Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 14-26 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science |
| Volume | 171 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 31 Jan 2008 |
Abstract
The protective impact of aggregation on microbial degradation through separation has been described frequently, especially for biotically formed aggregates. However, to date little information exists on the effects of organic-matter (OM) quantity and OM quality on physical protection, i.e., reduced degradability by microorganisms caused by physical factors. In the present paper, we hypothesize that soil wettability, which is significantly influenced by OM, may act as a key factor for OM stabilization as it controls the microbial accessibility for water, nutrients, and oxygen in three-phase systems like soil. Based on this hypothesis, the first objective is to evaluate new findings on the organization of organo-mineral complexes at the nanoscale as one of the processes creating water-repellent coatings on mineral surfaces. The second objective is to quantify the degree of alteration of coated surfaces with regard to water repellence. We introduce a recently developed trial that combines FTIR spectra with contact-angle data as the link between chemical composition of OM and the physical wetting behavior of soil particles. In addition to characterizing the wetting properties of OM coatings, we discuss the implications of water-repellent surfaces for different physical protection mechanisms of OM. For typical minerals, the OM loading on mineral surfaces is patchy, whereas OM forms nanoscaled micro-aggregates together with metal oxides and hydroxides and with layered clay minerals. Such small aggregates may efficiently stabilize OM against microbial decomposition. However, despite the patchy structure of OM coating, we observed a relation between the chemical composition of OM and wettability. A higher hydrophobicity of the OM appears to stabilize the organic C in soil, either caused by a specific reduced biodegradability of OM or indirectly caused by increased aggregate stability. In partly saturated nonaggregated soil, the specific distribution of the pore water appears to further affect the mineralization of OM as a function of wettability. We conclude that the wettability of OM, quantified by the contact angle, links the chemical structure of OM with a bundle of physical soil properties and that reduced wettability results in the stabilization of OM in soils.
Keywords
- Aggregate strength, C sequestration, Contact angle, Nanoscaled micro-aggregates, Physical protection, Soil respiration, Sorption, Wettability
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Soil Science
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Plant Science
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In: Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, Vol. 171, No. 1, 31.01.2008, p. 14-26.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Physical carbon-sequestration mechanisms under special consideration of soil wettability
AU - Bachmann, Jörg
AU - Guggenberger, Georg
AU - Baumgartl, Thomas
AU - Ellerbrock, Ruth H.
AU - Urbanek, Emilia
AU - Goebel, Marc O.
AU - Kaiser, Klaus
AU - Horn, Rainer
AU - Fischer, Walter R.
PY - 2008/1/31
Y1 - 2008/1/31
N2 - The protective impact of aggregation on microbial degradation through separation has been described frequently, especially for biotically formed aggregates. However, to date little information exists on the effects of organic-matter (OM) quantity and OM quality on physical protection, i.e., reduced degradability by microorganisms caused by physical factors. In the present paper, we hypothesize that soil wettability, which is significantly influenced by OM, may act as a key factor for OM stabilization as it controls the microbial accessibility for water, nutrients, and oxygen in three-phase systems like soil. Based on this hypothesis, the first objective is to evaluate new findings on the organization of organo-mineral complexes at the nanoscale as one of the processes creating water-repellent coatings on mineral surfaces. The second objective is to quantify the degree of alteration of coated surfaces with regard to water repellence. We introduce a recently developed trial that combines FTIR spectra with contact-angle data as the link between chemical composition of OM and the physical wetting behavior of soil particles. In addition to characterizing the wetting properties of OM coatings, we discuss the implications of water-repellent surfaces for different physical protection mechanisms of OM. For typical minerals, the OM loading on mineral surfaces is patchy, whereas OM forms nanoscaled micro-aggregates together with metal oxides and hydroxides and with layered clay minerals. Such small aggregates may efficiently stabilize OM against microbial decomposition. However, despite the patchy structure of OM coating, we observed a relation between the chemical composition of OM and wettability. A higher hydrophobicity of the OM appears to stabilize the organic C in soil, either caused by a specific reduced biodegradability of OM or indirectly caused by increased aggregate stability. In partly saturated nonaggregated soil, the specific distribution of the pore water appears to further affect the mineralization of OM as a function of wettability. We conclude that the wettability of OM, quantified by the contact angle, links the chemical structure of OM with a bundle of physical soil properties and that reduced wettability results in the stabilization of OM in soils.
AB - The protective impact of aggregation on microbial degradation through separation has been described frequently, especially for biotically formed aggregates. However, to date little information exists on the effects of organic-matter (OM) quantity and OM quality on physical protection, i.e., reduced degradability by microorganisms caused by physical factors. In the present paper, we hypothesize that soil wettability, which is significantly influenced by OM, may act as a key factor for OM stabilization as it controls the microbial accessibility for water, nutrients, and oxygen in three-phase systems like soil. Based on this hypothesis, the first objective is to evaluate new findings on the organization of organo-mineral complexes at the nanoscale as one of the processes creating water-repellent coatings on mineral surfaces. The second objective is to quantify the degree of alteration of coated surfaces with regard to water repellence. We introduce a recently developed trial that combines FTIR spectra with contact-angle data as the link between chemical composition of OM and the physical wetting behavior of soil particles. In addition to characterizing the wetting properties of OM coatings, we discuss the implications of water-repellent surfaces for different physical protection mechanisms of OM. For typical minerals, the OM loading on mineral surfaces is patchy, whereas OM forms nanoscaled micro-aggregates together with metal oxides and hydroxides and with layered clay minerals. Such small aggregates may efficiently stabilize OM against microbial decomposition. However, despite the patchy structure of OM coating, we observed a relation between the chemical composition of OM and wettability. A higher hydrophobicity of the OM appears to stabilize the organic C in soil, either caused by a specific reduced biodegradability of OM or indirectly caused by increased aggregate stability. In partly saturated nonaggregated soil, the specific distribution of the pore water appears to further affect the mineralization of OM as a function of wettability. We conclude that the wettability of OM, quantified by the contact angle, links the chemical structure of OM with a bundle of physical soil properties and that reduced wettability results in the stabilization of OM in soils.
KW - Aggregate strength
KW - C sequestration
KW - Contact angle
KW - Nanoscaled micro-aggregates
KW - Physical protection
KW - Soil respiration
KW - Sorption
KW - Wettability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=54549108981&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/jpln.200700054
DO - 10.1002/jpln.200700054
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:54549108981
VL - 171
SP - 14
EP - 26
JO - Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science
JF - Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science
SN - 1436-8730
IS - 1
ER -