Effects of Multiple Soil Conditioners on a Mine Site Acid Sulfate Soil for Vetiver Growth

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of various soil treatments on the growth of vetiver grass ( Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash) with the objective of formulating appropriate soil media for use in sulfide-bearing mined areas. An acidic mine site acid sulfate soil (pH 2.8) was treated with different soil conditioner formula including hydrated lime, red mud (bauxite residues), zeolitic rock powder, biosolids and a compound fertilizer. Soils treated with red mud and hydrated lime corrected soil acidity and reduced or eliminated metal toxicity enabling the establishment of vetiver grass.Although over-liming affected growth, some seedlings of vetiver survived the initial strong alkaline conditions. Addition of appropriate amounts of zeolitic rock powder also enhanced growth, but over-application caused detrimental effects. In this experiment, soil medium with the best growth performance of vetiver was 50 g of red mud, 10 g of lime, 30 g of zeolitic rock powder and 30 g of biosolids with 2000 g of mine soils (100% survival rate with the greatest biomass and number of new shoots), but adding a chemical fertilizer to this media adversely impacted plant growth. In addition, a high application rate of biosolids resulted in poorer growth of vetiver, compared to a moderate application rate.

Characteristics of Soluble and Exchangeable Acidity inan Extremely Acidified Acid Sulfate Soil

An extremely acidified acid sulfate soil (ASS) was investigated to characterize its soluble and exchangeableacidity. The results showed that soluble acidity of a sample determined by titration with a KOH solutionwas much significantly greater than that indicated by pH measured using a PH meter, particularly for theextremely acidic soil samples. This is because the total soluble acidity of the extremely acidic soil sampleswas mainly composed of various soluble Al and Fe species, possibly in forms of Al sulfate complexes (e.g.,AISO4) and ferrous Fe (Fe2+). It is therefore suggested not to use pH alone as an indicator of soluble acidityin ASS, particularly for extremely acidic ASS. It is also likely that AISO4+ actively pericipated in cationexchange reactions. It appears that the possible involvement of this Al sulfate canon in the canon adsorptionhas significant effect on increasing the amount of acidity being adsorbed by the soils.

Acid Release from an Acid Sulfate Soil Sample Under Successive Extractions with Different Extractants

An acid sulfate soil sample was successively extracted with deionized water, 1 mol L-1 KCl and 0.000 5 mol L-l Ca(OH)2 solutions. The results showed that only very small amounts of acidity were extracted by deionized water, possibly through slow jarosite hydrolysis. Acid release through jarosite hydrolysis was greatly enhanced by Ca(OH)2 extraction at the expense of the added OH- being neutralized by the acid released. Successive extraction of the sample with KCl removed the largest amounts of acidity from the sample. However, it is likely that the major form of acidity released by KCl extraction was exchangeable acidity. The results also show the occurrence of low or non charged Al and Fe species in water and Ca(OH)2 extracts after first a few extractions. It appears that such a phenomenon was related to a decreasing EC value with increasing number of extractions.

Analytical Methods for Environmental Risk Assessment of Acid Sulfate Soils: A Review

Assessment of acid sulfate soil risk is an important step for acid sulfate soil management and its reliability depends very much on the suitability and accuracy of various analytical methods for estimating sulfide-derived potential acidity, actual acidity and acid-neutralizing capacity in acid sulfate soils. This paper critically reviews various analytical methods that are currently used for determination of the above parameters, as well as their implications for environmental risk assessment of acid sulfate soi1s.

