Journal of Agromedicine, 15:105–116, 2010 Copyright © University of Saskatchewan ISSN: 1059-924X print/1545-0813 online DOI: 10.1080/10599241003618770 105 WAGR ORIGINAL RESEARCH Sorption of Agrochemical Model Compounds by Sorbent Materials Containing b-cyclodextrin Sorption of Agrochemical Model Compounds Lee D. Wilson, PhD Mohamed H. Mohamed Rui Guo Dawn Y. Pratt Jae Hyuck Kwon Sarker T. Mahmud, MSc ABSTRACT. Polymeric sorbent materials that incorporate b-cyclodextrin (CD) have been prepared and their sorption behavior toward two model agrochemical contaminant compounds, p-nitrophenol (PNP) and methyl chloride examined. The sorption of PNP was studied in aqueous solution using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, whereas the sorption of methyl chloride from the gas phase was studied using a Langmuir adsorption method. The sorption results for PNP in solution were com- pared between granular activated carbon (GAC), modified GAC, CD copolymers, and CD-based mesoporous silica hybrid materials. Nitrogen porosimetry at 77 K was used to estimate the surface area and pore structure properties of the sorbent materials. The sorbents displayed variable surface areas as follows: copolymers (36.2–157 m 2 /g), CD-silica materials (307–906 m 2 /g), surface modified GAC (657 m 2 /g), and granular activated carbon (∼10 3 m 2 /g). The sorption capacities for PNP and methyl chloride with the different sorbents are listed in descending order as follows: GAC > copoly- mers > surface modified GAC > CD-silica hybrid materials. In general, the differences in the sorption properties of the sorbents were related to the following: (i) surface area of the sorbent, (ii) CD content and accessibility, (iii) and the chemical nature of the sorbent material. KEYWORDS. Cyclodextrin, extraction, isotherm, methyl chloride, p-nitrophenol, sorption The authors are affiliated with the Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. The authors gratefully acknowledge the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), and the University of Saskatchewan for financial support of this research. Norit America is acknowledged for providing a research sample of granular activated carbon (Norit Rox 0.8) for this research. Address correspondence to: Lee D. Wilson, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, 110 Science Place, Room 156, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5C9 Canada (E-mail: lee.wilson@usask.ca).