M. Maftoun, H. Haghighat Nia, N. Karimian,
Volume 4, Issue 2 (7-2000)
As apparent Zn recovery in mineral soils (saturated and unsaturated) is nill, the precise assessment of processes responsible for Zn retention in these soils is of great importance. A laboratory study was conducted to characterize Zn adsorption in eight lowland calcareous soils. The fit of sorption data was evaluated by Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. In this study, 2-g soil samples were equilibrated for 24 hours with 40 mL 0.0lM CaCl
2 solution containing 5 to 500 mg Zn L
-1. The amount of Zn adsorbed was calculated based on the difference between the initial and equilibrium Zn concentrations.
Zinc adsorption data were fitted to a linear form of Freundlich equation. However the Langmuir isotherm was divided into two distinct linear portions, representing two different types of adsorption sites. The Langmuir K1 was higher and adsorption maxima (b1) was lower in part I (corresponding to lower Zn concentration) than in part II (corresponding to higher Zn concentration). Thus, it seems that in parts I and II, sites are more important for their high adsorption energy and adsorption capacity, respectively. Langmuir adsorption maxima (b2) was positively correlated with clay content, CCE and P concentration and negatively correlated with CEC.
