Mercury speciation in contaminated soils by thermal release analysis

Thermal release analysis of mercury species in contaminated soils was performed by temperature controlled continuous heating of the samples in a furnace coupled to an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). It was shown that this method allows the identification of different redox states of Hg-species through their characteristic releasing temperature ranges. The method was applied to Hg-contaminated samples from an inactive chlor-alkali production plant in former East Germany (GER), and from a gold mining area in Poconé, Mato Grosso, Brazil (BRA), as well as synthetic soil samples obtained by spiking pre-heated soil matrices (GER and BRA) with the following mercury species: Hg⁰, Hg₂Cl₂, HgCl₂, HgO and HgS. The samples GER, in general, frequently showed the presence of Hg²⁺ probably bound to humic substances, in the case of samples with higher total carbon content. Only in highly contaminated samples (>3000 ppm of mercury) was Hg⁰ the predominant species. The samples BRA more frequently showed the presence of mercury species in the lower oxidation states, i.e. Hg¹⁺ in combination with Hg⁰. The method allows observing changes in Hg-speciation in the samples with time, mainly changes among the oxidation states Hg⁰, Hg¹⁺ and Hg²⁺. The treated GER matrix showed a stronger tendency to oxidise Hf-species than the BRA treated matrix, in which only added Hg⁰ is partially oxidised to Hg²⁺ and Hg¹⁺. In contrast, the BRA matrix showed a pronounced tendency to reduce spiked Hg²⁺ to Hg¹⁺. This may be the reason for the presence of Hg¹⁺ in the majority of original BRA samples. The method appears to be very useful to study speciation of mercury and its dynamics. It can be used as a tool for monitoring mercury oxidation states and/or reactions of mercury in soils.     

Soil physical characteristics of peat soils

Drainage and intensive use of fens lead to alterations in the physical characteristics of peat soils. This was demonstrated using parameters of water balance (available water capacity) and the evaluated unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. Deriving the distribution of the pore size from the water retention curve was flawed because of shrinkage due to drainage, especially at high soil water potentials. These errors became greater as the peat was less influenced by soil‐genetic processes. The water retention curves (desorption) evaluated in the field and the laboratory satisfactorily corresponded. However, the wetting‐ and drainage‐curves obtained in the field differed up to 30 vol.‐% water content at same soil water potentials. These differences were largely due to a wetting inhibition.     

茶树土壤的某些生物地球化学特性

Characteristics of the element abundance, material cycling, element budget in tea soils were discussed based on investigations of six tea plantations and the adjacent waste lands in the Three Gorges region. The plantations have different soil-forming parent materials, but similar landforms, and the same tea variety and close ages. The results showed that tea growing could increased the contents of organic matter, total and available N, P, Al and Mn; the elements enriched by tea trees were in the following descending sequence: P>Ca>K>Mn>Mg>Zn>Al>Fe; elements returned through litter of tea were in the sequence of Ca>Mn>P>Zn>Mg>K>Al>Fe; in the nutrient budget of the soil-tea system, P and K were in deficit, whereas Al, Ca, Fe and Mn in surplus.     

Adsorption-desorption characteristics of pyraclonil in eight agricultural soils

Journal of Soils and Sediments - After the application of herbicides, their migration and transformation in the environment are closely related to their adsorption characteristics in the soil. The...     

Impact of agricultural land use on physicochemical properties of soils derived from sedimentary rocks in Malaysia

ABSTRACT

In Malaysia, soils derived from sedimentary rocks are extensively used for agricultural purposes with oil palm and rubber being the main dwellers. In order to understand the environmental impact of these perennial crops planting, the variability of physicochemical properties of 25 representative soils derived from sedimentary rocks under different ecosystems (agriculture land and natural forest) at six study sites spread across Malaysia was examined. Among the soil physicochemical properties, total soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and fertility level were found to be generally higher in the forest ecosystems followed by rubber plantation and finally oil palm plantations. Likewise, projection of principal component analysis showed an associative relationship between soil physicochemical properties and microhabitats. Finally, this study showed that soils from different agricultural and natural sites, but derived from similar sedimentary rocks, had distinctive weathering conditions and soil properties. Therefore, site-specific field management according to soil type, soil management techniques as well as fertilizer strategies are required to maximize crop production and to sustain ecosystem services. The output of this study will enable farmers to improve their crop yield via the selection of suitable crops cultivation based on soil characteristics.     

