RESUMO: A sorção de pesticidas no solo é o principal fator responsável por regular o destino de pesticidas no ambiente, afetando a degradação microbiológica e química, volatilização e lixiviação. O principal objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar o efeito da fase orgânica de solos vulcânicos sobre a sorção de pesticidas agrícolas. A sorção e dessorção de oito solos vulcânicos cujos constituintes flúvico e húmico de sua matéria orgânica eram variáveis. Os resultados mostraram que, para todos os pesticidas, a sorção foi bem descrita por uma isoterma de Freundlich, e os valores 1/nads indicam que o mecanismo de sorção poderia ser explicado principalmente por reações físicas em todos os solos. Carbaryl e flumioxazin foram mais adsorvidos, com Kf média de 7,78 e 7,16 mL g-1, enquanto hexazinone e metsulfuron-methyl foram os pesticidas mais lábeis, com Kf de 0,86 e 0,81 mL g-1, respectivamente. A fração orgânica do solo foi o principal fator relacionado à sorção de todos os pesticidas estudados. Especificamente, o teor de ácido húmico regulou a atração entre o pesticida e o solo, principalmente através dos grupos carboxílicos.

ABSTRACT: Pesticide soil sorption is a primary factor that influences the fate of pesticides in the environment, affecting regulation of microbiological and chemical degradation, volatilization and leaching. The main goal of this research was to study the effect of the organic phase of volcanic soils on sorption of agricultural pesticides. Sorption and desorption of eight agricultural pesticides were studied on eight volcanic soils that varied in the fulvic and humic constituents of their organic matter. For all pesticides, sorption was well described by a Freundlich isotherm where 1/nads values indicated that the sorption mechanism could be mainly explained by physical reactions in all soils. Kf values for carbaryl and flumioxazin were the highest with average values of 7.78 and 7.16 mL g-1, respectively. By contrast, hexazinone and metsulfuron-methyl had the lowest average Kf: 0.86 and 0.81 mL g-1, respectively, indicating that they were the least attracted to the soils. The organic fraction of the soil was the main soil factor related to the sorption of all study pesticides. Particularly, humic acid content regulated the sorption between pesticide and soil, especially through the carboxylic groups.

Crystalline silicon solar cells are currently the leading technology in the photovoltaic market with no great expectable change in the shares. The scientific community works on the further development and improvements of state-of-the-art as well as new solar cell materials. This paper reports on a chemical methodology for selective etching to study the metallization step in monocrystalline silicon solar cells. The object of study is a complete processed silicon solar cell which was cleaved via laser beam on the back side and broken per hand to obtain stripes of the size 15.6×1 cm². In the following a sequence of etching chemical solutions to selectively remove the components of the front side silver contact was applied. Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate contact interface after each etching step. The silver finger, the glass and the silver crystallites grown in silicon could be removed. It came out that the silver crystallites preferably grow at the pyramid tips and edges of the textured wafer. A characterization with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry was performed to quantify the components of the silver contact after each chemical etching step. While the weight percentage of silver reduced by more than 90% after an aqua regia treatment, it increased by 13% after hydrofluoric acid. Silver was practically eliminated after a second aqua regia bath. Similarly, the content of glass was also determined. The approach serves for interface investigations in semiconductor technology where screen printing approaches are used for the metallization.

Entre 2003 e 2007, foi conduzido um estudo de campo em uma vinha no Chile para investigar o comportamento de diuron e simazine no solo e o efeito de irrigação extra. Ambos os herbicidas foram aplicados uma vez por ano, numa base de 2.0 kg ha-1 a.i. Foram medidas as concentrações de herbicida no solo após 0, 10, 20, 40, 90 e 340 dias da aplicação, sob duas condições pluviométricas distintas, chuvas naturais e chuvas naturais mais irrigação com 180 mm de chuva artificial durante os primeiros 90 dias após a aplicação. O coeficiente de partição no solo (Kd) no perfil de solo (a uma profundidade de 0 a 90 cm) foi de 2.04 mL g-1 e de 1,4 a 0,66 mL g-1, e a capacidade de adsorção máxima do solo foi de aproximadamente 18,3 mg g-1 e 8.3 mg g-1 para diuron e simazine respectivamente. O diuron e o simazine atingiram uma profundidade de até 90 e 120 cm no solo, com uma média de, respectivamente, 8,3% e 62,4% de movimentação do herbicida abaixo de 15 cm do solo. A meia-vida de simazine no solo (DT50) foi de 38,1 dias e 7,5 dias, enquanto a meia-vida para o diuron foi de 68,0 e 24,6, com chuva natural e irrigação respectivamente. A média de simazine residual remanescente em todo o perfil do solo após 90 DAA foi de 25,4%, e de 39,9% para o diuron, sem nenhum efeito de quantidade de chuva adicional. Em 340 DAA, a quantidade de simazine presente em todo o perfil do solo correspondeu a 13,2% da quantidade inicial aplicada, sendo o diuron mais persistente, com 21,5% do herbicida inicial aplicado. Pode-se atribuir a elevada movimentação no solo com ambos os herbicidas a um processo de não-equilíbrio de sorção, explicado por fluxo preferencial, baixo Kd e elevada dessorção.

From 2003 to 2007, a field study was performed in a vineyard in Chile to investigate diuron and simazine soil behavior and the effect of additional rainfall. Both herbicides were applied once a year at a rate of 2.0 kg ha-1 a.i. Herbicide concentrations in soil were measured at 0, 10, 20, 40, 90 and 340 days after application, under two pluviometric conditions, natural rainfall and natural rainfall plus irrigation with 180 mm of simulated rainfall during the first 90 days after application. Soil partition coefficient (Kd) varied in the soil profile (0 to 90 cm deep) from 6.75 to 2.04 mL g-1 and from 1.4 to 0.66 mL g-1 and the maximum soil adsorption capacity was approximately 18.3 mg g-1 and 8.3 mg g-1 for diuron and simazine, respectively. Diuron and simazine reached up to 90 and 120 cm of soil depth, with an average of 8.3% and 62.4% of herbicide moved below 15 cm in the soil, respectively. Simazine soil half-life (DT50) was 38.1 days and 7.5 days, whereas the half life for diuron varied from 68.0 and 24.6 for natural rainfall and irrigated, respectively. The average of residual simazine remaining in the whole soil profile after 90 DAA was 25.4% and 39.9% for diuron, with no effect of additional rainfall amount. At 340 DAA the amount of simazine in the whole soil profile corresponded to 13.2% of the initial amount applied, being diuron more persistent with 21.5% of the initial herbicide applied. The high movement in soil of both herbicides could be due to a non-equilibrium sorption process explained by preferential flow, low Kd and high desorption.