Effect of organic matter on the parameters of the selective sorption of cobalt and zinc by soils and their clay fractions

The sorption and ion-exchange behavior of Co(II) and Zn in the soil-equilibrium solution system was studied for different types and varieties of native soils and their clay fractions before and after mild oxidation with H₂O₂ to remove the organic carbon. The parameters of the ion-exchange adsorption and the selectivity coefficients of the (Co(II), Zn)/Ca ion exchange were determined using different models for describing the relationship between the dissolved and sorbed forms of the metals. These were the empirical Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms and the model of the ion-exchange adsorption based on the acting mass law. It was found that the soil organic matter played an important role in the selectivity of the ion-exchange adsorption of Co(II) and Zn by the soils and their clay fractions. This was confirmed by an abrupt decrease (to almost 1) of the selectivity coefficients of the Co²⁺/Ca²⁺ and Zn²⁺/Ca²⁺ exchange after the treatment of the clay fraction with hydrogen peroxide.