Cr^(Ⅵ) adsorption on four typical soil colloids: equilibrium and kinetics

It is observed that the adsorption of chromium are greater on kaolinite minerals, red soil (R) and laterite (L) colloids than that on montmorillonite, indicotic black (IB) and yellow brown (YB) soil colloids. The adsorption process of Cr Ⅵ on these media can be further described by Langmuir or Freundlich equation quite well. The adsorption reaction of Cr Ⅵ is fast, and the adsorption equilibrium can be reached within the first two hours in moderate temperature. The adsorption quantity of Cr Ⅵ to kaolinite mineral increased with the increasing pH in the range of 2.0 to 7.0, then decreased at higher pH. But it showed some consistence among the four soil colloids. The lower the pH, the stronger the adsorption. The possible mechanisms are further discussed here. Meanwhile the influence of temperature on Cr Ⅵ adsorption on different soil colloid and clay minerals are also investigated.

Effect of Cr(Ⅵ) and p-Chloroaniline Interaction on Their Reaction Behaviors on Soil Colloids

Adsorption of Cr(Ⅵ) and p-chloroaniline on three typical soil colloids and pH influence were studied using batch equilibrium method. Both of Cr(Ⅵ) and p-chloroaniline adsorption on the colloids could be well described by general adsorption simulation equations. The adsorption processes changed with media pH. When Cr(Ⅵ) and p-chloroaniline coexisted on soil colloids, their interactions could be observed in a certain pH range to be accompanied with Cr(Ⅵ) reduction, which clearly suggested that a surface catalytic reaction occurred in this system. Soil colloid acted as an efficient catalyst for the interaction of Cr(Ⅵ) and p-chloroaniline. The pH values at which no interaction was observed were 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0 for the colloids of indigotic black soil, yellow-brown soil and latosol, respectively. Capillary electrophoresis used to analyze p-chloroaniline provided a high separation efficiency and short separation time, and needed no more extensive pretreatment of samples.

Adsorption of Cadmium by Soil Colloids and Minerals in Presence of Rhizobia

Experiments were conducted to study the adsorption of Cd on two soil colloids (red soil and yellow- brown soil) and three variable-charge minerals (goethite, noncrystalline Fe oxide and kaolin) in the absence and presence of rhizobia. The tested strain Rhizobium fredii C6, tolerant to 0.8 mmol L-1 Cd, was selected from 30 rhizobial strains. Results showed that the isotherms for the adsorption of Cd by examined soil colloids and minerals in the presence of rhizobia could be described by Langmuir equation. Within the range of the numbers of rhizobial cells studied, the amount of Cd adsorbed by each system increased with increasing rhizobial cells. Greater increases for the adsorption of Cd were found in red soil and kaolin systems. Rhizobia influence on the adsorption of Cd by examined soil colloids and minerals was different from that on the adsorption of Cu. The presence of rhizobia increased the adsorption sanity of soil colloids and minerals for Cd, particularly for the goethite and kaolin systems. The discrepancies in the influence of rhizobia on the adsorbability and affinity of selected soil colloids and minerals for Cd suggested the different interactions of rhizobia with various soil components. It is assumed that bacterial biomass plays an important role in controlling the mobility and bioavailability of Cd in soils with kaolinite and goethite as the major colloidal components, such as in variable-charge soil.

Adsorption of Acid Phosphatase on Minerals and Soil Colloids in Presence of Citrate and Phosphate

The aim of this work was to study the influence of phosphate and citrate, which are common inorganic and organic anions in soils, on the adsorption of acid phosphatase by kaolin, goethite and the colloids separated from yellow-brown soil (YBS) and latosol (LS) in central-south China. The YBS colloid has the major clay mineral composition of 1.4 nm mineral, illite and kaolinite while the LS colloid mainly contains kaolinite and oxides. The adsorption isotherm of acid phosphatase on the examined soil colloids and minerals fitted to the Langmuir model. The amount of enzyme adsorbed in the absence of ligands was in the order of YBS colloid > LS colloid > kaolin ≈ goethite. In the presence of phosphate or citrate, the amounts of the enzyme adsorbed followed the sequence YBS colloid > kaolin > LS colloid > goethite. The presence of ligands also decreased the binding energy between the enzyme and soil colloids or minerals. With the increase of ligand concentration from 10 mmol L-1 to 400 m mol L-1, different behaviors for the adsorption of enzyme were found in the colloid and mineral systems studied. A sharp decrease in enzyme adsorption was observed on goethite while gradual decreases of enzyme adsorption were recorded in the two soil colloid systems. However, no any decrease was found for the amount of enzyme adsorbed on kaolin at higher ligand concentrations. When phosphate or citrate was introduced to the system before the addition of enzyme, the ligands usually enhanced the adsorption of enzyme. The results obtained in this study suggested the important role of kaolinite mineral in the adsorption of enzyme molecules in acidic soils in the presence of various ligands.