不同侵蚀程度下地带性土壤的结构及渗透性能分析

为探讨侵蚀退化过程中地带性土壤结构的变化规律,选取湖北省不同侵蚀程度(微度、轻度、强度、剧烈)的3种典型地带性土壤(黄褐土、黄棕壤、红壤),比较分析了土壤结构稳定性和土壤渗透特性差异。结果表明:随侵蚀程度增加,3种地带性土壤团聚体水稳性逐渐降低,容重增加,饱和导水率呈现不同程度的下降,机械稳定性变化存在差异;在侵蚀程度相同时,3种地带性土壤团聚体机械稳定性、水稳性和饱和土壤导水率的高低顺序均为红壤黄棕壤黄褐土。相关分析表明,土壤团聚体机械稳定性和水稳性与游离氧化铝呈极显著正相关关系(相关系数=0.77和0.81,P0.01),与游离氧化铁呈显著正相关关系(相关系数=0.73和0.76,P0.05),说明游离态铁铝氧化物是影响土壤结构稳定性并形成地带性差异的关键因素,饱和导水率与团聚体水稳性指标和非毛管孔隙度、容重呈显著相关关系(P0.05),其中与水稳性团聚体分形维数达到极显著水平(相关系数=0.76,P0.01),表明水稳性团聚体分形维数可以作为预测和表征饱和导水率的指标。     

长期不同施肥土壤对可溶性有机碳的吸附特征

  【目的】  分析长期不同施肥农田土壤对可溶性有机碳(DOC)浓度与结构的吸附差异特征,以及吸附能力与土壤性质、DOC结构的相关关系,为农田土壤固碳潜力及合理施肥提供理论依据。  【方法】  供试土壤选自长期定位试验中棕壤和红壤两种土壤的不施肥(CK)、单施有机肥(M)、单施化学氮磷钾肥(NPK)和有机肥配施化学氮磷钾肥(NPKM) 4个施肥处理。供试DOC标准溶液由新鲜猪粪提取,提取液DOC浓度为2400 mg/L。以该提取液配置系列DOC浓度溶液,运用Langmuir等温吸附方程拟合土壤对新鲜猪粪来源DOC的吸附浓度变化,采用三维荧光光谱技术分析吸附前后DOC结构及各区域成分相对体积荧光强度变化,分析影响DOC吸附的主要因素。  【结果】  红壤与棕壤对DOC的最大吸附量分别为12.81和10.82 g/kg,两种土壤均表现为NPKM处理的吸附能力高于NPK、CK。新鲜猪粪提取的DOC主要为类酪氨酸蛋白(区域Ⅰ)、类色氨酸蛋白(区域Ⅱ)和溶解性微生物代谢产物(区域Ⅳ)。土壤对这类DOC吸附较多的成分是类酪氨酸和类色氨酸。通过平行因子分析法得出,土壤对新鲜猪粪中的DOC吸附存在2个荧光组分,分子量较高的类蛋白物质(类酪氨酸和类色氨酸)与可溶性微生物代谢产物(C1组分),分子量较小聚合程度较低的类酪氨酸蛋白物质与可溶性微生物代谢产物(C2组分)。不同施肥处理对C1和C2组分的吸附能力差异显著,对C1组分的吸附能力为M≈NPKM>NPK>CK,对C2组分的吸附能力为NPK>M≈NPKM>CK。土壤对DOC的最大吸附量Q_max与土壤中游离态铁(Fe_d)、络合态铁(Fe_p)、土壤有机质(SOM)呈极显著正相关性,与DOC腐殖化指数HIX和C1组分含量呈极显著正相关性 (P<0.01),与荧光指数FI呈极显著负相关性 (P<0.01)。  【结论】  从新鲜猪粪提取的DOC结构简单,类酪氨酸蛋白、类色氨酸蛋白和溶解性微生物代谢产物含量较多,腐殖化程度较低。土壤对DOC的吸附过程会受到DOC结构特征和土壤理化性质的影响。土壤有机质(SOM)、Fe_d和Fe_p含量越高,吸附DOC的能力越强。长期施有机肥土壤对DOC中的类腐殖酸等高聚合度的芳香性大分子物质的吸附比例相对较高,而长期单施化肥土壤对分子量较小、聚合程度较低的类酪氨酸蛋白物质吸附量较高。     

Potassium release characteristics and mineralogical characteristics of some delaware soils

Abstract

Twenty‐eight agriculturally important Delaware soils were cropped intensively in a greenhouse experiment. There was no consistent positive correlation between K uptake and percent sand, silt, clay, clay minerals of the clay fraction, K‐feld‐spars of the sand fraction or K‐feldspar weathering of the soils from the A horizon. Only potassium feldspar from the sand fraction and K‐feldspar weathering correlated with K uptake in the soils of the B horizon. This correlation was only significant at the latter part of the experiment when nonexchangeable K was probably the source of plant available K.     

