The isotopic signature of oxygen in phosphate (δ(18)O(P)) of various soil fractions may shed light on P transformations, including phosphorus (P) recycling by soil microorganisms, uptake by plants and P adsorption, precipitation and release by oxides and minerals, thus increasing our understanding on P cycling and lability in soils. We developed and tested a protocol to extract and purify inorg...

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the solubility and redox species of antimony (Sb) in a relocated shooting range soil and its uptake by Lolium perenne L. and Holcus lanatus L. under different water regimes. After 1-week waterlogging, the total Sb concentration in soil solution decreased from ∼110 μg L(-1) to <20 μg L(-1), and slowly increased over the following 4 weeks, with the di...

The interactions of aniline with soil at an industrial spill site were investigated. Sorption of aniline to the soil was observed to occur through a two-step mechanism. The first step was an ion exchange process with the protonated amine serving as an organic cation. This step was influenced by solution pH and ionic composition. The second step was covalent bonding most likely with quinone moie...

Recent studies have shown that higher plants are unable to methylate arsenic (As), but it is not known whether methylated As species taken up by plants can be volatilized. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants were grown axenically or in a nonsterile soil using a two-chamber system. Arsenic transformation and volatilization were investigated. In the axenic system, uptake of As species into rice roots w...

The ENergy and WATer BALance (ENWATBAL) model is a mechanistic, numerical model that simulates soil water and temperature profiles, evaporation from soil, and transpiration from crops, but it does not simulate the effects of a mulch layer. Surface vegetative mulches are becoming more common, especially in reduced-tillage systems, limiting the model’s applicability. Our objective was to modify E...

A numerical solution for heave prediction is developed within the context theories for both saturated and unsaturated soil behaviors. Basically, lowering the potential level of compressing on a saturated layer will cause heaving due to water absorption. This water absorption is in an opposite way, similar to water dissipation as what happens during unloading in consolidation process. However, i...

An international inter-laboratory research program investigated the effectiveness of in situ remediation of soils contaminated by cadmium, lead and zinc, measuring changes in soil and soil solution chemistry, plants and soil microbiota. A common soil, from mine wastes in Jasper County MO, was used. The soil was pH 5.9, had low organic matter (1.2 g kg(-1) C) and total Cd, Pb, and Zn concentrati...

Colloidal gas aphron dispersions (CGAs) can be described as a system of microbubbles suspended homogenously in a liquid matrix. This work examines the performance of CGAs in comparison to surfactant solutions for washing low levels of arsenic from an iron rich soil. Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) and saponin, a biodegradable surfactant, obtained from Sapindus mukorossi or soapnut fruit were used ...

The use of solutions containing carboxymethyl-beta-cyclodextrin (CMCD) or CaCl2 for enhancing the removal of Hg from a sandy soil was investigated using batch and column experiments. The retention of Hg appeared to be controlled by specific adsorption reactions, which greatly constrained Hg removal when using water (KNO3 solution) to flush columns packed with contaminated soil. The results show...