Iron Monosulfide Distribution in Three Coastal Floodplain Acid Sulfate Soils, Eastern Australia

The distribution of iron monosulfide (quantified as acid volatile sulfur: SAV) was compared with geo- chemical properties that are known to affect its formation and accumulation in three coastal Holocene acid sulfate soils (ASS) at Tuckean Swamp, McLeods Creek and Bungawalbyn Swamp respectively. These properties included PH, reactive iron (FeR), pore-water sulfate (SO:42-) and organic carbon (OC). Iron monosulfide was concentrated at the oxic/anoxic boundary. The Tuckean Swamp and McLeods Creek sites are Holocene sediments, whereas the Bungawalbyn Swamp is a Holocene peat. The concentration of SAV averaged 0.2 g kg-l in a 0.5 m thick soil layer at the Tuckean Swamp, but was an order of magnitude lower in the oxic/anoxic transition layers at McLeods Creek and Bungawalbyn Swamp. The SAV mineral greigite (Fe3S4) was identified in the Tuckean Swamp by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy with quantitative energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX). Very small concentrations of greigite were also observed in the McLeods Creek, based on crystal morphology and elemental composition. The concentration of SAV was a small fraction of the total reduced sulfur, representing at most 3% of the Pyrite sulfur. However, the presence of this highly reactive sulfide mineral, distributed within pores where oxygen diffusion is most rapid, has important implications to the potential rate of acid production from these sediments.

Acid Sulfate Soils in Australia: Characteristics,Problemsand Management

Acid soils(ASS) are widely distributed in Australia. This has only been recognized recentlywhen intensive research on ASS has been done in this country. This paper reviews aspects concerning a)the distribution and acid potential, b) controls on acidic status, and c) problems and management of ASSin Australia It is believed that the Australian experience may be useful for other countries where potentialproblems from ASS exist but insrfficient attention was paid to them.

Characteristics of Phosphorus in Some Eastern Australian Acid Sulfate Soils

Forty-five acid sulfatc topsoil samples (depth < 0.5 m) from 15 soil coreswere collected from 11 locations along the New South Wales coast, Australia. There was an overalltrend for the concentration of the HCl-extractable P to increase along with increasing amounts oforganic C and the HCl-extractable trivalent metals in the topsoils of some less-disturbed acidsulfate soils (pH < 4.5). This suggests that inorganic P in these soils probably accumulated viabiological cycling and was retained by complexation with trivalent metals or their oxides andhydroxides. While there was no clear correlation between pH and the water-extractable P, theconcentration of the water-extractable P tended to increase with increasing amounts of theHCl-extractable P. This disagrees with some established models which suggest that the concentrationof solution P in acid soils is independent of total P and decreases with increasing acidity. Thehigh concentration of sulfate present in acid sulfate soils appeared to affect the chemical behaviorof P in these soil systems. Comparison was made between a less disturbed wetland acid sulfate soiland a more intensively disturbed sugarcane acid sulfate soil. The results show that reclamation ofwetland acid sulfate soils for sugarcane production caused a significant decrease in theHCl-extractable P in the topsoil layer as a result of the reduced bio-cycling of phosphorusfollowing sugarcane farming. Simulation experiment shows that addition of hydrated lime had noeffects on the immobilization of retained P in an acid sulfate soil sample within a pH range3.5～4.6. When the pH was raised to above 4.6, soluble P in the soil extracts had a tendency toincrease with increasing pH until the 15th extraction (pH 5.13). This, in combination with the poorpH-soluble P relationship observed from the less-disturbed acid sulfate soils, suggests that solubleP was not clearly pH-dependent in acid sulfate soils with pH < 4.5.

Could Acid Sulfate Soils Be a Potential Environmental Threat to Estuarine Ecosystems on the South China Coast?

Acid sulfate soils (ASS) contain considerable amounts of reduced sulfur compounds (mainly pyrite) which produce sulfuric acid upon their oxidation. ASS-derived environmental degradation widely occurs in the coastal lowlands around the world, especially in the tropical and subtropical areas. The presence of ASS in the South China has been recognized but their distribution may be largely underestimated because the soil survey data concerning ASS are based on unreliable methods and techniques. ASS in the South China have been traditionally used for rice cultivation and this practice has been proved sustainable if appropriate improvement measures are adopted. Recently, the rapid economic growth in the region has resulted in intensified coastal development which frequently involves activities that may disturb ASS. Construction of roads, foundations and aquaculture ponds may cause the exposure of ASS to air and bring about severe environmental acidification. There is currently insufficient awareness of the problems among the researchers, policy-makers and land managers in the South China. More atteation must be paid to the possible ASSderived environmental degradation in order to ensure a sustainable development of the coastal lowlands in the South China region.

