An evaluation of cation exchange capacity measurements for soils in the tropics

Abstract

Comparisons of CEC and exchange acidity neasurements were made on a group of selected West African soils using three commonly used analytical procedures, namely, neutral‐acetate displacement, BaCl₂‐TEA leaching at pH 8, and unbuffered KCl extraction.

The three methods gave large differences in CEC values which followed the order of BaCl₂‐CEC>>NH₄OAc‐CEC> KCl‐CEC. Results of exchange acidity also followed the same order. The high exchange acidity values obtained by the BaCl₂‐TEA (pH 8) method were mainly due to changes in surface charge characteristics of Fe and Al oxides and hydrous oxides. The effective CEC method is recommended for routine soil analysis for highly weathered soils in the tropics.

Regression analysis of the base saturation values obtained from the three methods indicated the data followed a curvilinear relationship. The acetate method was more highly correlated with the effective CEC method than with the BaCl₂ method.     

A rapid method to determine cation exchange capacity and exchangeable bases in calcareous,gypsiferous, saline and sodic soils

Summary

A simple, single‐step extraction with LiEDTA for the estimation of CEC and exchangeable bases in soils has been developed. Multivalent cations are stripped from the soil adsorption sites by the strongly chelating agent EDTA, and are replaced by Li. In soils without CaCO₃ or water soluble salts, exchangeable divalent cations (Ca, Mg) are chelated by EDTA and exchangeable monovalent cations (Na, K) are replaced in a single extraction step using 0.25–2.5 g of soil and 10.0 ml of extractant.

In calcareous soils the CEC can be determined in the same way, but for the extraction of exchangeable Ca and Mg, another separate extraction is needed because dissolution of calcite by EDTA is unavoidable. This extraction is done with as much NaEDTA as needed to extract only exchangeable Ca and Mg in a 1:2 (m/V) soil/alkaline‐50% (V/V) aethanolic solution to minimize dissolution of calcite.

In gypsiferous soils gypsum is transformed into insoluble BaSO₄ and soluble CaEDTA by LiBaEDTA thus avoiding interference of Ca from dissolution of gypsum, which renders the traditional methods for determining CEC unsuitable for such soils. To determine exchangeable Ca and Mg, Na₄EDTA is used as for calcareous soils.

In saline/sodic soils replacement of Na by Li is incomplete but the Na/Li‐ratio at the complex after extraction is proportional to the molar Na/Li‐ratio in the extracts, so that the CEC and original exchangeable sodium (ESP) content can be calculated. Additional analysis of Cl and, if necessary, SO₄ in the extracts of saline soils can be used to correct for the effect of dissolution of the salts on the sum of exchangeable cations.

This new method is as convenient as the recently developed AgTU (silverthiourea), but is better suitable for calcareous and gypsiferous soils.     

镧的累积对红壤阳离子交换量及土壤溶液组成的影响

Pot and adsorption-exchange experiments were carried out by collecting the soil samples from the surface layer(0-15cm) of red soil at the Ecological Experiment Station of Red Soil,the Chinese Academy of Sciences,in Jiangxi Province of CHina.When concentration of the exogenous La^3 exceeded 400mg kg^-1,there was less non-exchangeable La^3 than exchangeable La^3 in the soil.Cation exchagne capacity of the soil changed slightly with increasing concentration of the exogenous La^3 in both experiments.However,in the adsorption-exchange experiment,when concentration of the exogenous La^3 was higher than 300mg kg^-1,exchangeable basic cations decreased significantly,while exchangeable hydrogen and exchangeable aluminum increased significantly compared with the control treatments.The amounts of base cations(Ca^2 ,Mg^2 ,k^ and Na^ )exchanged by La^3 in the supernatant solution increased with the concentration of the exogenous La^3 ,especially when concentration of the exogenous La^3 was higher than 50mg kg^-1.     

A comparison of methods used for determination of cation exchange capacity

Abstract

Cation exchange capacity of ten non‐calcareous and non‐saline soils from Queensland, Australia, has been determined by the ammonium acetate method using different procedures, by an ammonium chloride method at pH8.5, and by three methods which attempt to approximate field conditions. Procedural differences in the ammonium acetate method produced variation in results, and methods using approximate field conditions gave much lower values for those soils considered to have variable charge properties.     

