Abstract:
In this study, amphiphilic nanopolymers were synthesized for removing endosulfans (alpha, beta and sulfate) from soil. The obtained polymers had hydrophilic on outer surface and hydrophobic interior with 50-130 nm diameters which enabled them to sorb some lipophilic organic compounds including endosulfans. The various concentrations of nanopolymer and endosulfan in soil-water system reached equilibrium at 48 h, the contact time used throughout the study. The nanopolymer of 10 mg/L found out to be best for removal (90 - 94%) and the efficiency is in the order of alpha endosulfan > endosulfan sulfate > beta endosulfan respectively. The endosulfans spiked soil in a glass column were soaked separately in 10 mg/L nanopolymer and deionized water for 48 h and later leached with deionized water showed that deionized water capable to leach endosulfans from soil at very low amount in contrary to nanopolymer. The soil texture and its high organic carbons exhibited strong affinity to the compounds and as a consequence made them difficult to be removed by the nanopolymers. That is low organic carbon content in soil indicated its capacity facilitate high removal rate as well as low log K[subscript OW] values of the compounds exhibited similarly. Besides, soil particle size influenced the removal of compounds from soils.