INFLUENCES OF SEVERAL SOIL COLLOIDS ON THE ADSORPTION AND PROPERTIES OF UREASE ENZYME

The present experiment was designed to elucidate the effects of the sterilized colloids separated from red soil,latosol and yellow brown soil,which are the typical zonal soils in central-south China, on the adsorption,activity,kinetic parameters and thermal stability of urease enzyme which plays significant role in the transformation of soil nitrogen compounds. Results show that the amount of enzyme adsorbed on the examined soil colloids followed the order: yellow brown soil>red soil=latosol. The residual activities of enzyme in different colloid systems are in the following sequence:red soil>latosol> yellow brown soil. The thermal stability of adsorbed enzyme is higher than that of free enzyme. The enzyme immobilized on yellow brown soil colloid had the highest stability at elevated temperature from 60 to 80℃. Both of the free and immobilized urease obey Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The Km values of immobilized urease (13. 5-20. 8 mM) on different soil colloids examined were in the same order of magnitude as that of free urease (9. 3mM). The kinetic constant of immobilized enzyme suggests that urease adsorbed on yellow brown soil colloid has a greater affinity for substrate. The Ku and Vmax values also indicate a mixed type of enzyme inhibition for the examined soil colloids. These results provide basic evidences for the understanding of the properties and kinetics of soil enzymes in tropic and subtropic regions.

Surface Chemical Properties of Colloids in Main Soils of China

Surface chemical properties of soil colloids are the important factor affecting soil fertility and genesis. To provide scientific basis for soil genetic classification, promotion of soil fertility and reasonable fertilization, the specific surface area and electric charge of soil colloids in relation to clay minerals and organic matter are further discussed on the basis of the results obtained from the studies on surface chemical properties of soil colloids in five main soils of China. Results from the studies show that the effect of clay minerals and organic matter on the surface chemical properties of soil colloids is very complicated because the siloxane surface, hydrated oxide surface and organic matter surface do not exist separately, but they are always mixed together and influenced each other. The understanding of the relationship among clay minerals, organic matter and surface chemical properties of soil colloids depends upon further study of the relevant disciplines of soil science, especially the study on the mechanisms of organo-mineral complexes.

Effects of different concentrations of super-absorbent polymers on soil structure and hydro-physical properties following continuous wetting and drying cycles

Super-absorbent polymers(SAPs)are widely used chemical water-saving materials,which play an active role in the accumulation of soil water and the improvement of soil structure.Little is known about their performance with repeated usage or about factors influencing their efficiency under alternate wetting and drying cycles.In this study,various concentrations of SAP(0,0.1,0.2 and 0.3%)in soil following three continuous wetting and drying cycles(T1,T2 and T3),were studied to determine effects on soil structure stability and hydro-physical properties.The results indicated that the SAP improved soil water supply capacity under conditions of mild drought(T2)and sufficient irrigation(T3)at concentrations of 0.2 and 0.3%,but a reduction was observed under severe drought conditions(T1),which was negatively correlated with the SAP concentration.The physical adsorption of the SAP by soil and the chemical connection between the SAP and soil mineral colloids as Si-O-Si bonds,-OH bonds and different crystalline silica were the important factors that directly lead to the reduction of water retention capacities of the SAP with alternating wet and dry conditions.Compared with the control,the soil liquid phase ratios of the SAP treatments were increased by8.8-202.7%in the T1 and T2 cycles,which would have led to a decrease in the soil air phase ratios.After repeated wetting and drying cycles,the SAP treatments increased the amount of>0.25 mm soil aggregates and the contents of water-stable macro-aggregate(R_(0.25)),and decreased the amount of<0.053 mm soil aggregates,especially with higher concentrations of the SAP.Increases in mean weight diameter(MWD)and geometric mean diameter(GMD),and declines in fractal dimension(D)and unstable aggregates index(E_(LT))were all observed with the SAP treatments,which indicated an improvement in soil stability and structure.It was concluded that the distribution and stability of soil aggregates and soil water supply capacity was closely related to SAP concentration,soil moisture condition and the interaction between the SAP and soil particles.

