Impact of low-molecular-weight organic acids on the availability of phenanthrene and pyrene in soil

The impact of low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs) on the availability of phenanthrene and pyrene was investigated using laboratory batch assays. Experiments were conducted with two types of soil with different organic contents. The LMWOAs used were citric and oxalic acid. A mild solvent extraction procedure and a sorption-desorption experiment were used to predict the availability of phenanthrene and pyrene. Results showed that the extractable amounts of phenanthrene and pyrene in both soil types increased with increased citric or oxalic acid concentration. Citric acid addition promoted phenanthrene and pyrene extraction to a greater degree than oxalic acid. Compared with freshly spiked soils, the extractable amounts of phenanthrene and pyrene with the addition of LMWOAs decreased significantly after 60 days of cultivation. Soils with higher values of soil organic carbon content (f_oc) showed decreased phenanthrene and pyrene availability after the addition of LMWOAs. The sorption and desorption results also demonstrated the enhanced availability of PAHs with LMWOA addition. Phenanthrene sorption could be described using a linear model, regardless of the addition of LMWOAs. The simulated distribution constants (K_d) for phenanthrene sorption decreased significantly with the addition of LMWOAs. In contrast, phenanthrene desorption clearly increased with the addition of LMWOAs. These results suggest that the availabilities of phenanthrene and pyrene can be increased with the addition of suitable LMWOAs.     

低分子量有机酸作用下土壤中菲和芘的残留及形态

采用微宇宙试验方法,以菲和芘为多环芳烃(PAHs)代表物,研究了几种低分子量有机酸作用下黄棕壤中菲和芘的残留和形态。结果表明,老化60 d后土壤中菲和芘的残留含量明显减少;不施加有机酸的对照土壤中,菲和芘的残留含量为10.13和29.18 mg kg-1,去除率为87.33%和63.50%。与对照相比,供试浓度(0～64 mg kg-1)范围内,柠檬酸、草酸、酒石酸等3种低分子量有机酸作用下土壤中PAHs残留含量提高,去除率减小,表明供试条件下有机酸抑制土壤中菲和芘的降解;进一步分析发现,少量(≤4 mg kg-1)的有机酸即可对PAHs降解产生高的抑制效果。微生物降解在PAHs的去除中起重要作用,且芘比菲更抗微生物降解。供试条件下,可脱附态和有机溶剂提取态是土壤中菲和芘存在的主要形态,而结合态残留占总残留的比例很小(<8.5%)。3种有机酸均提高了土壤中可脱附态和有机溶剂提取态菲和芘的残留含量,施加有机酸使土壤中菲和芘的可脱附态含量较对照分别提高了46.67%～749.1%和1.83%～80.20%,有机溶剂提取态则提高了8.73%～375.2%和22.63%～114.3%;低分子量有机酸作用下结合态的菲和芘含量仍很小。     

低分子有机酸对土壤中重金属的解吸及影响因素

研究了柠檬酸、草酸、酒石酸和苹果酸对矿区土壤中重金属Pb、Cd、Cu和Zn的解吸行为,并探讨了介质pH值对其解吸土中重金属的影响。振荡解吸试验结果表明四种低分子有机酸对供试污染土壤中Pb、Cd、Cu和Zn都具有一定的解吸能力。由于土壤中重金属有效态含量较低,各重金属的解吸率都不高。在对Pb和Cd的解吸中,各低分子有机酸能力大小顺序为柠檬酸>酒石酸≈苹果酸>草酸;Cu的解吸顺序为柠檬酸>草酸>酒石酸≈苹果酸;Zn的解吸顺序为酒石酸>柠檬酸≈苹果酸>草酸。低分子有机酸随浓度的增加,其解吸能力提高。低分子有机酸对重金属的解吸量随pH值的降低而增加。     