Controls of Soluble Al in Experimental Acid Sulfate Conditions and Acid Sulfate Soils

The controls of soluble Al concentration were examined in three situations of acid sulfate conditions: 1)experimental acid sulfate conditions by addition of varying amounts of Al(OH)3 (gibbsite) into a sequenceof H2SO4 solutions; 2) experimental acid sulfate conditions by addition of the same sequence of H2SO4solutions into two non-acid sulfate soil samples with known amounts of acid oxalate extractable Al; and3) actual acid sulfate soil conditions. The experiment using gibbsite as an Al-bearing mineral showed thatincrease in the concentration of H2SO4 solution increased the soluble Al concentration, accompanied bya decrease in the solution pH. Increasing amount of gibbsite added to the H2SO4 solutions also increasedsoluble Al concentration, but resulted in an increase in solution pH. Within the H2SO4 concentration rangeof 0.0005～0.5 mol L-1 and the Al(OH)3 range of 0.01～0.5g (in 25 mL of H2SO4 solutions), the input ofH2SO4 had the major control on soluble Al concentration and pH. The availability of Al(OH)3, however, wasresponsible for the spread of the various sample points, with a tendency that the samples containing moregibbsite had a higher soluble Al concentration than those containing less gibbsite at equivalent pH levels.The experimental results from treatment of soil samples with H2SO4 solutions and the analytical results ofacid sulfate soils also showed the similar trend.

Factors Controlling Deoxygenation of "Floodwater" Overlying an Acid Sulfate Soil: Experimental Modeling

An incubation experiment was conducted to simulate the effect of flooding onwater deoxygenation in acid sulfate soil floodplain systems. The originally oxygenated 'floodwater'could be deoxygenated immediately following 'flooding' and it is likelythat this was caused mainlyby decomposition of organic debris from the inundated plants. Deoxygenation eventually led to thedepletion of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the 'floodwater' and it is highly possible that this resultedin the transformations of ferric Fe to ferrous Fe, sulfate to hydrogen sulfide. and organic nitrogento ammonia (ammonification). The accumulation of these reduced substances allows the 'floodwater'to develop DO-consuming capacity (DOCC). When the 'floodwater' is mixed with the introducedoxygenated water, apart from the dilution effects, the reduced substances contained in the'floodwater' oxidize to further consume DO carried by the introduced water. However, it appears thatthe DO drop in the mixed water can only last for a few hours if no additional DO-depleted'floodwater' is added. Entry of atmospheric oxygen into the water can raise the DO level of themixed water arid lower water pH through the oxidation of the reduced substances.

Impeded Acidification of Acid Sulfate Soils in an Intensively Drained Sugarcane Land

Recent research results suggest that acidification of acid sulfate soils may be inhibited in well-drained estuarine floodplains in eastern Australia by the absence of natural creek levees. The lack of natural levees has allowed the inundation of the land by regular tidal flooding prior to the construction of flood mitigation work. Such physiographical conditions prevent the development of pre-drainage pyrite-derived soil acidifica- non that possibly occurred at many levee-protected sites in eastern Australian estuarine floodplains during extremely dry spells. Pre-drainage acidification is considered as an important condition for accumulation of soluble Fe and consequently, the creation of favourable environments for catalysed pyrite oxidation. Under current intensively drained conditions, the acid materials produced by ongoing pyrite oxidation can be rapidly removed from soil pore water by lateral leaching and acid buffering, resulting in low concentrations of soluble Fe in the Pyretic layer, which could reduce the rate of pyrite oxidation.

