The degradation behaviour of 2,4-D and MCPA in four types of soil were determined from measurements of 14CO2 evolution over a period of 100 days. The total C-organic volatile compounds evaporated from the soils during the experimental period and the residual C in the soils at the end of the incubation period was also determined. The degree of mineralization was different for tested pesticides, ...

The decomposition of organic matter in coarse sandy calcareous soils (beach sand) is thought to be much higher than in acid fine sandy soils but relatively little research is performed on these soils. Laboratory incubation experiments in which the release of soil carbon (C) is determined may overestimate the release of the soil organic C, as part of the measured C may have been released from th...

The objective of this study was to develop a method for measuring the mobility of persistent organic pollutants in the solid phase of soils within the context of environmental pollution risk assessment. A new diffusive probe, purposely designed by adapting the diffusive gradient technique method, measures labile organic species by immobilizing them after diffusion through a thin deionized water...

Biochar amendment can alter soil properties, for instance, the ability to adsorb and degrade different chemicals. However, ageing of the biochar, due to processes occurring in the soil over time, can influence such biochar-mediated effects. This study examined how biochar affected adsorption and degradation of two herbicides, glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)-glycine) and diuron (3-(3,4-dichlorop...

The analysis of arsenic in soil requires a procedure which is capable of releasing microgram quantities from a complex matrix and eliminating interferences for a specific determination. Kingsley and Schaffert ( I ) have described microdetermination of arsenic in biological material, using concentrated hydrochloric acid for digesting the sample. Beard and Lyerly ( 2 ) have applied the selective ...

Soils sequester and release substantial atmospheric carbon, but the contribution of fungal communities to soil carbon balance under rising CO2 is not well understood. Soil properties likely mediate these fungal responses but are rarely explored in CO2 experiments. We studied soil fungal communities in a grassland ecosystem exposed to a preindustrial-to-future CO2 gradient (250 to 500 ppm) in a ...

In the present work, the use of ball milling reactors for the remediation of lead contaminated soils was investigated. Lead immobilization was achieved without the use of additional reactants but only through the exploitation of weak transformations induced on the treated soil by mechanical loads taking place during collisions among milling media. The degree of metal immobilization was evaluate...

Aims: Vitis vinifera is a grape species and native to the Mediterranean region and east to northern Iran. The present research was carried out in greenhouse conditions to study the effects of four concentrations of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) (0; 2000; 4000; and 6000 mg/l) and three planting beds (agricultural soils, sandy, and mixture of agricultural soils and sand) on rooting grape cuttings i...

Mechanical soil aeration is a simple, effective, and low-cost soil remediation technology that is suitable for sites contaminated with volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons (VCHs). Conventionally, this technique is used to treat the mixed soil of a site without considering the diversity and treatability of different soils within the site. A laboratory test was conducted to evaluate the effectivenes...

A summary of the information available on the incidence of toxic quantities of exchangeable aluminium in sandy soils is presented. Attention is focused on the widespread nature of this condition.