Sepiolite-based materials for the photo- and thermal-stabilization of pesticides

The present work is related to the use of sepiolite for the stabilization of certain photo or thermolabile herbicides by their adsorption on sepiolite-modified materials that act as organo-inorganic supports of the pesticides. The study demonstrates that formulations based on sepiolite containing a cationic dye (thioflavine-T (TFT)) are very effective in the stabilization of a photolabile herbicide (trifluralin (TF)). A modification of the hydrophilic character of the sepiolite surface by adsorption of cationic surfactants enhances the adsorption on the mineral substrate of non-polar pesticides, such as the herbicides alachlor (ACH) or metolachlor (MCH), thus contributing to the decrease of their losses by volatilization.