Influence of Humic Acid on Interaction of Ammonium and Potassium Ions on Clay Minerals

Interaction of ammonium (NH+4) and potassium (K+) is typical in field soils. However, the effects of organic matter on interaction of NH+4 and K+have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we examined the changes in major physicochemical properties of three clay minerals (kaolinite, illite, and montmorillonite) after humic acid (HA) coating and evaluated the influences of these changes on the interaction of NH+4 and K+on clay minerals using batch experiments. After HA coating, the cation exchange capacity (CEC) and specific surface area (SSA) of montmorillonite decreased significantly, while little decrease in CEC and SSA occurred in illite and only a slight increase in CEC was found in kaolinite. Humic acid coating significantly increased cation adsorption and preference for NH+4, and this effect was more obvious on clay minerals with a lower CEC. Results of Fourier transform infrared spectrometry analysis showed that HA coating promoted the formation of H-bonds between the adsorbed NH+4 and the organo-mineral complexes. HA coating increased cation fixation capacity on montmorillonite and kaolinite, but the opposite occurred on illite. In addition, HA coating increased the competitiveness of NH+4 on fixation sites. These results showed that HA coating affected both the nature of clay mineral surfaces and the reactions of NH+4 and K+with clay minerals, which might influence the availability of nutrient cations to plants in field soils amended with organic matter.

Adsorption and Desorption of Ammonium in Wetland Soils Subject to Freeze-Thaw Cycles

Nitrogen （N） cycling in boreal peatland ecosystems may be influenced in important ways by freeze-thaw cycles （FTCs）. Adsorption and desorption of ammonium ions （NH4＋） were examined in a controlled laboratory experiment for soils sampled from palustrine wetland, riverine wetland, and farmland reclaimed from natural wetland in response to the number of FTCs. The results indicate that freeze-thaw significantly increased the adsorption capacity of NH： and reduced the desorption potential of NH4＋ in the wetland soils. There were significant differences in the NH4＋ adsorption amount between the soils with and without freeze-thaw treatment. The adsorption amount of NH4＋ increased with increasing FTCs. The palustrine wetland soil had a greater adsorption capacity and a weaker desorption potential of NH4＋ than the riverine wetland soil because of the significantly higher clay content and cation exchange capacity （CEC） of the riverine wetland soil. Because of the altered soil physical and chemical properties and hydroperiods, the adsorption capacity of NH4＋ was smaller in the farmland soil than in the wetland soils, while the desorption potential of the farmland soil was higher than that of the wetland soils. Thus, wetland reclamation would decrease adsorption capacity and increase desorption potential of NH4＋, which could result in N loss from the farmland soil. FTCs might mitigate N loss from soils and reduce the risk of water pollution in downstream ecosystems.