Carbofuran adsorption and desorption were investigated in batch and stirred flow chamber (SFC) tests. The carbofuran adsorption capacity of the soils was found to be low and strongly dependent on their clay and organic carbon contents. Carbofuran sorption was due mainly (>80%) to fast adsorption processes governed by intraparticle diffusion. The adsorption kinetic constant for the pesticide ranged from 0.047 to 0.195 min(-1) and was highly correlated with constant n in the Freundlich equation (r=0.965, P< 0.05). Batch tests showed carbofuran desorption to be highly variable and negatively correlated with eCEC and the clay content. The SFC tests showed that soil organic carbon (C) plays a key role in the irreversibility of carbofuran adsorption. Carbofuran desorption increased rapidly at C contents below 4%. The desorption kinetic constant for the compound (0.086-0.195 min(-1)) was generally higher than its adsorption kinetic constant; therefore, carbofuran is more rapidly desorbed than it is adsorbed in soil. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.