Amplification of plasmid DNA bound on soil colloidal particles and clay minerals by the polymerase chain reaction

Polymerase chain reaction （PCR） was used to amplify a 600-base pair （bp） sequence of plasmid pGEX-2T DNA bound on soil colloidal particles from Brown soil （Alfisol） and Red soil （Ultisol）, and three different minerals （goethite, kaolinite, montmorillonite）. DNA bound on soil colloids, kaolinite, and montmorillonite was not amplified when the complexes were used directly but amplification occurred when the soil colloid or kaolinite-DNA complex was diluted, 10- and 20-fold. The montmorillonite-DNA complex required at least 100-fold dilution before amplification could be detected. DNA bound on goethite was amplified irrespective of whether the complex was used directly, or diluted 10- and 20-fold. The amplification of mineral-bound plasmid DNA by PCR is, therefore, markedly influenced by the type and concentration of minerals used. This information is of fundamental importance to soil molecular microbial ecology with particular reference to monitoring the fate of genetically engineered microorganisms and their recombinant DNA in soil environments.

Zero Point of Charge of Organo—Mineral Complexes

Five soil samples collected from China and two soil samples from Pakistan with widely different origin and characteristics were used to study the zero point of charge (ZPC) of soil colloids. The results showed that the value of zero point of charge of H-clay complexes was lower than that of H-clays in all the samples.Natural clay complexes had the highest ZPC as compared to H-clay complex and H-clay in alfisol, closer to H-clays rather than H-clay complexes in oxisol and udult. The delta value of ZPT (zero point of titration)to ZPC was higher in H-clay complexes than in H-clays.

Unraveling the size distributions of surface properties for purple soil and yellow soil

Soils contain diverse colloidal particles whose properties are pertinent to ecological and human health, whereas few investigations systematically analyze the surface properties of these particles. The objective of this study was to elucidate the surface properties of particles within targeted size ranges（i.e. 〉 10, 1-10, 0.5-1, 0.2-0.5 and 〈 0.2 μm） for a purple soil（Entisol） and a yellow soil（Ultisol） using the combined determination method. The mineralogy of corresponding particle-size fractions was determined by X-ray diffraction.We found that up to 80% of the specific surface area and 85% of the surface charge of the entire soil came from colloidal-sized particles（〈 1 μm）, and almost half of the specific surface area and surface charge came from the smallest particles（〈 0.2 μm）. Vermiculite,illite, montmorillonite and mica dominated in the colloidal-sized particles, of which the smallest particles had the highest proportion of vermiculite and montmorillonite. For a given size fraction, the purple soil had a larger specific surface area, stronger electrostatic field, and higher surface charge than the yellow soil due to differences in mineralogy.Likewise, the differences in surface properties among the various particle-size fractions can also be ascribed to mineralogy. Our results indicated that soil surface properties were essentially determined by the colloidal-sized particles, and the 〈 0.2 μm nanoparticles made the largest contribution to soil properties. The composition of clay minerals within the diverse particle-size fractions could fully explain the size distributions of surface properties.

Profile Distributions of Dissolved and Colloidal Phosphorus as Affected by Degree of Phosphorus Saturation in Paddy Soil

Soil dissolved phosphorus (P) and colloidal P mobilization could be closely related to the degree of phosphorus saturation (DPS). Effects of a wide range of DPS on the distributions of dissolved P and colloidal P in a paddy soil profile were investigated in this study. Dissolved P and colloidal P in water-dispersible soil colloid suspension increased obviously with increasing DPS. The change point of DPS was at 0.12 by using a split-line model. Above the value, dissolved P (3.1 mg P kg-1 ) in soil profile would increase sharply and then transfer downward. Compared with dissolved P, colloidal P was the dominant fraction (78%-91%) of P in soil colloid suspension, and positively related to DPS without a significant change point. The high release of colloids in subsoils with low DPS was attributed to the low ionic strength and high pH value in subsoils. The DPS also had a significant and positive correlation with electrical conductivity (EC), but it showed a negative correlation with pH value. However, the concentration of colloidal P was not greatly correlated to the pH value, EC and optical density of the soil colloid suspension. The results indicated that DPS was an important factor that may affect the accumulation and mobilization of water-extractable colloidal P and dissolved P.