Accelerated Solvent Extraction of the Herbicide Mesotrione From Soils.

With the continued increase in our world population, modern agriculture will meet the challenge of not only maintaining but improving productivity to meet the demands of the growing population. The use of agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides is expected to increase, and at the same time, concern of potential risks these agricultural chemicals can have on the environment and human health will also increase. In an attempt to minimize adverse effects, chemicals with more favorable properties have begun to appear in the market. Mesotrione (2-[4-(methysulfonyl)-2-nitrobenzoyl]-1,3-cyclohexanedione) is such a chemical, used primarily as a pre- and post- emergence herbicide on corn crops which was developed with the aim of replacing the most highly used herbicide in the United States and many regions of the world, atrazine (6-chloro-N-ethyl-N-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine). Currently, traditional methods are used to extract mesotrione from soil, which are more time consuming, costly, and can generate a substantial amount of solvent waste. The objective of this study was to determine optimal conditions to extract mesotrione from four Texas soils (Cameron silty clay, Orelia sandy clay loam, Westwood silty clay loam, and a Darco loamy fine sand) using the accelerated solvent extractor (ASE) system. Two solvents (1:1 Acetonitrile (ACN): 5% Acetic Acid (AA) and 4:1 ACN: 5% AA), three temperatures (50°C, 100°C, and 150°C) and three static cycles (1, 2, and 3) were evaluated. The most efficient extractions were obtained using a 4:1 ACN:5%AA solvent with 2 static cycles, and an extraction temperature of 50°C. The results from these experiments suggest that the ASE system can be used to successfully extract mesotrione from soils.

See more from this Division: SSSA Division: Soil Biology & Biochemistry
See more from this Session: General Soil Biology & Biochemistry: I

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