JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

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Phosphate sorption by soils is one of the most important processes indicating the buffering power and availability of P for plants. Phosphorus sorption characteristics of eight representative calcareous soil of Isfahan region were evaluated. For this purpose, 3 grams, of < 2-mm soil were equilibrated for 24 hours at 25±l °C in 60 ml of 0.01 M CaCl₂ with varying amounts of P. Sorbed phosphorus was calculated by the difference between P initially added and P remaining in the final solution. Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Van Huay equations were fitted to the sorption data.

 All four equations adequately described the relationship between sorbed and solution P, but the Van Huay model was slightly superior. Some phosphorus buffering indices were calculated from the sorption isotherms. These buffering indices were highly related to each other as well as to soil properties. Clay percent showed the highest correlation with buffering indices (r=0.771 to 0.949) followed by calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE) and cation exchange capacity (CEC). The quantity of P sorbed at standard concentration of 0.3 µg P/ml (SPR) is reported to the amount that satisfies the phosphate requirement of many crops. This parameter was calculated from Van Huay equation and showed a strong correlation with buffering indices (r=0.807 to 0.990) and soil properties such as clay (r=0.960) and CCE (r=0.809) percents. Regression analysis suggested that clay and CCE percents were the most important soil properties for estimating the buffering power and the standard P requirement of the calcareous soil in Isfahan region.

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In order to determine optimum equilibrium solution phosphorus (P) concentration using P adsorption isotherm and obtain model(s) by integrating soil solution P concentration, physicochemical properties, and soil P test (available P) which predict standard P requirements to achieve maximum yield, laboratory and glasshouse experiments were conducted on 36 soil samples belonging to 15 soil series and 14 soil samples, respectively. Using wheat as a test crop, the glasshouse experiment was laid out with five P levels in a completely randomized design with three replications. Concentrations of P in solution established by adding P in the pots estimated from the sorption curve ranged from 0.2 to 1.2 mg P/L including check treatment (no P). The results showed that equilibrium solution P concentration (EPC) was almost low in comparison with the requirement for most crops (<0.2 mg/L). The amount of P adsorbed by the soils at 0.2 mg/L EPC ranged from 5 to 114 mg/kg soil. The phosphate adsorption was well described by Freundlich (R2 = 0.96) and Langmuir (R2 = 0.88) isotherms. Langmuir maximum adsorption (Xm) and Freundlich coefficient (aF) estimated from Langmuir and Freundlich equations ranged from 127 to 238 mg P /kg soil and from 43 to 211 mg P/kg, respectively. Yield of wheat in all soils approached maximum as adjusted P levels were increased to 0.4 mg P/L. The results showed that some soils studied were adequate in available P by the NaHCO3 test, but required an amount of P fertilizer by the isotherm P requirement test to obtain maximum biomass production. Soil clay content was significantly related to the soil P sorption indices, P0.4 (P sorbed at 0.4 mg P/L EPC) (R = 0.40, P<0.01), PBC (P buffering capacity) (R = 0.54, P<0.001), aF (R = 0.48, P<0.01), and Xm (R = 0.40, P<0.01). Total CaCO3 and Active CaCO3 were found to be less important factors affecting P adsorption. Using stepwise regression analysis resulted in a useful regression model including the combination of Olsen P and clay content for the prediction of standard P requirement (P0.4).

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This research was conducted to study the effect of natural and polyacrylamide-modified montmorillonite on the sorption of Cd from aqueous solutions. The sorption of Cd on the sorbents was studied as a function of pH (Cd concentration: 10 mg L-1) in the range of 4-8.5, and as a function of metal concentration (Cd concentration in the range of 1-10 mgL-1) using a 24h batch equilibration. Experimental and modeling data from equilibrium investigations revealed that the Koble–Corrigan sorption model describes the interaction between Cd and the two sorbents better than the Freundlich and Langmuir models. The values of KF constant of Freundlich and KL constant of Langmuir models were higher for sorption of Cd onto the modified montmorillonite than for those of natural montmorillonite. Maximum sorption capacity calculated from the Langmuir model was 0.6 and 0.7 mg g-1 for natural and modified montmorillonite, respectively. These values are indications of high sorption affinity of Cd to montmorillonite in the presence of polyacrylamide. The amount of Cd sorbed by modified montmorillonite decreased by increasing solution pH while Cd sorption by natural montmorillonite increased by increasing the solution pH.

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Removal of boron from aqueous environments (soil and water) is difficult, because it is present as B(OH)3 and B(OH)4- species. This research was done to study the sorption of boron by HDTMA-modified zeolite. The sorption of B on modified zeolite was studied as a function of pH (B concentration: 1 and 10 mg L-1) in the range of 6-9.5, and as a function of ionic strength (0.03 and 0.06 M Ca(NO3)2 or Mg(NO3)2) at a constant B concentration of 5 mg L-1. Sorption isotherm was performed for the solutions containing initial B concentration in the range of 1-15 mg L-1 using a 24h batch equilibration experiment. The results revealed that surfactant-modified zeolite exhibited the best performance at pH 9.5, and sorption of B increased with the increase of suspension pH. Greater B adsorption in the Ca system over the Mg system was clearly observed for the modified zeolite. Sorption isotherm of B were well described by the Freundlich and Langmuir models but the Freundlich sorption model described the interaction between B and the mineral material better than the Langmuir model. Maximum sorption capacity (qmax) of the sorbent was 120 mmol kg-1. The experimental data showed that HDTMA-modified zeolite used in this study had a reasonable sorption capacity for B.

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Humic substances are the most important organic fractions in soils and have affinity towards trace metals. In order to evaluate the effect of humic acid on zinc (Zn) sorption and desorption by soil,‌ a batch experiment was conducted with two soil samples which were different in clay and calcium carbonate contents. Three levels of humic acid (0,‌ 200, 500 mg/L) and various Zn concentrations (0 to 450 mg/‌L) were applied at constant ionic strength (0.05 M NaCl). Adsorption data were fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin equations. Freundlich equation fitted relatively better (R2= 0.86-0.98). Results showed that the application ofhumic acid increased both ‌sorption and desorption of Zn in the two sample soils. Increasing of humic acid concentration increased maximum adsorption of Langmuir (qmax) up to 8-21% and Freundlich sorption capacity (Kf) up to 73-95%.‌ All sorption parameters including‌ Langmuir binding energy (KL), Freundlich intensity factor (n) and coefficients of Temkin equation (A, KT) were increased by adding humic acid, so that the above mentioned sorption parameters of S1 (with low clay and calcium carbonate) were lower than those of S2 (with high clay and calcium carbonate). Application ‌of humic acid (500 mg/L) increased desorption of Zn (DTPA-Zn) ‌from 511 to 711 mg/kg for S1 and 499 to 609 for S2‌.

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