SYNOPSIS Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Soil — a Review

PAHs are mainly produced by combustion processes and consist of a number of toxic compounds. While the concentrations of individual PAHs in soil produced by natural processes (e.g., vegetation fires, volcanic exhalations) are estimated to be around 1—10 μg kg⁻¹, recently measured lowest concentrations are frequently 10 times higher. Organic horizons of forest soils and urban soils may even reach individual PAH concentrations of several 100 μg kg⁻¹. The PAH mixture in temperate soils is often dominated by benzofluoranthenes, chrysene, and fluoranthene. The few existing studies on tropical soils indicate that the PAH concentrations are relatively lower than in temperate soils for most compounds except for naphthalene, phenanthrene, and perylene suggesting the presence of unidentified PAH sources. PAHs accumulate in C‐rich topsoils, in the stemfoot area, at aggregate surfaces, and in the fine‐textured particle fractions, particularly the silt fraction. PAHs are mainly associated with soil organic matter (SOM) and soot‐like C. Although the water‐solubility of PAHs is low, they are encountered in the subsoil suggesting that they are transported in association with dissolved organic matter (DOM). The uptake of PAHs by plants is small. Most PAHs detected in plant tissue are from atmospheric deposition. However, earthworms bioaccumulate considerable amounts of PAHs in short periods. The reviewed work illustrates that there is a paucity of data on the global distribution of PAHs, particularly with respect to tropical and southern hemispheric regions. Reliable methods to characterize bioavailable PAH pools in soil still need to be developed.     

Prediction of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Bioaccessibility to Earthworms in Spiked Soils by Composite Extraction with Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin and Organic Acids

Traditional exhaustive extraction methods often overestimate the risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon(PAH) bioaccessibility to biota. Therefore, reliable assessment methods need to be established. In this study, a composite extraction with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin(HPCD) and three low-molecular-weight organic acids, oxalic acid(OA), malic acid(MA), and citric acid(CA), was used to predict the PAH bioaccessibility to earthworms, subjecting to two soils(red soil and yellow soil) spiked with selected PAHs,phenanthrene, pyrene, chrysene, benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, and benzo(a)pyrene. For both soils,concentrations of PAHs by composite extraction using HPCD-OA(R~2= 0.89–0.92, slope = 1.89–2.03; n = 35), HPCD-MA(R~2=0.92–0.96, slope = 1.43–1.67; n = 35), and HPCD-CA(R~2= 0.92–0.96, slope = 1.26–1.56; n = 35) were significantly correlated with PAH accumulation in the Eisenia fetida earthworms. Moreover, the HPCD-CA-and HPCD-MA-extracted PAH concentrations were closer to the earthworm-accumulated PAH concentration than the extraction using just HPCD. The results indicated that the composite extraction could improve the prediction of PAH bioaccessibility, and therefore can serve as a reliable chemical method to predict PAH bioaccessibility to earthworms in contaminated soils.     

皂角苷增强洗脱复合污染土壤中多环芳烃和重金属的作用及机理

通过增溶实验和土壤洗脱实验,研究了一种生物表面活性剂——皂角苷（saponin）对多环芳烃-重金属复合污染土壤的洗脱作用及机理。结果表明,皂角苷对菲、芘等多环芳烃有极强的增溶作用,当皂角苷浓度为0.04%时,菲、芘在液相中的表观溶解度分别增大了约22倍和128倍,因而皂角苷能显著增强多环芳烃污染土壤中菲、芘的洗脱,洗脱效率最大分别可达84.1%和81.4%,增大了约2倍和17倍。皂角苷可与重金属离子形成水溶性的络合物,从而增强洗脱重金属污染土壤中的Zn^2＋和Cd^2＋,在皂角苷浓度为0.4%时,Zn^2＋、Cd^2＋的洗脱效率分别可达93.0%和79.4%,增大了约75倍和8倍。皂角苷可同时洗脱多环芳烃-重金属复合污染土壤中的菲、芘和Zn^2＋、Cd^2＋,洗脱效率分别达87.6%、83.5%和92.3%、78.6%,重金属的存在略增大了皂角苷对菲、芘等多环芳烃的洗脱效率,但多环芳烃对Zn^2＋、Cd^2＋的洗脱效率没有明显影响。皂角苷可同时增强洗脱复合污染土壤中的多环芳烃和重金属,从而为多环芳烃-重金属复合污染土壤的修复奠定基础。     