Cation exchange capacity of roots: Titration,sum of exchangeable cations,copper adsorption

The cation exchange capacity of roots (CECR) has been measured according to three different methods : titration of H‐roots with NaOH in the presence of CaCl₂, MgCl₂, or NaCl 0.1 N, saturation of roots with mixed Ca‐Mg‐Na solutions of eight different compositions and extraction of the adsorbed cations with copper, saturation of roots with Cu‐ions and extraction with HC1. Two types of roots were studied : roots of ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lm.) and roots of clover (Trifolium pratense L.)

The very good coincidence of the results from the three methods tends to prove the reliability of the experimental procedures. The simplicity and the reproducibility of the Cu‐method renders it recommendable in view of possible standardization of the methods in the future.     

Statistical and geostatistical techniques for geospatial modeling of soil cation exchange capacity

Soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) is a main criterion of soil quality and pollutant sequestration capacity. This research was carried out to evaluate cokriging prediction map of soil CEC spatial variability with the principal components derived from soil physical and chemical properties. Two hundred and forty-seven soil samples were collected that 75% of them were used for training soil CEC and 25% for testing of prediction. The first principal component (PC1) was highly correlated with soil CEC (r = 0.81, P < 0.01), whiles there was no significant correlation between CEC and PC2 (r = -0.19). Then, the PC1 was used as an auxiliary variable for the prediction of soil CEC in cokriging method. The determination coefficient (R²) of cross-validation for the test dataset was 0.47 for kriging and 0.71 for cokriging. Therefore, according to the results, principal components that have the highest positive and significant correlation with the dependent variable have the most potential for cokriging prediction.     

南亚热带森林演替过程土壤水分、有机质和交换性阳离子的变化格局

Information on the distribution patterns of soil water content （SWC）, soil organic matter （SOM）, and soil exchangeable cations （SEC） is important for managing forest ecosystems in a sustainable manner. This study investigated how SWC, SOM, and SEC were influenced in forests along a successional gradient, including a regional climax （monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest, or MEBF）, a transitional forest （coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest, or MF）, and a pioneer forest （coniferous Masson pine （Pinus rnassoniana） forest, or MPF） of the Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve in the subtropical region of southern China. SWC, SOM, and SEC excluding Ca^2＋ were found to increase in the soil during forest succession, being highest in the top soil layer （0 to 15 cm depth） except for Na^＋. The differences between soil layers were largest in MF. This finding also suggested that the nutrients were enriched in the topsoil when they became increasingly scarce in the soil. There were no significant differences （P = 0.05） among SWC, SOM, and SEC. A linear, positive correlation was found between SWC and SOM. The correlation between SOM and cation exchange capacity （CEC） was statistically significant, which agreed with the theory that the most important factor determining SEC is SOM. The ratio of K^＋ to Na^＋ in the topsoil was about a half of that in the plants of each forest. MF had the lowest exchangeable Ca^2＋ concentration among the three forests and Ca^2＋：K^＋ in MPF was two times higher than that in MF. Understanding the changes of SWC, SOM, and CEC during forest succession would be of great help in protecting all three forests in southern China.     

Characterization of cation exchange capacity (CEC) for agricultural land-use areas

Spatial assessment of soil properties needs conversion of point data to an area-oriented model. Methods are required that create a reproducible map. The development of a map is shown by the example of cation exchange capacity. Twenty sorption types are formed and derived from the vertical sequence of values for substrate types and are aggregated to six main types. A qualitative assessment of the main CEC sorption types is carried out with comparative ranking. The association of different substrate types on an areal soil pattern requires the identification of sorption association types. These are shown by the areal share of the main sorption types for the substrate types involved in each case. For interpreting the site parameters from the MMK (Mittelmaßstäbige Landwirtschaftliche Standortkartierung), the procedure is presented in detail. An example of the results is shown with CEC maps. Tables complement the visualization for different areas, defined by administrative or natural landscape boundaries. The application of this method for relative evaluation of CEC is demonstrated using KA5-rules. The CEC characterization of agricultural areas can be reproduced on the basis of the mapping units of soil maps with different scales (BÜK 200). The areal-specific labeling of CEC constitutes soil-related decision guideline.     

