A comparative study of the adsorption of fipronil, a phenylpyrazole
acridicide, on two Sahelian soils
(Saguia and Banizoumbou in Niger) and a Mediterranean soil
(Montpellier) has shown that this
phenomenon is dependent on the level of organic matter (OM): the
adsorption coefficients (K
f) were,
respectively, 4.3 (Saguia, 0.1% OM), 7.3 (Banizoumbou, 0.3% OM), and
45.5 (Montpellier, 6.5% OM).
The partial destruction of the OM of the Montpellier soil sample
by oxidation with hydrogen peroxide
confirmed the fundamental role of this component: the values of log
K
OM were practically constant
(2.8−2.9) for OM levels ranging from 6.5 to 1.1%. Following the
Giles classification, the adsorption
isotherms of the two Sahelian soils seemed to be type S, characteristic
of soils with low OM content.
For natural Montpellier soil, the shape of the isotherm began
close to type S but changed rapidly
to type C. The temperature and the methanol cosolvent level were
factors influencing the adsorption.
For the Banizoumbou soil, increasing the temperature (from 22 to
35 °C) caused an increase in K
f
(from 7.3 to 9.3) and modification of the mechanism of the
fipronil−soil interaction. K
f
decreased
exponentially as the methanol fraction of the binary mixture increased.
The quantitative study of
the adsorption of fipronil on the soil demonstrated the influence of
the soil/water ratio: K
f
increased
proportionately as the soil/water ratio decreased.
Keywords: Fipronil; adsorption; soil; temperature; cosolvent; soil/water
ratio