源于松针的可溶性有机物对土壤多环芳烃吸附和解吸行为的影响研究

Study of the relationship between plant litter-derived dissolved organic matter（DOM） and organic pollutant transport in soil is important for understanding the role of forest litter carbon cycling in influencing pollutant behaviour and fate in forest soil.With the aim of providing insight into the capacity of plant litter-derived DOM to influence sorption and desorption of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons（PAHs） on soil, batch experiments were carried out with application of a sorption-desorption model incorporating DOM effects. Freshly fallen pine（Pinus elliottii） needles were used as the source of organic matter. Input of the pine needle litter-derived DOM was found to significantly decrease desorption hysteresis as well as soil adsorption capacity of phenanthrene（PHE） and fluoranthene（FLA）. Addition of 1 728 mg L-1dissolved organic carbon（DOC） lowered the organic carbon-normalized sorption distribution coefficient of PHE from 7 776 to 2 541 L kg-1C and of FLA from 11 503 to 4 368 L kg-1C. Decreases of the apparent sorption-desorption distribution coefficients of PHE and FLA with increased DOC concentration indicated that DOM favored desorption of PAHs from soil. Increases in the fraction of apparently dissolved PAHs were attributable to the dissolved PAH-DOM complexes, accounting for the dissolved proportions of 39% to 69% for PHE and 26% to 72% for FLA in the sorption and desorption processes as the concentration of the added DOM solution rose from 0 to 1 728 mg L-1. Our results suggest that pine needle litterderived DOM can have a substantial effect of inhibiting PAHs sorption and promoting PAHs desorption, thus leading to enhanced leaching in soil, which should be taken into account in risk assessment of PAHs accumulated in forest soil.     

Effects of Low-Molecular-Weight Organic Acids on Soil Micropores and Implication for Organic Contaminant Availability

Experiments were conducted to study the effects of low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs) on micropore properties of black soil, red soil, lignin, and humin. Black soil and red soil were treated with four LMWOAs including malic, citric, succinic, and tartaric acids, whereas lignin and humin were treated with malic and citric acids. The results indicated that soil micropore distribution was changed by LMWOAs. Citric and malic acids reduced soil micropore surface area and volume significantly, but lignin micropores were not changed significantly by these two acids. Therefore, clogging may not be a main reason for the surface area and micropore volume reduction of soil organic matter. The release of metal ions from humin and soils was enhanced by LMWOAs, indicating the dissolution of soil mineral particles. Therefore, soil micropore reduction may result from the destruction of soil aggregates due to dissolution of mineral particles and extraction of metals from bridging sites.     

植物多酚与低分子量有机酸联合作用对紫色土铁形态分布的影响

植物多酚(PP)和低分子量有机酸(LMWOA)对土壤铁形态转化有重要影响。以酸性、中性和石灰性紫色土为研究对象,采用不完全随机区组试验,用2种PP(即表没食子儿茶素没食子酸酯(EGCG)和芦丁)和2种LMWOA(即柠檬酸和草酸)溶液浸提供试土壤,测定其可溶铁(Fes)、游离铁(Fed)、活性铁(Feo)、络合铁(Fep)含量,探讨了PP与LMWOA对紫色土铁形态分布的影响。结果表明:PP与LMWOA各自单独作用均能使酸性紫色土Fes增加、中性紫色土Fes减少;对于石灰性紫色土,PP会促进其Fes增加,而LMWOA作用相反。EGCG与LMWOA联合作用,在酸性和石灰性紫色土上均表现为LMWOA通过促使本应转化为Fes的转化为Fep而掩蔽EGCG对铁的溶解作用;芦丁与LMWOA联合作用,在酸性紫色土铁的溶解上表现为协同效应,在石灰性紫色土上则表现为LMWOA会抑制芦丁对铁的溶解作用;对于中性紫色土,PP与LMWOA联合作用可促进Fed向Fes转化而削弱PP对铁溶解的抑制作用。     

外源添加作物秸秆对PAHs污染土壤有机碳矿化和污染物降解的影响

本文通过土壤腐解试验研究外源添加水稻或玉米秸秆对多环芳烃（PAHs）污染土壤CO2-C释放和污染物去除率的影响，同时清晰秸秆腐解中间产物溶解性有机碳（DOC）与土壤PAHs降解的关系。结果表明：秸秆添加处理促进了PAHs污染土壤CO2-C的释放，以玉米秸秆提升效果较好。外源添加秸秆显著增加了土壤DOC含量，且增加幅度随秸秆添加量的增加而增大；水稻秸秆对土壤DOC含量的提升幅度较大。与对照相比，秸秆添加处理下土壤菲、芘残留量均显著降低，菲、芘去除率显著增加，去除效果：玉米＞水稻，高量＞低量，菲＞芘；与对照相比，添加高量玉米秸秆处理（PY15）对土壤菲、芘去除率的增加幅度分别为91.7%和182%。此外，在一定范围内土壤DOC含量与PAHs去除率呈正相关关系。可见，农作物秸秆，尤其是玉米秸秆添加可提升PAHs污染土壤有机碳矿化，亦可在提升土壤DOC含量的同时促进污染土壤PAHs的降解。     

