Uptake of phenylurea herbicides by humic acid-zeolitic tuff aggregate

The capacity of an organo-zeolite aggregate, namely a humic acid (HA) bound to a sample of Ca2+-enrichedNeapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT), to remove phenylurea herbicides from water has been analysed by the batch method. The experimental results showed that this aggregate is an effective sorbent for phenylureas and that sorption capacity is linearly related to the amount of HA in the aggregate and to the specific value of the octanol-water partition coefficient of the herbicide tested. NYT surface was proved to be irrelevant to the sorption process itself, its only role being to immobilize the active HA.

The capacity of an organo-zeolite aggregate, namely a humic acid (HA) bound to a sample of Ca2+-enrichedNeapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT), to remove phenylurea herbicides from water has been analysed by the batch method. The experimental results showed that this aggregate is an effective sorbent for phenylureas and that sorption capacity is linearly related to the amount of HA in the aggregate and to the specific value of the octanol-water partition coefficient of the herbicide tested. NYT surface was proved to be irrelevant to the sorption process itself, its only role being to immobilize the active HA. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.