluminum Silicates; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; Clay; Herbicides; Soil Pollutants; Triazines; Water Pollutants, Chemical

We investigated the sorption of three triazine herbicides (atrazine, simazine, and metribuzin) by saponite and beidellite clay minerals saturated with K+, Cs+, Na+, and Ca2+. Saponite clay sorbed a larger fraction of each pesticide from aqueous solution than did beidellite clay. The lower cation-exchange capacity in saponite compared to that in beidellite presumably results in a less crowded interlayer, with more siloxane surface being available for adsorption. Generally, Cs-saturated clays sorbed more triazines than did clays saturated by K+, Na+, or Ca2+. We attribute this to the smaller hydrated radius of Cs+, which again increases the siloxane surface that is available for sorption. Furthermore, the relatively weak hydration of Cs+ reduces the swelling of clay interlayers, thus making sorption domains less hydrated and more receptive to hydrophobic molecules. The Cs-saponite manifested a sorption of more than 1% atrazine by weight above equilibrium concentrations of 6 mg/L, which to our knowledge is the largest sorption of neutral atrazine from water yet reported for an inorganic sorbent. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that atrazine interacts both with clay basal planes and with multiple cations in the clay interlayer.

Topics: Adsorption; Aluminum Silicates; Atrazine; Clay; Environmental Pollution; Herbicides; Simazine; Triazines; Water

The degradation of metribuzin [4-amino-6-tert-butyl-3-methylthio-1,2,4-triazin-5(4H)-one] as influenced by soil type, temperature, humidity, organic fertilizers, soil sterilization, and ultra-violet radiation was studied in two soil types of Lebanon under laboratory conditions. The two soil types were sandy loam and clay. Deamination of metribuzin in the sandy loam soil to its deaminometribuzin (DA) derivative was basically a result of biological activity. In the clay soil the first metabolite diketometribuzin (DK) was a result of oxidative desulfuration, while diketo-deaminometribuzin (DADK) was the product of reductive deamination. The two soils represented major differences in the pesticide transformation processes. Photodecomposition on the soil surface and in aqueous media was also an important process in the degradation of metribuzin. Furthermore, the increase in soil organic matter enhanced degradation.

Topics: Adsorption; Aluminum Silicates; Biodegradation, Environmental; Clay; Environmental Monitoring; Fertilizers; Herbicides; Humidity; Kinetics; Lebanon; Oxidants; Oxidation-Reduction; Soil; Soil Microbiology; Soil Pollutants; Temperature; Triazines; Ultraviolet Rays