Composition of organic solutes and respiration in soils derived from alkaline and non-alkaline parent materials

Parent material greatly influences pedogenesis and soil nutrient availability and consequently we hypothesized that it would significantly affect the amount of organic solutes in soil, many of which have been implicated in rhizosphere processes linked to plant nutrient uptake. Consequently, we investigated the influence of two contrasting parent materials in which calcite was present or absent (alkaline and non-alkaline soils) on the concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), low-molecular weight organic acids (LMWOA) and glucose in soil solution. Both soils were under Norway spruce. The dynamics of LMWOAs in soil were also investigated using ¹⁴C-labelled citrate and oxalate. Some of the mineral horizons of the alkaline soils showed significantly higher concentrations of DOC, phenolics, and fumarate in soil solution and also a higher basal respiration. No major differences were seen in organic solute status in the organic horizons of the two soil types. LMWOAs were present at low concentrations in soil solution (< 1 to 25 µM). Their mineralization rate significantly decreased with soil depth, however, overall neither their concentration or half-life in soil was markedly affected by parent material. The alkaline soils had significantly higher CO₂-to-soil organic C (SOC) ratios, and consequently SOC in the alkaline soils did not seem more chemically stable against mineralization. Considering possible DOC and CO₂ efflux rates it was suggested that the equal or larger SOC stocks in alkaline mineral soils were most likely linked to a higher net primary productivity. In conclusion, our study found that parent material exerted only a small effect on the concentration and dynamics of organic solutes in soil solution. This suggests that in comparison to other factors (e.g. vegetation cover, climate etc) parent material may not be a major regulator of the organic solute pool in soil.     

Crystallization of single and binary iron‐ and aluminum hydroxides affect phosphorus desorption

In acidic soils, phosphorus availability is affected by its strong affinity for mineral surfaces, especially Fe‐ and Al‐hydroxides. Plant roots have developed adaptive strategies to enhance the availability of phosphorus, including producing and exuding low molecular weight organic acids with a high affinity for phosphorus that competes with high molecular weight organic ligands formed during humification and mineralization. The aim of this study was to characterize the kinetics and mechanism of phosphorus desorption from Fe‐ and Al‐hydroxides of variable crystallinity, as well as binary Fe:Al‐hydroxide mixtures. Long‐term desorption experiments (56 days) were conducted with CaCl₂, CaSO₄, citric acid, and humic acid as competitive sorptives. CaCl₂ and CaSO₄ were selected as general inorganic sorptives and citric and humic acids were selected as organic ligands produced by organisms in the rhizosphere or following humification. The cumulative phosphorus desorption increased following the order CaCl₂ < CaSO₄ < humic acid < citric acid. Amorphous ferrihydrite and Fe‐rich Fe:Al‐hydroxides exhibited much less desorption when exposed to inorganic solutions than the crystalline and Al‐rich Fe:Al‐hydroxide mixtures. Models of the desorption data suggest phosphorus desorption with citric acid is diffusion‐controlled for ferrihydrite and Fe‐rich amorphous Fe:Al‐hydroxides. When humic acid was the sorptive, metal‐organic complexes accumulated in the solution. The results suggest organic compounds, especially citric acid, are more important for liberating phosphorus from Fe‐ and Al‐minerals than inorganic ions present in the soil solution.     

Comparison for plant uptake of phenanthrene and pyrene from soil and water

In this study, we evaluated (1) the plant uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from soil and water and (2) the applicability of the partition-limited model on the prediction of plant concentrations with respect to PAH contents in soils and other associated parameters. To accomplish these goals, the plant uptake of PAHs from culture solution and soils were extensively experimented. A steady state was shown for ryegrass kinetic uptake of phenanthrene and pyrene from water after about 48 h. As to the ryegrass uptake from soils, root and shoot concentrations of PAHs generally increased, while root concentration factors (RCFs) and shoot concentration factors (SCFs) tended to decrease with the increasing PAH concentrations in soils after 45 days. One note of interest is that root concentrations and RCFs of phenanthrene and pyrene for ryegrass uptake were larger than shoot concentrations and SCFs, irrespective of soil–plant and water–plant systems. However, root and shoot concentrations, or RCFs and SCFs, for ryegrass uptake from culture solution were always much higher than those for ryegrass uptake from soils at the same PAH concentrations in water or soil interstitial water, indicating that PAHs in culture solution would be more available and susceptible than those in soil interstitial water for uptake by plants. In addition, the partition-limited model showed a high level of model performance on prediction of plant uptake of phenanthrene and pyrene from soils, with the overall differences of the modeled and experimented concentrations in ryegrass roots or shoots less than 187%. This suggests that the partition-limited model might be a potentially useful instrument for vegetation-contamination assessment.     

