Characteristics of Copper Sorption by Various Agricultural Soils in China and the Effect of Exogenic Dissolved Organic Matter on the Sorption

Abstract

ABSTRACTTo explore the effect of exogenic dissolved organic matter (DOM) on Cu(II) sorption in agricultural soils, 26 agricultural soils were collected across China. Exogenic dissolved organic matter, extracting from wheat straw (DOMW) and swine manure (DOMS), respectively, were added to the soils to conduct a series of batch sorption and characterization experiments. The solid-liquid partition coefficient (Kd) ranged from 0.02 to 76.46 L g−1, suggesting different Cu(II) sorption on various soils. PCA analysis indicated that pH, free Fe/Al oxides, carbon, and total Cu content had a significant positive relationship with the Cu(II) sorption, respectively. And the contribution rate of pH was the highest (38.15%). Moreover, DOM markedly inhibited the Cu(II) sorption in alkaline soils while promoted the Cu(II) sorption in acidic soils, which were interacted by the soil properties and DOM characteristics. The effect of DOMS on Cu(II) sorption were more obvious than DOMW, which were further confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. FTIR also showed Cu(II) was primarily adsorbed on the specific functional groups, such as CO, OH, and CO, providing direct evidences for the binding of Cu(II) with DOM. This study can guide the rational use of organic fertilizers, and also provide baseline knowledge for the prevention and control of soil pollution.