Simplified methylene blue method for rapid determination of cation exchange capacity of mineral soils

Abstract

Rapid determination of cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soils can be useful for soil testing to improve efficiency of fertilizer use. The methylene blue (MB) method of Wang et al. (1989) has been simplified for rapid determination of CEC of mineral soils in field. For the temperate and tropical soils used, the relationships between the CEC by the ammonium acetate (NH₄OAc) method and the simplified MB method were linear (r² = 0.97) with a slope ranging from 0.84 to 1.02. These results suggest that the simplified MB method has the potential for a rapid determination of the CEC of mineral soils.     

Comparison of five methods to determine the cation exchange capacity of soil

Background

Cation exchange capacity (CEC) is a routinely measured soil fertility indicator. The standard NH₄OAc (pH 7) extraction procedure is time-consuming and overestimates actual CEC values of variable charge soils. Unbuffered extractants have been developed to measure the effective CEC (eCEC), but they differ in the type of index cation and extraction procedures.

Aim

This study was set up to systematically compare CEC values and exchangeable cation concentrations among different procedures and evaluate their practical aspects.

Methods

Five procedures were compared for (e)CEC, that is, silver thiourea (AgTU), cobalt(III) hexamine (Cohex), compulsive exchange (CE, i.e., BaCl₂/MgSO₄), BaCl₂ (sum of cations in single-extract), and NH₄OAc (pH 7). We applied these methods to a set of 25 samples of clay minerals, peat, or samples from soils with contrasting properties.

Results

The CEC values correlated well among methods (R² = 0.92–0.98). Median ratios of eCEC (AgTU as well as CE) to the corresponding eCEC (Cohex) value were 1.0, showing good agreement between eCEC methods, but NH₄OAc exceeded Cohex values (ratios up to 2.5 in acid soil). For BaCl₂-extracteable cations, the ratio ranged from low (<1.0) in acid soils (acid cations not measured) to high (>1.0) in high-pH soil (dissolution of carbonates). Multiple-extraction methods (CE and NH₄OAc) yielded more variation and increased labor.

Conclusions

The chemical properties of the sample cause method-specific interactions with chemical components of extractants. We found the Cohex method with ICP-MS detection to be the most efficient and cost-effective technique for determination of eCEC and exchangeable cations.     

Effect of ionic strength on the cation exchange capacity of some forest soils

Abstract

Cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the 0–5 cm depth of forest soils increased with the square root of solution ionic strength over the experimental range of 6 to 96 mM. Percentage increases in CEC were positively correlated with percentage organic carbon; for mixed hardwood forest soils, increases were 38% for soils with 3.3% carbon, and 105% for soils with 7.4% carbon when ionic strength was varied over the full experimental range. When analyzing soils with constant‐potential surfaces, both pH and ionic strength must be controlled, preferably at or near levels found in the field, in order to provide interpretable measures of CEC.     

快速检测土壤阳离子交换量的研究

针对土壤阳离子交换量检测行业标准推荐方法耗时长、操作繁琐,介绍了一种定氮仪配合漩涡振荡仪测定土壤阳离子交换量的快速蒸馏法,改进了离心处理环节和蒸馏步骤,讨论了关键流程和注意事项。该方法与行业标准乙酸铵法相比,试剂消耗明显减少,检测效率提高45%,检测精度和准确度符合标准要求,特别适于大批量及快速检出的土壤样品分析。     

Determination of cation exchange capacity of soils using ammonia and chloride electrodes

Abstract

Ammonia and chloride electrodes were used to measure cation exchange capacity (C.E.C.) on a selection of Victorian soils. The C.E.C. values obtained using these electrodes correlated closely with the values obtained using established titrimetric procedures. The electrode method is preferred for subsequent soil studies because it is rapid, simple and less expensive, whereas titrimetric analyses require separate determination of ammonia and chloride ion which involve preparation of numerous reagents and standards.     