Soil–solution partitioning of DOC in acid organic soils: results from a UK field acidification and alkalization experiment

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is an important component of the global carbon (C) cycle and has profound impacts on water chemistry and metabolism in lakes and rivers. Reported increases of DOC concentration in surface waters across Europe and Northern America have been attributed to several drivers, including changing climate, changing land‐use to eutrophication and declining acid deposition. The latter of these suggests that acidic deposition suppressed the solubility of DOC, and that this historic suppression is now being reversed by reducing emissions of acidifying pollutants. We studied a set of four parallel acidification and alkalization experiments in organic matter‐rich soils, which, after three years of manipulation, have shown distinct soil solution DOC responses to acidity change. We tested whether these DOC concentration changes were related to changes in the acid/base properties of DOC. Based on laboratory determination of DOC site density (S.D. = amount of carboxylic groups per milligram DOC) and charge density (C.D. = organic acid anion concentration per milligram DOC) we found that the change in DOC soil–solution partitioning was tightly related to the change in degree of dissociation (α = C.D.:S.D. ratio) of organic acids (R² = 0.74, P < 0.01). Carbon turnover in soil organic matter (SOM), determined by soil respiration and β‐D‐glucosidase enzyme activity measurements, also appears to have some impact on DOC leaching, via constraints on the actual supply of available DOC from SOM; when the turnover rate of C in SOM is small, the effect of α on DOC leaching is reduced. Thus, differences in the magnitude of DOC changes seen across different environments might be explained by interactions between physicochemical restrictions of DOC soil–solution partitioning and SOM carbon turnover effects on DOC supply.     

低分子量有机酸强化烟草修复镉污染土壤的适用性研究

采用盆栽试验,以0.125mmol/kg EDTA为对照,研究3种低分子量有机酸(酒石酸、柠檬酸和草酸)在强化烟草修复镉污染土壤中应用的可行性。3种低分子量有机酸(LMWOA)均可显著降低土壤pH,提高镉的有效含量,酒石酸和草酸对镉在烟草中转运有抑制作用,柠檬酸在酸性土壤中促进镉在烟草中转运,在中性土壤中则起抑制作用。31.25mmol/kg LMWOA对烟草地上部的生长有一定的促进作用,该浓度的柠檬酸和草酸使酸性土壤中烟草地上部镉累积量分别提高42.95%和28.67%,柠檬酸还使中性土壤中烟草地上部镉的累积量提高40.91%,所有酒石酸处理镉在烟草地上部的累积量均降低,EDTA使酸性土壤中烟草地上部镉的累积量提高24.56%,对中性土壤中烟草地上部镉累积量的影响不显著。表明柠檬酸和草酸具有强化烟草地上部对镉的吸收、提高烟草提取土壤镉效率的作用,但要获得与EDTA相当的效果,需大大提高其用量,这必然导致修复成本大大提高,故不宜用于强化烟草修复镉污染土壤。     

Sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to mineral surfaces

Minerals contribute crucially to the retention of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in subsurface environments. To investigate the sorption behaviour to mineral surfaces batch sorption experiments were conducted using three PAHs (phenanthrene, pyrene, benzo(a)pyrene) and three mineral sorbents that were representative of subsurface materials (quartz, goethite‐coated quartz, quartz‐montmorillonite mixture). Sorption kinetics showed an instantaneous, considerable PAH sorption to all minerals, except for phenanthrene sorption to quartz at small aqueous‐phase concentrations. Apparent sorption equilibrium was achieved after 4 hours of contact time. The sorption characteristics were fitted to six isotherm models by applying Monte Carlo simulation and nonlinear regression. Best‐fit models were obtained by a model discrimination approach. Phenanthrene and pyrene sorption were best described by the Freundlich isotherm model, with the exception of phenanthrene sorption to quartz (linear isotherm). Good fit results for quartz were also obtained for the combined linear‐Freundlich isotherm. Benzo(a)pyrene sorption to all minerals followed linear high‐affinity isotherms. In the case of phenanthrene and pyrene, the Monte Carlo simulations resulted in mean values with small standard deviations for the isotherm parameters, indicating a negligible influence of the experimental uncertainties on the accuracy of the fitted parameters. For phenanthrene, (i) linear isotherms to quartz and goethite‐coated quartz and (ii) a nonlinear concave‐shaped isotherm to quartz–montmorillonite, assuming a pore‐filling process to micropores formed by clay aggregates, were confirmed. For pyrene, nonlinear convex‐shaped isotherms to the mineral surfaces were assessed. A specific sorption affinity of pyrene to the goethite surface indicated a non‐covalent cation‐π interaction. Small sorption affinities to quartz–montmorillonite support an unfavourable partitioning into the adjacent water.     

