Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #58742
Title: DEGRADATION OF METHYL BROMIDE IN SOIL AS A FUNCTION OF DEPTH

Author
item GAN, J - UC RIVERSIDE
item Yates, Scott
item ANDERSON, M - UC RIVERSIDE
item ERNST, F - UC RIVERSIDE
item SPENCER, W - 5310 20 20

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/2/1993
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The environmental fate of methyl bromide is being reevaluated due to its potential to deplete stratospheric ozone. The ratio of methyl bromide escaping into the atmosphere is controlled by many processes, and chemical and microbial degradation is one of the most important. Following injection into the soil, methyl bromide distributes quickly through the soil profile, ,providing opportunity for degradation at various depths. The dependence of methyl bromide degradation on soil depth and soil properties such as organic matter content and moisture, has not been well investigated. Also, determining the degradation at various depths would be essential for mathematical modeling of methyl bromide behavior in soils. In this study, a headspace method was used to follow the decline of methyl bromide in the headspace and the production of Br in three selected soils, for the depths from 0 to 270 cm. The correlation between degradation rate and soil depth, ,organic matter content and moisture were analyzed. The catalytic capacity of humic acid, montmorillonite, calcite and goethite in methyl bromide degradation was studied independently. It was found that methyl bromide degraded rapidly only in humic acid solution.