Desorption behaviour of lead in two calcareous soils as affected by Pb level without and with compost supply

A laboratory study was performed to investigate the influence of soil texture (sandy loam vs. clay loam), Pb supply (as Pb(NO₃)₂ without or with compost) and Pb levels on the extraction of available Pb by diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) and its desorption patterns at ten shaking periods. The soils were polluted with five Pb levels without or with compost and incubated for 1 month. Kinetic models commonly used to study the release of the nutrients were used in this study. Results showed that Power function model described the pattern of Pb desorption better than other models. The amount of extracted Pb increased as the Pb levels increased and was found to be higher in sandy loam soil treated with Pb without compost than that of clay loam soil treated with Pb with compost. The a value (Pb desorption constant) was the highest in sandy loam soil amended with Pb without compost. The lowest value of a, however, was observed in clay loam soil amended with Pb with compost. The ab coefficient (initial desorption rate of Pb) was higher in sandy loam than clay loam soil, demonstrating higher initial release rates of Pb in the coarser-textured soil. Addition of Pb without compost resulted in a higher increase in ab value in comparison with Pb with compost, in both the soils.