苏丹草对土壤中菲芘的修复作用

采用盆栽试验法,研究了苏丹草对土壤中菲、芘的去除效果,及植物和微生物在去除土壤菲、芘中的交互效应。结果显示,在试验浓度范围（0-322．06mg·kg^-1内,土壤～苏丹草系统（TR,）对菲、芘的去除效果明显。种植苏丹草60d后,土壤菲、芘去除率分别为73．07％-83．92％、63％～77．62％;平均去除率分别比对照1（无植物,不加0．1％NaN3）高55．58％、50．71％,比对照2（无植物,加0．1％NaN3）高72．71％、66．57％,说明种植苏丹草可以促进微生物对土壤中芘、菲降解。土壤酶活性测定结果也显示,酶活性越高,污染物降解率越高,反之亦然。因此,植物一微生物间的交互效应是土壤中多环芳烃降解的主要途径。     

Predicting bioavailability of PAHs in soils to wheat roots with triolein-embedded cellulose acetate membranes and comparison with chemical extraction

Triolein-embedded cellulose acetate membrane (TECAM) was buried in 15 field-contaminated soils in parallel with the cultivation of wheat to predict bioavailability of naphthalene, phenanthrene, pyrene, and benzo[a]pyrene to wheat roots, and the method was compared with chemical extraction methods. Although a good linear relationship was found between PAH concentrations in chemical extractants and wheat roots, the percentage of PAH in soil removed by chemical extraction was much higher than the corresponding percentage removed by wheat roots. In contrast to chemical extraction, a nearly 1:1 relationship was found between the amount of each PAH taken up by TECAMs and wheat roots (r(2) = 0.798-0.925, P < 0.01). Furthermore, the uptake of PAHs by TECAMs and wheat roots had the same pathway of passive transport via the soil solution. Moreover, TECAM caused minimal disturbance to the soil and was easy to deploy. Therefore, TECAM is believed to be a useful tool to predict bioavailability of PAHs to wheat roots grown in contaminated soils.     

Cation treatment and drying‐temperature effects on nonylphenol and phenanthrene sorption to a sandy soil

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of mono‐ and polyvalent cations on sorption of the two hydrophobic compounds nonylphenol (NP) and phenanthrene (Phe). To this end, exchange sites of a sandy soil were saturated with either Na⁺, Ca²⁺, or Al³⁺ and excess salts were removed by washing. The samples were then sterilized and either stored moist, dried at room temperature, or at 20°C, 60°C, or 105°C in a vented oven. Saturation with Na⁺ led to an increase of dissolved organic C (DOC) concentration in the soil water extracts, whereas the polyvalent cations Ca²⁺ and Al³⁺ decreased it. The ¹H‐NMR relaxometry analyses showed that Al³⁺ restricted the mobility of water molecules that are confined within the SOM structure to a higher extent than Ca²⁺ or Na⁺. According to contact‐angle (CA) analyses, cation treatment did not significantly change the wetting properties of the samples. Batch sorption–desorption experiments showed no clear salt‐treatment effects on the sorption and desorption equilibria or kinetics of NP and Phe. Instead, the sorption coefficients and sorption hysteresis of NP and Phe increased in dry soil. With increasing drying temperature the CA of the soils and the sorption of both xenobiotics increased significantly. We conclude that structural modifications of SOM due to incorporation of polyvalent cations into the interphase structure do not modify the sorption characteristics of the soil for hydrophobic compounds. Instead, increasing hydrophobization of organic soil constituents due to heat treatment significantly increased the accessible sorption sites for nonpolar organic compounds in this soil.