Effect of Fe²⁺ amendment on photodegradation kinetics of imidacloprid in moist soil

The present study deals with the effect of Fe²⁺ on degradation kinetics of imidacloprid in moist soil under UV system. The moist soil samples were spiked with imidacloprid and irradiated in specially designed UV-photoreactor. The analysis of imidacloprid was carried out by using HPLC–DAD system. UV irradiation caused about ten fold increase in photodegradation rate of the pesticide. Amendment of soil with Fe²⁺ at concentrations of 30 mg/kg led to a further increase in the rate of photodegradation, i.e., a 98 % degradation of imidacloprid was observed in the presence of iron after 32 days of irradiation. Moreover, the half-life of imidacloprid in Fe²⁺ -amended soil was observed to be reduced to 7 days that in the absence of Fe²⁺ was recorded to be 21 days. Iron was also observed to affect the half-life of imidacloprid in dark. When compared with unsterilized Fe²⁺-amended batch treatments, the t _1/2 in sterilized Fe²⁺-amended batch treatments increased from 58 to 96 days. Imidacloprid-urea was detected by HPLC as the only stable photodegradation byproduct of imidacloprid in the soil.