Dissipation of polyoxyethylene tallow amine (POEA) and glyphosate in an agricultural field and their co-occurrence on streambed sediments.

The environmental fate of polyoxyethylene tallow amine (POEA), an additive in glyphosate herbicide formulations, has not been studied. This study examined the dissipation of POEA; glyphosate; and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), a degradation product of glyphosate, in the top 45 cm of soil from an agricultural field where glyphosate was applied. The concentration of these compounds was also analyzed in bed sediment samples from watersheds in agricultural and urban areas from six states (Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina). The field studies show that POEA, glyphosate, and AMPA persist on the soil from planting season to planting season but dissipate over time with little migration into deeper soil. POEA, glyphosate, and AMPA were found on the bed sediment samples in urban and agricultural watersheds.

Polyoxyethylene Tallow Amine, a Glyphosate Formulation Adjuvant: Soil Adsorption Characteristics, Degradation Profile, and Occurrence on Selected Soils from Agricultural Fields in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, and Missouri.

Polyoxyethylene tallow amine (POEA) is an inert ingredient added to formulations of glyphosate, the most widely applied agricultural herbicide. POEA has been shown to have toxic effects to some aquatic organisms making the potential transport of POEA from the application site into the environment an important concern. This study characterized the adsorption of POEA to soils and assessed its occurrence and homologue distribution in agricultural soils from six states. Adsorption experiments of POEA to selected soils showed that POEA adsorbed much stronger than glyphosate; calcium chloride increased the binding of POEA; and the binding of POEA was stronger in low pH conditions. POEA was detected on a soil sample from an agricultural field near Lawrence, Kansas, but with a loss of homologues that contain alkenes. POEA was also detected on soil samples collected between February and early March from corn and soybean fields from ten different sites in five other states (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Mississippi). This is the first study to characterize the adsorption of POEA to soil, the potential widespread occurrence of POEA on agricultural soils, and the persistence of the POEA homologues on agricultural soils into the following growing season.

Characterization of polyoxyethylene tallow amine surfactants in technical mixtures and glyphosate formulations using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

Little is known about the occurrence, fate, and effects of the ancillary additives in pesticide formulations. Polyoxyethylene tallow amine (POEA) is a non-ionic surfactant used in many glyphosate formulations, a widely applied herbicide both in agricultural and urban environments. POEA has not been previously well characterized, but has been shown to be toxic to various aquatic organisms. Characterization of technical mixtures using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and mass spectrometry shows POEA is a complex combination of homologs of different aliphatic moieties and ranges of ethoxylate units. Tandem mass spectrometry experiments indicate that POEA homologs generate no product ions readily suitable for quantitative analysis due to poor sensitivity. A comparison of multiple high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and UHPLC analytical columns indicates that the stationary phase is more important in column selection than other parameters for the separation of POEA. Analysis of several agricultural and household glyphosate formulations confirms that POEA is a common ingredient but ethoxylate distributions among formulations vary.

Equilibrium dialysis and ultrafiltration investigations of perchlorate removal from aqueous solution using poly(diallyldimethylammonium) chloride.

Use of perchlorate salts in military activities and the aerospace industry is widespread. These salts are highly water-soluble and are, to a large extent, kinetically inert as aqueous species. As a groundwater contaminant, perchlorate is now being detected in an increasing number of locations and is believed to interfere with the uptake of iodide by the thyroid, which can result in decreased hormone production. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has established a reference dose for perchlorate of 0.0007 mg/kg/day, which translates to a drinking water equivalent level of 24.5 ppb. This study investigated the application of polyelectrolyte-enhanced ultrafiltration (PEUF) for the selective removal of perchlorate from aqueous solution through equilibrium dialysis and ultrafiltration experiments. Using poly(diallyldimethylammonium) chloride, the effectiveness and efficiency of PEUF in the removal of perchlorate from other aqueous solution components was investigated by testing parameters such as polyelectrolyte concentration, pH, and ionic strength. Removal of perchlorate from synthetic groundwater initially containing 10.3 ppm perchlorate and also containing chloride, sulfate, and carbonate was also examined. Perchlorate separations of greater than 95% were achieved, even in the presence of 10-fold excesses of competing ions.