Binding energies of monovalent anions with Fe/Al oxides based on ion activity and suspension Wien effect methods

Abstract

Purpose Adsorption is one of the most important chemical processes at the interface between soil particles and water. It determines the quantities of plant nutrients and pollutants which can be retained on the surfaces of soil particles, and therefore, it is one of the primary processes that affect transport of nutrients and contaminants in soils. The Wien effect, i.e., the dependence of the electrical conductivity of soil suspensions on electrical field strength, has recently been proposed as the basis of a novel method to characterize energy relationships between cations and soil particles, but little attention has been paid to the binding energies of anions with soil particles. The aim of this study was to examine the Wien effect of three anions F−, Cl−, and NO 3 − in Fe/Al oxide suspensions and to investigate their binding energies with ion activity and Wien effect methods for comparison.