Use of Gas-Tight Plastic Films During Fumigation of Glasshouse Soils With Methyl Bromide - I. Significance of Permeation and Leakage for the Emission Into the Outside Air

Heer, H. de; Tuinstra, L.G.M.Th.; Hamaker, Ph.; Burg, Avihu

doi:10.17660/actahortic.1984.152.11

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…To summarize the measurements, directly observed fluxes from the soil to the atmosphere, extrapolated to the entire field, amounted to 87% of the total MeBr applied, a higher fraction than is currently assumed (7,8) but similar to data from greenhouse studies with relatively permeable films (17). If correct, this 87% loss to the atmosphere may also be due Proc.…”

Section: Disuwion and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…The study was conducted in a field that was being prepared for commercial strawberry growing near Irvine, California on September [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] 1992. MeBr was applied to the field by the personnel and equipment of a professional fumigant applicator; a tractor-pulled device injected liquid MeBr through 10 shanks placed =25 cm apart, to a depth of =25-31 cm.…”

Section: Field Preparationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Agricultural soil fumigation as a source of atmospheric methyl bromide.

Yagi

Williams

Wang

et al. 1993

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

120

113

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Methyl bromide (MeBr) is used increasingly as a biocidal fumigant, primarily in agricultural soils prior to planting ofcrops. This usage carries potential for stratospheric ozone reduction due to Br atom catalysis, depending on how much MeBr escapes from fumigated soils to the atmosphere and on details of atmospheric chemical reactions. We present direct field measurements of MeBr escape; 87% of the applied MeBr was emitted within 7 days after a commercial fumigation. Covering the field with plastic sheets retarded MeBr escape somewhat but first-day losses were still 40%; thicker sections of sheets were relatively more effective than thin sections. We also measured gaseous MeBr concentrations versus depth in the soil column; these profiles display diffusion-like evolution. In soil, MeBr is partitioned among gas, liquid, and adsorbed solid phases. The contribution of halons to the bromine flux, F., that enters the stratosphere is relatively well known (7.2 x 106 kg of Br per year in 1990) because the halons are totally synthetic, their industrial production and emission rates are known and they are inert in the troposphere (5, 6).The contribution from MeBr to F,, on the other hand, is poorly quantified at present. Natural sources, principally oceanic surface waters, are known to inject MeBr into surface air but are not well quantified (7,8). Currently, the global atmospheric content, B, of MeBr is 2 + 0.5 x 108 kg. If reaction with tropospheric OH radicals (7-9) is its major sink, the atmospheric residence time, T, for MeBr is 2 + 0.5 years. In an assumed quasi steady state, the total surface source = BIT or 0.6 to 1.7 x 108 kg/year (7)(8)(9). While muchThe publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact.of the MeBr upward flux may be removed by tropospheric OH, thus limiting its contribution to F,, the amount that reaches the stratosphere may still exceed the contributions from CF3Br and CBrClF2.Concern arises over synthetic MeBr because its worldwide industrial usage has increased from 4.2 x 107 to 6.3 x 107 kg/year between 1984 and 1990; these figures exclude MeBr used as a chemical intermediate. Eighty percent of this usage is as an agricultural soil fumigant prior to planting (10). MeBr is a broad-spectrum fumigant biocide against arthropods, weeds, nematodes, fungi, and bacterial pests, apparently cost effective when applied to soils before planting; it is being used in many countries (10). Thus there is a significant and growing potential for atmospheric MeBr to increase, depending on the fraction of MeBr that escapes from soils during and after fumigations and on the size of the natural sources (7,8). In soils, MeBr may be removed by physical hydrolysis, adsorption to soil particles, and microbiological and transport processes (11,12). Moisture and organic matter in soils should enhance dissociation rates but it is very difficult to estimate h...

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Section: Disuwion and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Field Preparationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural soil fumigation as a source of atmospheric methyl bromide.

Yagi

Williams

Wang

et al. 1993

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

120

113

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The soil surface is covered immediately following fumigation, typically using a low-density or high-density polyethylene (LDPE or HDPE) tarp. It has been reported that these plastics are permeable to soil fumigants ( − ). Laboratory ( − ) and field studies have indicated that emissions from fumigated soils covered with polyethylene films may be high: Methyl bromide emissions of >50% of the applied mass have been reported for treated soils covered with LDPE ( , ) and HDPE ( , ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been reported that these plastics are permeable to soil fumigants ( − ). Laboratory ( − ) and field studies have indicated that emissions from fumigated soils covered with polyethylene films may be high: Methyl bromide emissions of >50% of the applied mass have been reported for treated soils covered with LDPE ( , ) and HDPE ( , ). Polyethylene tarps have also been reported to be permeable to other fumigants such as methyl iodide ( , ), 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) ( , ), and chloropicrin ().…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sorption of Fumigants to Agricultural Films

Papiernik

Gan

Knuteson

et al. 1999

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Plastic tarps are often used in soil fumigation to contain chemicals in the soil to increase efficacy and decrease emissions of fumigant vapors. This research has shown that plastic films have a significant capacity to sorb fumigant vapors and that the sorption is largely reversible. We tested three agricultural films (polyethylene and two high-barrier films) with four soil fumigants (methyl bromide, chloropicrin, 1,3-dichloropropene, and propargyl bromide, a potential alternative to methyl bromide). We observed significant sorption of all fumigants to all the films at field-relevant concentrations. Partition coefficients (sorbed/vapor-phase concentration) ranged from <1 dm3/m2 film for methyl bromide to ∼200 dm3/m2 film for chloropicrin. Sorption isotherms were linear, indicating that the film may be a large sink for fumigant vapors. Sorption of most fumigants was very rapid, with the bulk of the sorption occurring within the first few minutes of contact. Desorption was also rapid, with most desorption occurring within minutes after the film samples were removed to fresh air. First-order rate constants for desorption were ∼0.5 to 1.5 min-1. Sorption/desorption may be important in reducing emissions and determining worker exposure and should be considered in measurements involving agricultural films.

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“…Such films typically remain intact in the field for 1-2 weeks, after which the film is removed for planting or punctured for placement of seedlings. Polyethylene (PE) films are most commonly used in soil fumigation, but these films are reportedly permeable by MeBr [7][8][9][10][11][12] and other soil fumigants. 12,13) To reduce emissions and to develop fumigation management practices that protect the environment while providing adequate pest control, they must also maintain their impermeability to fumigant vapors under field conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of permeation rates of soil fumigants through plastic films by the cup method

et al. 2012

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This article presents a new approach for estimating the mass transfer coefficient (h, a measure of permeability) of fumigant compounds across several agricultural films. The assembled equipment provides a sealed permeability cell, where a film sample is set at the top of a static reservoir cell. Fumigant liquid is put into the cell and the gravimetric change of the cell is monitored sequentially over time using an analytical balance. The h of the fumigants across various plastic films were determined. Results show that the method is a sensitive and reproducible measure of film permeability, and suggest that film-fumigant combination and temperature had the largest impact on the h of fumigant compounds across films. Furthermore, the relative magnitude of the h on the fumigant and film material was predictable from the combination of their solubility parameters.

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Use of Gas-Tight Plastic Films During Fumigation of Glasshouse Soils With Methyl Bromide - I. Significance of Permeation and Leakage for the Emission Into the Outside Air

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

Agricultural soil fumigation as a source of atmospheric methyl bromide.

Agricultural soil fumigation as a source of atmospheric methyl bromide.

Sorption of Fumigants to Agricultural Films

Evaluation of permeation rates of soil fumigants through plastic films by the cup method

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