Some Physico-chemical characteristics of soils influenced by Taal Volcano in reference to soil productivity

Soils of the northwestern part of the Taal Volcano in the Philippines representing four geomorphological units (upper, middle, and lower slopes and alluvial plains) were investigated and related to soil productivity. Results revealed that the soils on the upper and middle slopes contained higher amounts of organic matter and available P and displayed a low P retention together with more favorable physical properties such as loamy soil texture, loose and friable and well-drained soils compared to those on the lower slopes and in the alluvial plains. Due to these favorable soil characteristics, sustained agricultural production was higher at the upper elevations than at the lower elevations. Year-round multistorey / mixed cropping systems of cultivation in the upper and middle landscapes were also made possible because the higher precipitation was evenly distributed coupled with cooler temperatures compared the conditions on the lower slopes and in the alluvial plains. On the other hand, the soils on the lower slopes and in the alluvial plains had a clayey texture and contained a lower amount of organic matter and available P, in addition to the lower precipitation, resulting in reduced land utilization, as indicated by the limited types of crops grown and lower yield of crops.     

沈阳城郊温室土壤特性调查研究

对城郊于洪区有代表性的 1 1 0个温室土样进行了研究 .结果表明 ,与原耕作土壤相比 ,碱解氮、有效磷增幅较大 ,pH值呈下降趋势 ,电导率呈升高态势 ,有效铜呈降低而有效锌呈升高趋势 .电导率与硝态氮呈正相关 ,表明温室土壤存在酸化和次生盐渍化倾向 .蔬菜产量与土壤全氮、有效磷呈正相关 ,而与碱解氮呈负相关 .优化施肥、注重有机肥施用 ,控制氮肥用量 ,有针对性地施用石灰 ,注意灌水方法是城郊温室土壤管理的重点 .     

Field moisture characteristics of two fersiallitic soils in Zimbabwe

Abstract. Little is known about the in situ hydrological properties of Zimbabwean soils. This paper describes the water retention and transmission properties of two agriculturally important Zimbabwean fersiallitic soils measured in situ by the instantaneous profile method. The first soil, typical of those used by small scale farmers, is a deep coarse grained granitic sand. The second is a silty clay loam derived from mafic rocks, typical of the red clays associated with Zimbabwe's commercial farming areas. The K -θ functions for each layer of the sand were very similar and the profile could be described by a single function, with permeability increasing with depth. In contrast, the silty clay loam could not be described by a single function, as permeability decreased with depth. However, in both soils water movement became negligible below a matric potential of—0.01 MPa; this is thought to be a more appropriate field approximation of the upper limit of plant available water than—0.033 MPa which is often used for tropical soils.     

Carbon and nitrogen analysis of soils by automated combustion techniques

Abstract

Studies with 20 soils containing from 7 to 204 g kg^‐1 total carbon and from 0.5 to 16.9 g kg^‐1 total nitrogen indicated that the Leco CR‐12 Carbon Determinator and the Leco CHN‐600 Elemental Analyzer are satisfactory for routine analysis of soils for total carbon and that the Leco CHN‐600 Elemental Analyzer is also satisfactory for routine analysis of soils for total nitrogen. The two Leco instruments evaluated are automated analyzers in which the sample under analysis is combusted by heating it to a high temperature by a resistance furnace in a stream of purified oxygen. In both instruments, the CO₂ produced by combustion is measured by a selective, solid state, infrared detector. In the Leco CHN‐600 instrument, the N₂ produced by combustion is measured by a thermal conductivity cell. With all 20 soils analyzed, the results of total carbon analysis by the Leco CR‐12 and CHN‐600 instruments agreed closely with those obtained by the wet‐combustion method of Allison, and the results of total nitrogen analysis by the Leco CHN‐600 instrument agreed closely with those obtained by the Kjeldahl method commonly used for soil analysis. The two Leco methods evaluated are rapid and precise, and they seem well suited for routine analysis of soils.     

