Tomas Undabeytia

Tomas Undabeytia
Spanish National Research Council | CSIC · Department of Agrochemistry and Soil Conservation

PhD (Environmental Technology), Research Scientist

About

81
Publications
13,351
Reads
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2,997
Citations
Education
September 1991 - February 1997
University of Seville
Field of study
  • Agrochemistry

Publications

Publications (81)
Article
Full-text available
Here, we review the efficient removal of organic micropollutants from water by degradation during filtration using specialized bacteria and enzymes. In both approaches, the filter provides essential binding sites where efficient degradation can occur. A model is presented that enables the simulation and prediction of the kinetics of filtration for...
Article
Full-text available
The efficiency in water treatment by granulated complexes formed from the clay bentonite with (i) micelles of the cations of octadecyltrimethyl-ammonium (ODTMA) or (ii) liposomes of didodecyldimethyl-ammonium (DDAB) was investigated. The bentonite–ODTMA complexes were synthesized in three variations: I. mass ratio of 68/32, which resulted in an exc...
Article
Full-text available
This review deals with modification of montmorillonite and other clay-minerals and clays by interacting them with organic cations, for producing slow release formulations of herbicides, and efficient removal of pollutants from water by filtration. Elaboration is on incorporating initially the organic cations in micelles and liposomes, then producin...
Article
A slow release formulation (SRF) of the herbicide mesotrione (MS) [2-(4-mesyl-2-nitrobenzoyl)cyclohexane-1,3-dione] was designed for extended weed control relative to that of conventional formulations. The SRF was designed by incorporating the herbicide in micelles formed by the fatty amine ethoxylated surfactant Ethomeen T/15 (ET15) followed by th...
Article
Thiophanate-methyl (TM) is a fungicide widely used in post-harvest treatment of pears and apples. The wastewater of this treatment usually is discharged to the natural rivers without treatment, with the consequent concern about the contamination of these waters. The fungicide adsorption on montmorillonites (Mt) and organo-montmorillonites (organo-M...
Article
Full-text available
Cyanobacterial blooming episodes in surface waters used for drinking purposes are increasing due to eutrophication of water ecosystems. Water treatments should be optimised to remove phytoplankton cells as well as their associated toxins. The performance of a multicell electrocoagulation reactor operating under a continuous flow and coupled with fl...
Article
The increased detection of pharmaceuticals in finished drinking water has become a growing cause of concern in recent years. The removal of atenolol, ranitidine, and carbamazepine by sepiolite, following functionalization of its surface by organosilane grafting, constituted the subject of this investigation. Silylated surfaces include octyl, γ-amin...
Article
The objective of this work was to develop emulsions containing lemongrass essential oil and Appyclean 6552 (emulsifier). The emulsions were prepared using two different processing techniques: microfluidization and sonication. A decrease in Sauter diameter with ultrasonic power and residence time in sonicator was observed, reaching values of 195 nm....
Article
The use of biocompatible surfactants is interesting to increase the properties of clay minerals in an environment-friendly process of charge capacity of organics. The adsorption of the surfactant Ethomeen T/15 in the interlayer space of montmorillonite was studied experimentally and computationally. Different proportions of surfactant, water and ph...
Article
Significant concerns have been raised up due to the presence of organic micropollutants in surface waters. The ability of two polymer-clay sorbents based on a functionalized cationic starch was examined for the removal of three pharmaceuticals: atenolol, sulfamethoxazole and diclofenac sodium. In batch experiments, the complex which exhibited a pla...
Article
In this research, controlled release formulations (CRFs) of the herbicides chloridazon and metribuzin, identified as potential leachers, have been evaluated in soils with different texture. To prepare the CRFs, ethylcellulose (EC) and dibutylsebacate (DBS) have been used as coating agents in lignin-polyethylene glycol based formulations. Mobility e...
Article
Full-text available
Pyrimethanil (2-aniline-4, 6-dimethylpyrimidine, PRM) is used in fruit packing plants to control fungal infections and diseases. The effluents greatly polluted with this fungicide, as a point source contamination, need to be technologically treated for their regeneration before they reach water bodies. This work evaluates the use of organo-montmori...
Article
Full-text available
Slow-release formulations of the herbicide picloram (PCM, 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropyridine-2-carboxylic acid) were designed based on its adsorption on pillared clays (pillared clays (PILCs)) for reducing the water-polluting risk derived from its use in conventional formulations. Fe–Al PILCs were synthesized by the reaction of Na⁺-montmorillonite (SW...
