Adsorption of atrazine on smectites

Pesticide adsorption in soil microstructure account for the level of retention. Smectite samples were studied to determine the atrazine reactivitiesof this clay type. Samples were subjected to chemical analysis after dispersionand drying. Freundlich adsorption isotherms were generated for each sample following the batch equilibrium method to measure adsorption. Atrazine adsorption ranged from zero to 100% in smectite clays, with the Freundlich adsorption constant declining in tandem with the values for cation exchange capacity. The study indicates that atrazine is dominantly adsorbed by smectitesas a neutral species.