不同类型重构土壤水分运移特征

为探究不同类型重构土壤对水分再分布过程和土壤持水量的影响,该研究以砒砂岩、砂黄土和粗砂土为试验材料进行室内土柱试验,设置5种不同类型重构土壤(砒-粗、砂-粗、砒-砂-粗、砂-砒-粗、混-粗),测定各处理在入渗过程、排水过程以及蒸发过程中土壤水分的动态变化;同时利用Hydrus-1D模型对不同类型重构土壤的入渗和蒸发过程进行模拟分析。结果表明,有砒砂岩层存在的重构土体对入渗过程有明显阻滞作用,且砒砂岩层越厚、位置越靠上阻滞效果越明显,土柱达到稳渗时稳渗率越低;蒸发过程中,砒-砂-粗处理累积蒸发量为52 mm,显著高于其他重构土壤(P<0.05),而砂-砒-粗处理土柱累积蒸发量最小(32.1 mm),蒸发结束时相对蒸发速率低至0.07;在蒸发过程中,上细下粗型层状重构土壤水分损失来自表层土壤和下层粗砂土。利用优化后的土壤水力参数和Hydrus-1D模型可以较好地模拟重构土壤水分运动过程。较低的均方根误差和高的决定系数证明模型能准确模拟各类型土柱的累积排水量、累积蒸发量和蒸发过程剖面含水量的动态变化。混-粗土柱的持水能力高于其他土柱,说明该重构类型可作为晋陕蒙地区土壤复垦的重构方案。     

Linking atomic force microscopy with nanothermal analysis to assess microspatial distribution of material characteristics in young soils

Coupling of atomic force microscopy (AFM) with nanothermal analysis (nTA) has the potential to assess material characteristics in soils on the lower µm‐scale, but has been shown to require additional characteristics for clear distinction of materials. The objective of this study was to evaluate to which extent the combination of AFM‐nTA with AFM adhesion force analysis and structural features allows distinction of organic materials in soils. Using soil samples from a chronosequence from the Damma Glacier forefield, Switzerland, as example, we tested a grid analysis approach for assessing distribution of adhesion forces and nanothermal characteristics. This approach was compared with an approach involving pre‐selection of structural features of interest via morphological criteria. Only three types of nanothermograms were distinguished in the soil samples based on different thermal expansion‐compression characteristics and phase transition temperatures. Combined evaluation of nanothermal characteristics, adhesion forces and morphological characteristics allowed distinction of a larger set of materials than using nanothermal analysis, adhesion force distribution or morphological characteristics separately. Part of the analyzed features showed a combination of characteristics similar to that of fresh bacterial cells which we analyzed as a potential reference material. Their stronger occurrence in the regions of interest of older samples than in those of younger samples may underline their relevance in soil development. Achieving the long‐term objective of identification of materials still requires more information on reference materials, understanding the impact of mixed layering of materials on thermal profiles and the assessment of variability of the characteristics within and between different material groups.     

Degradation of metalaxyl-M in contrasting soils is influenced more by differences in physicochemical characteristics than in microbial community composition after re-inoculation of sterilised soils

Rates of degradation of pesticides by soil microorganisms are believed to depend on both microbial community composition and underlying soil physicochemical characteristics. The aim of this study was to determine which of these factors was more important in determining the rate of degradation of the fungicide metalaxyl-M in two soils. Soils exhibiting highly contrasting metalaxyl-M degradation rates were sterilised by gamma-irradiation and inoculated with either non-sterilised soil from the same site or with the soil from the contrasting site. After re-establishment of microbial communities, soils were treated with metalaxyl-M and the degradation rate (measured by ¹⁴C-HPLC), pH and microbial community structure (multiplex terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of small subunit rRNA gene sequences) were assessed. Community composition was altered by the sterilisation and re-inoculation strategy but degradation in re-inoculated soils was still most rapid in the soil with the original faster degradation rate. This was the case regardless of the source of the soil inoculum, and the rate of degradation in the soil exhibiting the low natural degradation rate remained low when inoculated with the faster-degrading soil. The results suggest that while the slower-degrading soil possessed a degradative capacity, the degradation rate in this soil was significantly reduced by some of its physicochemical characteristics, despite introduction of the microbial community of the faster-degrading soil. These results and this experimental strategy provide a basis for the assessment of relative importance of the factors limiting biodegradation and management strategies required to enhance degradation rates.     