Article
Glyphosate (GPS) is an herbicide currently used on olive crops in Spain, and can be transported to the nearby reservoirs currently used for human consumption. The purpose of this work was to study the behaviour and environmental fate of GPS in water and sediments of the Vibora Reservoir, its tributary river, and the surrounding agricultural soils t...
Article
Organically modified clay minerals have been widely developed, tested and employed as sorbents for organic pollutants. However, the process of pollutant-composite pairing is not commonly addressed, which would be valuable for efficient pollutant filtration by such sorbents. This study presents an approach for achieving efficient pollutant removal b...
Article
The use of pesticides in agriculture is essential because it reduces the economic losses caused by pests, improving crop yields. In spite of the growing number of studies concerning the development and application of controlled release formulations (CRFs) of pesticides in agricultural soils, there are no studies about the effects of such formulatio...
Poster
Full-text available
In order to study the behavior of the fungicide Thiabendazole (TBZ) in the soil-water system, adsorptiondesorption tests were performed in eleven soils with different physicochemical properties. TBZ adsorption isotherms were well fitted to the Freundlich equation, and Kf values varied in the range 1.41-107. Kf was directly related to organic matter...
Article
The solubilization capabilities of micellar solutions of three single surfactants, two alcohol alkoxylates B048 and B266, and the tallow alkyl ethoxylated amine ET15, and their equimolar mixed solutions toward the herbicides flurtamone (FL), metribuzin (MTZ) and mesotrione (MST) were investigated. The solubilization capacity was quantified in terms...
Article
The effects of application of composted olive mill wastewater sludge (A) and depotassified sugarbeet vinasse (V) on total diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) and sequential extracted micronutrients were investigated. The mineralogy of the fine fraction of soils was also studied. The soils used were a Typic Rhodoxeralf (soil R), a Typic Xerops...
Article
Background: MCPA [(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy) acetic acid] is a widely used herbicide showing high leaching in the soil. In this study, clay-protein-based formulations of this herbicide were designed to reduce the risk of water pollution resulting from conventional formulations. Results: Clay-gelatin formulations of MCPA were prepared, and the in...
Article
Sorption-desorption experiments of fluorene (FLU) and fluoranthene (FLT) in soils were carried out and correlated to their removal from aged contaminated soils using aqueous solutions in the absence and in the presence of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPBCD) as the extraction agent. FLU became more resistant to extraction in aged contaminated soils...
Chapter
Full-text available
Design and test of clay-based formulations of pesticides for solving environmental and economical problems are described. Organoclays were mainly designed to promote the adsorption of neutral and hydrophobic pesticides and slow their release. Adsorption of organic cations modifies the nature of the clay mineral surface, transforming it from hydroph...
Article
Slow release formulations of the herbicide imazaquin (2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-4,5-dihydro-1Himidazol-2-yl)quinoline-3-carboxylic acid) were prepared by its adsorption on Fe-pillared clay minerals (Fe PILCs). Fe PILCs were synthesized by the reaction of Na -montmorillonite (SWy-2) with base-hydrolyzed solutions of Fe and AL The Fe/(Fe + Al) ra...
Article
Full-text available
A search for clay-surfactant based formulations with high percentage of the active ingredient, which can yield slow release of active molecules is described. The active ingredients were the herbicides metribuzin (MZ), mesotrione (MS) and flurtamone (FL), whose solubilities were examined in the presence of four commercial surfactants; (i) neutral: t...
Article
Full-text available
The effects on montmorillonite (Mt) and on sepiolite (Sep) of mechanical (60 and 180 s grinding time) and further thermal treatments (TT) at 500 °C during 24 h, for removing diuron from aqueous solutions were evaluated. The adsorbents and complexes formed were characterised. The specific surface area (SSA), SEM, XRD and zeta potential of the clay m...
Article
Full-text available
The knowledge of the host-guest complexes using cyclodextrins (CDs) has prompted an increase in the development of new formulations. The capacity of these organic host structures of including guest within their hydrophobic cavities, improves physicochemical properties of the guest. In the case of pesticides, several inclusion complexes with cyclode...
Article
Metribuzin is a widely used herbicide that has been identified as a groundwater contaminant. In this study, slow-release formulations of metribuzin were designed by encapsulating the active ingredient in phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles and adsorbing the vesicles onto montmorillonite. The maximum active ingredient content in the slow-release formu...
