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Study on water‐dispersible colloids in saline–alkali soils by atomic force microscopy and spectrometric methods
Author(s) -
Liu Zhiguo,
Xu Fengjie,
Zu Yuangang,
Meng Ronghua,
Wang Wenjie
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
microscopy research and technique
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1097-0029
pISSN - 1059-910X
DOI - 10.1002/jemt.22662
Subject(s) - colloid , chemistry , soil water , alkali metal , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , kaolinite , humic acid , absorption (acoustics) , alkali soil , atomic absorption spectroscopy , illite , absorption of water , clay minerals , chemical engineering , environmental chemistry , analytical chemistry (journal) , inorganic chemistry , mineralogy , materials science , geology , organic chemistry , soil science , fertilizer , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering , composite material
Recent studies have revealed that water‐dispersible colloids play an important role in the transport of nutrients and contaminants in soils. In this study, water‐dispersible colloids extracted from saline–alkali soils have been characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV absorption spectra. AFM observation indicated that the water‐dispersible colloids contain some large plates and many small spherical particles. XRD, XPS, and UV absorption measurement revealed that the water‐dispersible colloids are composed of kaolinite, illite, calcite, quartz and humic acid. In addition, UV absorption measurement demonstrated that the humic acids are associated with clay minerals. Water‐dispersible colloids in the saline–alkali soils after hydrolyzed polymaleic anhydride treatment and an agricultural soil (nonsaline–alkali soil) were also investigated for comparison. The obtained results implied that the saline–alkali condition facilitates the formation of a large quantity of colloids. The use of AFM combined with spectrometric methods in the present study provides new knowledge on the colloid characteristics of saline–alkali soils. Microsc. Res. Tech. 79:525–531, 2016 . © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.