Effects of drying on the ion exchange capacity and cation adsorption properties of some New Zealand soils

Abstract

The effect of drying on the cation (CEC) and anion (AEC) exchange capacity, and on potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg) adsorption by three New Zealand soils was investigated. Air‐drying resulted in no significant changes in these properties compared with the field‐moist samples. Oven‐drying at 105°C significantly decreased the CEC and increased the AEC of most soils compared with air‐dried samples. The decrease in CEC was related to increased solubility of organic matter and a decrease in surface area on which charge could be developed. The increase in AEC was attributed to a decrease in soil pH.

Potassium and Mg adsorption by two soils decreased following oven‐drying. This was consistent with the effect of drying on CEC. For the remaining soil, K adsorption increased following oven‐drying. This was attributed to K fixation.     

Kinetics of ammonia volatilization of anhydrous ammonia applied to a vertisol as influenced by Farm Yard manure,sorbed cations and cation exchange capacity

Abstract

In laboratory experiments, effects of added Farm Yard Manure (FYM), sorbed cations and cation exchange capacity (CEC) on NH₃ volatilization of anhydrous ammonia applied to a Vertisol were studied at 0.3 bar soil Moisture Tension and 25 ± 1°C. On addition of FYM or with increase in CEC the volatilization of retained ammonia was reduced while the effect of the sorbed cations was in the order : K‐Soil > Na‐Soil > Ca‐Soil > Mg‐Soil. The results suggest that the volatilization of retained NH₃ followed First order reaction kinetics, with a rapid rate of volatilization in the initial 8 to 10 h followed by a retarded rate up to 144 h.     

A simple turbidimetric method for determination of exchangeable soil potassium

Abstract

It was found that sodium tetraphenylboron, NaB(C₆H₅)₄, can be used as a reagent for determination of K in acid sodium acetate extracts of soils. After extraction and filtration, sodium hydroxide and formaldehyde are added prior to the reagent to avoid interference of ammonium. At low concentrations of K in the extracts (<30 mg K/1) the white precipitate of potassium tetraphenylboron, KB(C₆H₅)₄, is colloidal and the concentration of K can be determined turbidimetrically with a simple instrument in the field or on the farm.     

Comparative study of three methods of determining cation exchange capacity of three major soils in the rainforest region of Southwestern Nigeria

The cation exchange capacity (CEC) of three benchmark soils in the rain forest region of Southwestern Nigeria, were measured by three standard CEC methods. Results obtained were compared with a view to selecting the best suited CEC method for the soils. The study sites were the Teaching and Research Farm of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and Itagunmodi settlement. Two representative soil profile pits each were established in soils developed in coarse-grained granite and gneiss, fine-grained biotite gneiss and schist, and the amphibolite. The three methods gave different CEC values in the order of CEC-pH 8.2 > CEC-pH 7 > ECEC. There was a significant correlation between soil organic matter (SOM) and the CEC obtained by each of the three methods (P ≤ 0.05), meanwhile, total clay showed no significant correlation. ECEC provided the best estimate of the CEC for the soils and adequate SOM management is crucial to enhance sustainable productivity of the soils.     

Comparison of the prediction efficiency of two pedotransfer functions for soil cation‐exchange capacity

The aim of this study was to provide knowledge of the prediction efficiency of two pedotransfer functions for soil cation‐exchange capacity (CEC), i.e., the approaches of Krogh et al. (2000) and Scheinost (1995). Potential CEC, i.e., CEC at pH 8.1, was predicted for 30 samples of German soils showing a strong variation of soil organic C and clay content which are important soil characteristics for CEC. The results were compared to analyzed potential CEC of the samples by coefficient‐of‐efficiency (EC) criterion of Nash and Sutcliffe (1970). Significant deviations between observed and measured CEC were found for both functions. The approach of Scheinost (1995) showed a higher prediction efficiency (EC = 0.77 in comparison to EC = 0.26 for Krogh et al., 2000) and better results under extrapolative conditions.     

土壤速效氮、磷、钾速测方法的改进Ⅰ.新速测方法的建立

本文对国内现行土壤速效养分速测方法进行了改进 ,包括 :饱和浸提液的制备、浸提剂的筛选、测定方法的改进等 .实验结果表明 :新方法与代表性土壤速效养分速测方法比较 ,提高了精度 ,省时 ,成本低 ,适合于基层土肥站和肥料厂开展测土施肥工作 .