Article
Slow release formulations of the herbicide diuron were designed to reduce the risk of water pollution resulting from conventional formulations. The new formulations were based on herbicide incorporation in phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles that were sorbed on the clay mineral montmorillonite. The active ingredient contents of the formulations reach...
Article
Full-text available
Alachlor [2-chloro-N-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-N-(methoxymethyl)acetamide] is a widely used herbicide that has been identified as a groundwater contaminant. Several slow-release formulations (SRFs) of this herbicide have been examined for their capacity to reduce its leaching and enhance weed control. A field experiment was performed to determine alachlo...
Article
Metribuzin (MTB) is a herbicide widely used for weed control in growing soybeans and other crops and has been identified in many parts of the world as a groundwater contaminant. To prepare controlled-release formulations (CRFs) of MTB, it was entrapped within a sepiolite-gel-based matrix with one of two proportions of clay/herbicide and used as eit...
Article
Metribuzin is an herbicide widely used for weed control that has been identified as a groundwater pollutant. It contaminates the environment even when it is used according to the manufacturer's instructions. To reduce herbicide leaching and increase weed control, new controlled release formulations were developed by entrapping metribuzin within a s...
Article
Atrazine and alachlor formulations were designed by encapsulating the herbicide molecules into phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles, which subsequently were adsorbed on montmorillonite. PC and montmorillonite are classified as substances of minimal toxicological risk by the U.S. EPA. PC enhanced alachlor and atrazine solubilities by 15- and 18-fold, r...
Article
A new clay-liposome complex was developed for reducing leaching of herbicides and contamination of groundwater. The liposomes were composed of the neutral and Environmental Protection Agency approved phospholipid phosphatidylcholine (PC). Adsorption of PC liposomes on the clay mineral montmorillonite could exceed the cation exchange capacity of the...
Article
Full-text available
Vesicle-clay complexes in which positively charged vesicles composed of didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) were adsorbed on montmorillonite removed efficiently anionic (sulfentrazone, imazaquin) and neutral (alachlor, atrazine) pollutants from water. These complexes (0.5% w:w) removed 92-100% of sulfentrazone, imazaquin and alachlor and 60% o...
Article
This paper investigated the photochemical behaviour of the herbicide norflurazon (NFL) in the presence of different soil colloidal components and several cyclodextrins (CDs). The interaction of NFL with CDs yielded the formation of inclusion complexes at 1:1 stoichiometric ratio in solution, with an increase of the herbicide solubility. The irradia...
Article
Full-text available
The disposal of wastewater, known as vinasse, from the sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) industry creates environmental problems. Agriculture can offer a potential solution to these problems by using organic residues as substitutes for chemical fertilizers. This study was conducted in Ultisol profiles from Cuba irrigated with vinasse for 40 yr....
Chapter
Full-text available
This chapter describes clay-based formulations of pesticides, whose design was to solve environmental and economical problems. The chapter focuses on herbicides—the leading type of pesticide used. Herbicides are applied to fields to impede the growth of weeds. However, only a part of the applied amount is bioactive, a certain part remains attached...
Article
Full-text available
Adsorption-desorption of Cd to Ca montmorillonite (SAz-1) was studied at concentrations ranging from 44.5 to 266.8 IzM. An adsorption model was employed in the analysis of the data. The procedure consists of solving the electrostatic Gouy-Chapman equations and calculating adsorbed amounts of the cations as the sum of the cations residing in the dou...
Article
The effect of the ionic strength on adsorption of Cu on Ca-montmorillonite (SAz-1) was studied at concentrations ranging from 31 to 516 µM. An adsorption model was employed in the analysis of the data. When the background electrolyte was NaClO4 the ionic interchange was suppressed at 0.5 M, and Cu adsorption was taking place on edge sites, reachin...
Article
Full-text available
Clay-vesicle systems exhibit a potential for environmental applications, such as herbicide formulations for reduced leaching. Clay-vesicle interactions were addressed by combining adsorption and XRD measurements with fluorescence studies for didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB), dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDOB), and montmorillonite. X...
Article
The influence of two organic amendments consisting of an urban waste compost (SUW) and a commercial amendment from olive mill wastes (OW) was assessed on the sorption properties and leaching of the ionizable herbicide imazaquin on four soils with different physicochemical characteristics. A loamy sand soil (CR), a loam soil (P44), a silt loam soil...
