Miljøprojekt, 902 – The Influence of Sorption on the Degradation of Pesticides and other Chemicals in Soil

The Influence of Sorption on the Degradation of Pesticides and other Chemicals in Soil

Preface

This report is the result of a fact-finding project initiated at the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (DIAS) on the initiative of the Danish Environmental Protection Agency. The aim of the project was – based on an examination of literature – to throw light upon the connection between degradation and sorption of chemicals in soil and to assess the influence of the sorption on the fate of pesticides. In the examination of literature and the compilation of material, f_OC us has been on 1) summing up data from a broad range of published studies, 2) comparing the methods applied for studying simultaneous sorption and degradation, and 3) identifying mathematical models applied for describing the connection between sorption and degradation. Finally, information about ongoing experiments at DIAS has been included.

The report has been prepared on the basis of a systematic examination of all the papers that have been identified in the Agricola and Chemical Abstract databases and that describe the connection between sorption and degradation. Where relevant, papers dealing with methods of analysis or isolated degradation and sorption experiments have also been studied. As regards the latter, the examination is not complete as the number of separate papers dealing with degradation or sorption is numbering thousands.

Initially, the inclusion of all types of xenobiotic chemicals in the assessment was under discussion. The examination has, however, turned out to be dominated by studies concerning pesticides, which are the substances that have primarily aroused interest when the influence of sorption on the degradation was to be described.

The project was financed by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency.

The steering committee for the project consisted of Christian Dejbjerg Hansen, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, and Inge S. Fomsgaard, DIAS.

Inge S. Fomsgaard has been in charge of the examination of literature and the compilation of material.

Our thanks to Kirsten Jensen, DIAS, for a large effort in translating the report into English and to Sonja Graugaard and Henny Rasmussen for the lay-out of text and figures.