Denitrification characteristics of subtropical soils in China affected by soil parent material and land use

Forty‐five soil samples were collected from rice paddy land (R), tea garden land (T), forestland (F), brush land (B), and upland (U) in Jiangxi province, a subtropical region of China. These soils were derived from Quaternary red earth (Q), Tertiary red sandstone (S), and granite (G). Their denitrification capacities were determined after treatment with 200 mg NO₃⁻‐N kg⁻¹ soil by measuring changes in NO₃⁻‐N content during a 28‐day anaerobic incubation under N₂ gas in the headspace, at 30°C. The subtropical soils studied here were characterized by generally small denitrification capacities, ranging from no denitrification capacity to complete disappearance of added NO₃⁻‐N within 11 days of incubation. With few exceptions, NO₃⁻‐N reduction with incubation time followed a first‐order relationship with reaction constants of 0 – 0.271 day⁻¹, but the data could be simulated better by a logarithmic relationship. Thus, denitrification capacity was determined by the reaction constant of the first‐order reaction, the slope of the logarithmic relationship, and the averaged NO₃⁻‐N reduction rate in the first 7 days of anaerobic incubation (ranging from 0 to 28.5 mg kg⁻¹day⁻¹), and was significantly larger in the soils derived from G than from Q and S for all land uses except for rice paddy land. Soil organic carbon and nitrogen availability are the key factors that determine differences in denitrification capacity among the three soil parent materials. Rice cultivation significantly promoted denitrification capacity compared with the other four land uses and masked the effect of soil parent materials on denitrification capacity. This is most likely due to increases in organic carbon and total N content in the soil, which promoted the population and biological activities of microorganisms which are able to respire anaerobically when the rice soil is flooded. Neither the increased pH of upland soil caused by the addition of lime for upland crop production, nor the decreased pH of the tea garden soil by the acidification effect of tea plants altered soil denitrification capacity. Our results suggest that land use and management practices favour soil carbon and/or nitrogen accumulation and anaerobic microorganism activities enhance soil denitrification capacity.     

常规耕作与短期免耕下葡萄园土壤孔隙结构差异的图像比较

通过在台湾的合作研究、与台湾土壤学家交流并结合最新的一些文献记载,作者介绍了台湾主要土壤分类的研究状况,包括台湾主要土壤分类的归属、分布与特点、主要问题、土壤的特点及改良与管理对策。     

保护地土壤酸度特征及酸化机制研究

在辽宁省沈阳市于洪地区采集保护地及其相邻露地旱田土壤样品,测定土壤交换性酸、交换性盐基离子组成和土壤pH,研究保护地土壤酸化特征以及土壤pH与潜性酸、交换性盐基的关系。结果表明:（1）建成保护地栽培蔬菜后,保护地土壤酸化趋势明显,土壤交换性酸(交换性H⁺和Al³⁺)呈上升的趋势,土壤pH随着交换性酸的增多而降低;Al³⁺在交换性酸中所占比例随交换性酸总量增加而增大,随有机质含量增加而减小;H+在交换性酸中所占比例则呈相反的变化趋势。（2）保护地各土层土壤交换性盐基总量较露地相应层次土壤均有所增加,其中交换性Mg²⁺、K⁺、Na⁺含量均高于露地,而交换性Ca²⁺含量变化不明显;保护地各土层土壤交换性Mg²⁺、K⁺、Na⁺饱和度较露地相应层次土壤均有所增加,但盐基饱和度、交换性Ca²⁺饱和度下降明显。（3）土壤pH与交换性酸、非交换性酸含量呈极显著负相关,而与盐基饱和度呈极显著正相关,且主要受占优势的交换性Ca²⁺制约。     

Chemical characteristics of humic acids from five soils in Kenya

Humic acids (HAs) isolated from five soils (Luvisols, with 460–600 mm rainfall, Nitosols and Ferralsol, with 1060–1950 mm rainfall) from different ecological regions of Kenya were characterized by ¹³C NMR and IR spectroscopy, elemental analyses and optical measurements. The data suggest that excessive rainfall in sub-humid regions may lower the molecular weights of the HAs as well as their aromaticities. Concentrations of aliphatic components, including aminoacids and carbohydrates, in the HAs from the sub-humid regions were higher (40–42 wt/wt %) than those in the HAs isolated from soils of the semi-arid regions (29–32 wt/wt %). Chemical characteristics of the soils from the sub-humid regions of Kenya resembled those of the HAs from temperate regions but differed from those of HAs originating from arid regions. Annual rainfall and vegetation appeared to affect the composition of HAs but effects of elevation and temperature were less clear.