Article
Adsorption-desorption studies of norflurazon on 17 soils of very different characteristics have been performed using a batch equilibration method and correlated to its mobility, activity, and persistence in soils. The influence of different soil properties and components on norflurazon adsorption was determined. The significant variables were organ...
Article
A new approach was developed for reducing leaching of herbicides and contamination of groundwater. Liposome-clay formulations of the anionic herbicides sulfometuron and sulfosulfuron were designed for slow release by incorporating the herbicide in positively charged vesicles of didodecyldimethylammonium (DDAB), which were adsorbed on the negatively...
Article
Metal availability in soils is strongly related with sorption processes and the possible association of the metal ions with a particular particle‐size fraction. Therefore, studies of metal retention by a soil will be aided if retention by different size fractions is also studied. Sorption of copper on a calcareous soil and its textural fractions wa...
Article
The influence of two organic amendments on norflurazon sorption-desorption processes in four soils with very different physicochemical characteristics was studied in laboratory experiments to evaluate the potential leaching of this pesticide through organic fertilized soils. Sorption-desorption experiments were performed on original soils and on a...
Article
Full-text available
Herbicides and some heavy metals are frequently added together to agricultural crops. However, few studies on the phenomena that may take place in such systems have been carried out. We studied the adsorption of the herbicide glyphosate (GPS) and copper (Cu) on a synthetic goethite (Gt), in order to determine the relative contribution and mutual ef...
Article
Full-text available
The effect of the ionic strength on adsorption of Cu on calcium montmorillonite was studied at concentrations ranging from 31 to 516 microM. An adsorption model was employed in the analysis of the data. When the background electrolyte was NaClO4, the ionic exchange was suppressed at 0.5 M concentration, and Cu adsorption took place on edge sites, r...
Article
The effect of the pesticide glyphosate (GPS) on adsorption processes of copper onto three soils of different characteristics has been studied. Cu adsorption decreases in general with increasing GPS concentration in solution, due principally to the lower equilibrium pHs, although this is not the only variable affecting copper adsorption. For the sam...
Article
The aim of this study was to understand the interactions between alkylammonium cations present as monomers and micelles and a clay mineral, montmorillonite, to develop slow release formulations of anionic herbicides, such as sulfometuron (SFM) whose leaching in soils is an environmental and economic problem. In the proposed formulation the herbicid...
Article
The design and tests of slow-release formulations of sulfometuron (SFM), an anionic sulfonylurea herbicide, are described. The formulations are based on incorporation of the herbicide in octadecyltrimethylammonium (ODTMA) micelles, which adsorb on a clay mineral, montmorillonite. An optimization of herbicide/micelle clay ratios yielded high adsorpt...
Article
Adsorption of Cu and the cationic herbicide chlordimeformwas carried out on two acidic soils (S-48 and LM).Chlordimeform adsorption occurred by cationic exchange andwas higher on LM soil due to its higher CEC, partlyassociated to the presence of vermiculite. Cu adsorptionwas also higher on LM soil and was related to its higheriron and manganese oxi...
Article
Full-text available
Complexes of the herbicide glyphosate (GPS) and the heavy metal Cu were studied by infrared spectroscopy under controlled pH, in order to know the mechanisms involved in the formation of these complexes. In CuGPS(-), the IR spectrum shows participation of the carboxylate and phosphonic moieties of the GPS molecule. The formation of the complex prod...
Article
Adsorption of organic cations on several clay minerals is reviewed with an emphasis on the effect of ionic strength and modeling. The clay exchanged with suitable organic cations forms a basis for ecologically acceptable formulations of herbicides with reduced leaching, ground water contamination and enhanced weed control efficacy. Incomplete neutr...
Article
Full-text available
The study aimed to reduce leaching of the hydrophobic herbicide norflurazon (4-chloro-5-methylamino-2-(alpha,alpha, alpha)-trifluoro-m-tolylpyridazin-3-(2H)-one) by adsorbing it on clays or organo-clays. The surface of the clay mineral montmorillonite was modified from hydrophilic to hydrophobic by preadsorbing it with organic cations, of which thi...
Article
Full-text available
Photostable formulations of the herbicide norflurazon [4-chloro-5-(methylamino)-2-(alpha,alpha, alpha-trifluoro-m-tolyl)pyridazin-3-(2H)-one] were achieved by adsorbing it on pillared clay or on montmorillonite preadsorbed with the organic cation thioflavin T (TFT). Diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectra showed the existence of stro...
