The aim of this study was to evaluate the sorption and desorption of imazaquin in soils with different granulometric, chemical and mineralogical characteristics. Isotherms and kinetics studies were carried out to quantify the hysteresis between sorption and desorption processes. The soils were classified as Rhodic Hapludox (LVdf), Typic Hapludox (LVA) and Typic Quartzipsamment (RQ). The soils were air-dried and passed through a 2 mm mesh sieve, and the chemical, physical and mineralogical properties characterized. The radiolabeled molecule (14C) was imazaquin, an herbicide of the imidazolinone group. Radioactivity was quantified by liquid scintillation spectrometry. The trials were carried out under controlled temperature conditions (25 ± 2 °C). Five imazaquin concentrations were used (0.67; 1.34; 2.68; 5.36; and 10.72 µmol L-1) for the sorption isotherms. The experimental data were fitted to the Freundlich equation so that sorption parameters were obtained. Subsequently, four extractions were performed with a 0.005 mol L-1CaCl2 solution in order to determine desorption parameters in a similar way for sorption. For sorption kinetics, the sorbed imazaquin amount (2.99 µmol L-1) was determined after different time intervals (0; 0.5; 1; 3; 6; 12; 24, and 48 h after imazaquin application), and the results adjusted to the Elovich equation. Imazaquin generally presented low sorption to the three soils, with higher sorption coefficients in the soils with higher clay and organic carbon content. The desorption coefficients were higher than those of sorption, evidencing the occurrence of hysteresis. Sorption kinetics showed that imazaquin is sorbed in two phases - a rapid one that presented the largest sorbed fraction, and another slower one. The application of Fick´s Law to the kinetic data showed that diffusion mechanisms might be involved in this process.
hysteresis; herbicide; icotherms; kinetics
