Much
progress has been made involving the interaction of atrazine
(Atz) with natural geosorbents like Fe(hydr)oxides, organic matter,
and clay minerals. However, the properties of the humic acid–Fe(hydr)oxides-clay
composites differ from their individual member phases, exerting an
influence on the adsorption capacity and stability of the system.
In this work, the evaluation of Atz adsorption onto humic acid–Fe(hydr)oxide
supported on montmorillonite (HA–FeM) was performed. A combination
of the X-ray diffraction pattern and batch adsorption experiments
at different pH and ionic strength conditions were performed. The
identification of the surface groups involved in the interaction FeM–Atz
was carry out using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The presence
of Fe(hydr)oxides and humic acid improve the adsorption capacity of
montmorillonite. Acidic pH and high ionic strength conditions further
increases the adsorption. The heterogeneity of the surface sites and
cooperative effect contributes to the adsorption process. However,
the hydrophobic character of the herbicide is the key factor controlling
adsorption. The results obtained from this work give insights about
the adsorption mechanism of Atz onto humic acid Fe(hydr)oxides-clay
composites and provide information about the potentiality of this
type of material to be used to remove organic pollutants present in
the aquatic environment.