Article
Full-text available
The adsorption of several anions of agronomic and ecological importance, sulfometuron 2-[3-(4,6-dimethylpyrimidin-2-yl)ureidosulfonylbenzoic acid, sulfate, acetate, and chloride on pillared clay was studied. Pillared clay (PC) is a very effective adsorbent of anions from aqueous solutions. The fractions of sulfometuron adsorbed from aqueous solutio...
Article
Full-text available
This study aimed to optimize organo-clay formulations for reduction of leaching of the herbicides alachlor, metolachlor, and norflurazon, which include a phenyl ring in the structure. The adsorbed amounts of herbicides increased severalfold when montmorillonite was preadsorbed by an organic cation; benzyltrimethylammonium (BTMA) was more effective...
Article
Full-text available
Results of glyphosate (GPS) adsorption on three soils of different characteristics show that the interaction of this pesticide with the soils was not related to their CEC and clay minerals content, but to the content of iron and aluminum amorphous oxides and organic matter. The presence of Cu in treatment solutions enhanced GPS adsorption, due to s...
Article
Effect of the aggregation state of montmorillonite clays of types SAz-1 and SWy-1 on the adsorption of the monovalent organic cation chlordimeform was studied. The shapes of the adsorption isotherms were related to the degree of dispersion of the clay, changing from S- to L-type by decreasing clay concentration. Unlike monovalent organic cations de...
Article
The mutual influence of the pesticide glyphosate (Gps) and copper on their adsorption on a natural metal-fulvic acid complex (M-FA) has been studied. The complex was extracted from a podsol and contains 22.16% Fe and 7.54% Al.High adsorption of Gps on M-FA is observed, but it decreases slightly in the presence of Cu(II) in solution. This is due to...
Article
Full-text available
Adsorption-desorption of Cd to Ca montmorillonite (SAz-1) was studied at concentrations ranging from 44.5 to 266.8 mu M. An adsorption model was employed in the analysis of the data. The procedure consists of solving the electrostatic Gouy-Chapman equations and calculating adsorbed amounts of the cations as the sum of the cations residing in the do...
Article
The effect of the cationic pesticide chlordimeform (N‘-(4-chloro-2 methylphenyl)-N,N-dimethylmethanimidamide hydrochloride) on adsorption−desorption processes of copper onto the clay mineral montmorillonite has been studied. This effect was evaluated when both adsorbates were adsorbed simultaneously and when the pesticide was previously adsorbed on...
Article
Adsorption−desorption of the herbicide glyphosate (GPS) onto the clay mineral montmorillonite has been studied in presence of copper, in order to clarify the effects that this strongly complexing metal could have on the availability and mobility of GPS in soil environment. In contrast with previous findings, GPS adsorption on montmorillonite decrea...
Article
Full-text available
The adsorption of Cd and Zn on a standard montmorillonite (SAZ-1) in the presence of the cationic pesticide chlordimeform, both in solution (simultaneous adsorption) and when the pesticide is previously adsorbed on the clay (successive adsorption) has been studied. The adsorption of Zn decreases when the chlordimeform concentration increases in bot...
Article
Full-text available
Glyphosate is a herbicide which is considered to be inactived in soil by bonding to clays and organic matter, possibly through metal bridges. In this paper it has been shown that copper in inner-sphere complexes with humic substances is complexed by the herbicide. After hydrolysis of the humic acid fraction with water followed by 6M HCl, the glypho...
Article
The adsorption of Cd and Zn on a standard montmorillonite (SAZ-1) in the presence of the cationic pesticide chlordimeform, both in solution (simultaneous adsorption) and when the pesticide is previously adsorbed on the clay (successive adsorption) has been studied. The adsorption of Zn decreases when the chlordimeform concentration increases in bot...
Article
The influence of the pesticide glyphosate (GPS) on the adsorption of Cu (II) on montmorillonite has been examined. The complexation of Cu(II) with GPS was studied using anodic stripping voltammetry in differential pulse mode (DPASV). It has been concluded that the complexes present a labile behaviour and GPS shows a low but noticeable degree of het...
Article
The competitive adsorption of the cationic pesticide chlordimeform and the heavy metal cadmium on montmorillonite was studied. For the different pesticide concentrations used, cadmium adsorption decreases with increasing chlordimeform concentration, indicating a high competition between both cations for interlamellar positions. In contrast, pestici...