Nature of redox concentrations in a sequence of agriculturally developed acid sulfate soils in Thailand

Potential acid sulfate soils(PASS) are drained for agriculture, resulting in the formation of active acid sulfate soils(AASS), which gradually evolve into post-active acid sulfate soils(PAASS). Various redox concentrations(precipitates, costings, and mottles) occur in these soils as a result of pedogenic processes including biological activity and effects of land management. Although several studies have determined the mineralogy and geochemistry of ASS,the mineralogy and geochemistry of redox concentrations occurring in a sequence of ASS through PASS to PAASS have not been investigated. This study examined the mineralogy and geochemistry of redox concentrations and matrices within 5 PASS, 8 AASS, and 5 PAASS in Thailand. The labile minerals were predominantly controlled by oxidation status and management inputs. The unoxidized layers of PASS, AASS, and PAASS contained pyrite and mackinawite.The oxidation of Fe sulfides caused acidification and accumulation of yellow redox concentrations of jarosite and Fe(hydr)oxides at shallow depths. As the soils became well developed, they were recognized as PAASS, and the jarosite and goethite transformed to hematite. As ASS were drained, Co, Mn, Ni, and Zn moved downward and were associated with Fe sulfides and Mn oxides in the unoxided layer. Concentrations of As, Cu, Cr, Fe, and V did not change with depth because these elements became associated with jarosite and Fe(hydr)oxides in yellow and red redox concentrations, as well as the root zone, in the partly oxidized layer of AASS and PAASS. Arsenic was associated with pyrite under reducing conditions.

Characteristics of Some Heavy Metals in Acid Sulfate Topsoils, Eastern Australia

Forty-five acid sulfate topsoil samples (depth < 0.5 m) from 15 soil cores at 11 locations along the New South Wales coast, Australia, were selected to investigate the chemical behavior of Zn, Mn, Cr, Co and Pb in these soils. The amount of HCI-extractable Mn was much smaller than the mean value of the total Mn documented for other soils. This may be attributed to enhanced mobilization of Mn from the soils under the extremely acidic and seasonally flooded conditions encountered in the investigated soils. The pH-dependency of soluble Zn and Mn was strongly affected by the availability of acid reactive Zn and Mn compounds. There were fairly good relationships between soluble Zn and acid reactive Zn compounds, and between soluble Mn and acid reactive Mn compounds. Soluble Zn and soluble Mn concentrations were important controls on exchangeable Zn and Mn concentrations, respectively. In contrast to the suggestion by other authors that adsorption of Co was closely associated with Mn oxides present in soils, the exchangeable Co in the investigated acid sulfate soils was not clearly related to the abundance of Mn minerals. In addition to the fact that there are few Mn minerals present in the soils, this might also be because the availability of canon exchange sites on the crystal surfaces of Mn oxides was reduced under extremely acidic conditions.

Soil Quality Assessment of Acid Sulfate Paddy Soils with Different Productivities in Guangdong Province,China

Land conversion is considered an effective measure to ensure national food security in China, but little information is available on the quality of low productivity soils, in particular those in acid sulfate soil regions. In our study, acid sulfate paddy soils were divided into soils with high, medium and low levels based on local rice productivity, and 60 soil samples were collected for analysis. Twenty soil variables including physical, chemical and biochemical properties were determined. Those variables that were significantly different between the high, medium and low productivity soils were selected for principal component analysis, and microbial biomass carbon （MBC）, total nitrogen （TN）, available silicon （ASi）, pH and available zinc （AZn） were retained in the minimum data set （MDS）. After scoring the MDS variables, they were integrated to calculate a soil quality index （SQI）, and the high, medium and low productivity paddy soils received mean SQI scores of 0.95, 0.83 and 0.60, respectively. Low productivity paddy soils showed worse soil quality, and a large discrepancy was observed between the low and high productivity paddy soils. Lower MBC, TN, ASi, pH and available K （AK） were considered as the primary limiting factors. Additionally, all the soil samples collected were rich in available P and AZn, but deficient in AK and ASi. The results suggest that soil AK and ASi deficiencies were the main limiting factors for all the studied acid sulfate paddy soil regions. The application of K and Si on a national basis and other sustainable management approaches are suggested to improve rice productivity, especially for low productivity paddy soils. Our results indicated that there is a large potential for increasing productivity and producing more cereals in acid sulfate paddy soil regions.