Adsorption Processes in Soils and Sediments

A special issue of Soil Systems (ISSN 2571-8789).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 2416

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN 37209, USA
Interests: fate of emerging contaminants: pharmaceuticals and metalloids (antimony); nutrient cycling (nitrogen and phosphorus); redox biogeochemistry of humic substances; environmental remediation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Adsorption processes in soil and sediments influence the partitioning of nutrient oxyanions, cations, and pollutant ions between solid (soil) and liquid (water) phases and thus change their mobility in the ecosystem. Understanding the adsorption mechanisms of nutrient and pollutant ions is a key to predicting their fate in the environment. Various other factors and processes can also affect the partitioning mechanisms. For example, oxidation/reduction processes, the presence of co-adsorbing or competing ions, microbial activity, temperature fluctuations, etc.

Authors are invited to submit their manuscripts on the adsorption mechanisms of nutrient or pollutant ions on soils, sediments, or environmentally relevant synthetic soil minerals. The research can be focused on only macroscopic adsorption study or with the detailed spectroscopic characterizations of the mechanisms or a combination of both.

Dr. Sudipta Rakshit
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • adsorption processes
  • soils
  • sediments

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1814 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Phosphorus Soil Sorption Data: Improved Results from Global Least-Squares Fitting
by Joel Tellinghuisen, Paul Holford and Paul J. Milham
Soil Syst. 2025, 9(1), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems9010022 - 4 Mar 2025
Viewed by 229
Abstract
Phosphate sorption data are often analyzed by least-squares fitting to the two- or three-parameter Freundlich model. The standard methods are flawed by (1) treating the measured pseudo-equilibrium concentration C as the independent (hence error-free) variable and (2) neglecting the weighting that should accommodate [...] Read more.
Phosphate sorption data are often analyzed by least-squares fitting to the two- or three-parameter Freundlich model. The standard methods are flawed by (1) treating the measured pseudo-equilibrium concentration C as the independent (hence error-free) variable and (2) neglecting the weighting that should accommodate the varying precision of the data. Here, we address both of these shortfalls and use a global fit model to achieve optimal precision in fitting data for five acidic Australian soil types. Each individual dataset consists of measured C values for up to nine phosphate spiking levels C0. For each soil type, there are three–five such datasets from varying levels of phosphate fertilizer pre-exposure (Pf) two years earlier. These datasets are fitted simultaneously by expressing the Freundlich capacity factor a and exponent b as theoretically predicted functions of the assay amounts of Fe, Al, and P measured for each Pf. The analysis allows for uncertainty in both C and C0, with inverse-variance weighting from variance functions estimated by residuals analysis. The estimated presorbed P amounts Q depend linearly on Pf, with positive intercepts at Pf = 0, indicating residual phosphate in the soils prior to the laboratory phosphate treatments. The key takeaway points are as follows: (1) global analysis yields optimal estimates and improved precision for the fit parameters; (2) allowing for uncertainty in C is essential when the data include C values near 0; (3) varying data precision requires weighting to yield optimal parameter estimates and reliable uncertainties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adsorption Processes in Soils and Sediments)
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23 pages, 2901 KiB  
Article
Wood Gasification Biochar as an Effective Biosorbent for the Remediation of Organic Soil Pollutants
by Elisabetta Loffredo, Nicola Denora, Danilo Vona, Antonio Gelsomino, Carlo Porfido and Nicola Colatorti
Soil Syst. 2025, 9(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems9010018 - 24 Feb 2025
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Abstract
A biochar (BC) generated by the pyrogasification of wood chips from authorized forestry cuts was extensively characterized and evaluated for its efficacy in retaining/releasing two agrochemicals, namely the fungicide penconazole (PEN), the herbicide S-metolachlor (S-MET), and the xenoestrogen bisphenol A (BPA) widely present [...] Read more.
A biochar (BC) generated by the pyrogasification of wood chips from authorized forestry cuts was extensively characterized and evaluated for its efficacy in retaining/releasing two agrochemicals, namely the fungicide penconazole (PEN), the herbicide S-metolachlor (S-MET), and the xenoestrogen bisphenol A (BPA) widely present in industrial effluents. The elemental composition of BC was evaluated using CN elemental analysis and total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectroscopy which showed the abundance of elements typically found in BCs (Ca, K, P) along with essential trace elements such as Fe and Mn. Scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX) described the surface features of BC along with the major surface elements, while Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis revealed, as expected, a large specific surface area (366 m2 g−1). High porosity (0.07 cm3 g−1) was demonstrated by the density functional theory (DFT) method, while Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy highlighted the presence of a prominent aromatic structure and the abundance of reactive functional groups responsible for the binding of the compounds. The sorption/desorption capacity of BC was studied by means of sorption kinetics and isotherms in batch trials, and by modeling the experimental data with various theoretical equations. All compounds reached sorption equilibrium on BC very rapidly, following preferentially pseudo-second-order kinetics. Freundlich adsorption constants of PEN, S-MET, and BPA were 37.3, 13.2, and 11.6 L g−1, respectively, thus demonstrating the great affinity of BC for hydrophobic pollutants. The adsorption process was hysteretic as only a small fraction of each compound was slowly desorbed from BC. The overall results obtained highlighted the great potential of BC of acting as a biosorbent of contaminants, which is of great importance for the containment of pollution in agricultural soils and for limiting the entry of toxic compounds into the human and animal food chain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adsorption Processes in Soils and Sediments)
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17 pages, 4336 KiB  
Article
Sorption and Phase Associations of Chromate and Vanadate with Two Contrasting North Carolina Saprolites
by Fatai O. Balogun, Hannah R. Peel, Robert E. Austin, Ibrahim G. Okunlola, David S. Vinson, Owen W. Duckworth and Matthew L. Polizzotto
Soil Syst. 2024, 8(4), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems8040127 - 3 Dec 2024
Viewed by 990
Abstract
Geogenic chromium (Cr) and vanadium (V) contamination of groundwater in the Piedmont region of North Carolina poses threats to public health. These contaminants are naturally derived from saprolite and aquifer materials, but geochemical variability in these materials makes it difficult to predict specific [...] Read more.
Geogenic chromium (Cr) and vanadium (V) contamination of groundwater in the Piedmont region of North Carolina poses threats to public health. These contaminants are naturally derived from saprolite and aquifer materials, but geochemical variability in these materials makes it difficult to predict specific risks of Cr and V in well water. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine host phases of Cr and V in representative subsurface materials; (2) characterize contaminant binding parameters of chemically variable saprolites; and (3) examine the influence of saprolite chemistry on contaminant sorption, speciation, and phase associations. Isotherm experiments revealed that saprolite samples sorbed roughly an order of magnitude more V than Cr. Chemical extractions and synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence showed that substantial Cr and V were bound with metal oxide/oxyhydroxides in native and Cr-and V-sorbed saprolites; however, electrostatically bound fractions were also present, representing potentially important sources of groundwater contamination. X-ray absorption-near-edge-structure spectroscopy indicated that sorbed Cr was found as reduced Cr(III), whereas sorbed V was dominated by the oxidized V(V) and intermediate V(IV) species. Results from this study could be used to help parameterize mechanistic models and improve prediction of the Cr and V contamination potential of shallow aquifers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adsorption Processes in Soils and Sediments)
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