Adsorption of the nitrification inhibitors nitrapyrin and dicyandiamide by soil humic substances

Abstract

Adsorption of the nitrification inhibitors dicyandiamide (DCD) and nitrapyrin (2-chloro-6(trichloromethyl)-pyridine) on humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) extracted from five Indiana soils was studied. Ten mg of HA or FA were suspended in aqueous solutions (10 ml) of either DCD (5,10, 20, 40 and 80 ug ml-1) or nitrapyrin (2,4,6,8,12 ug ml-1). The amount of nitrification inhibitor absorbed was evaluated after shaking the suspension of DCD for 48 h or nitrapyrin for 24 h. Infrared spectra of the nitrification inhibitor-humic material complexes were recorded. The results indicated that FA adsorbed more DCD than HA, and HA was a better adsorbent for nitrapyrin. Correlation between Freundlich K values and organic carbon content of HA and FA was not statistically significant, indicating a slight contribution of hydrophobic forces in the adsorption of DCD and nitrapyrin. The infrared spectra provided evidence that adsorption occurred predominantly through an ionic bonding mechanism involving the protonated amino group of DCD or the nitrogen of the pyridine ring of nitrapyrin and the negative functional groups of the humic materials.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306