Study of Pyrene Adsorption on Brazilian Soils

Most studies that involve the adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils are made in regions of temperate or cold climate. Since in tropical countries the characteristics of the pedological processes and the resultant soils are quite different, there is a lake of such studies with Brazilian soils. In this work, the adsorption of pyrene was studied in five representative Brazilian soils: Argissolo, Latossolo Vermelho Acriférrico, Latossolo Vermelho Amarelo, Neossolo Quartzarênico and Vertissolo. In this work, Langmuir’s isotherms were found to Argissolo and Latossolo Vermelho Amarelo, Langmuir-Freundlich isotherms to Neossolo Quartzarênico and linear isotherms to Vertissolo. We observed that the presence of the swelling clays may contribute to the increase of the amount of Pyrene adsorbed on the soil (Q), such as happened in the Vertissolo