Date of Award:

5-1971

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Plants, Soils, and Climate

Department name when degree awarded

Soils and Meteorology

Committee Chair(s)

Jerome J. Jurinak

Committee

Jerome J. Jurinak

Committee

R. L. Smith

Committee

H. B. Peterson

Abstract

The adsorption of boron by Aiken clay loam and Vernal sandy loam was studied in the boron equilibrium concentration range of 0 to 40 ppm. Adsorption data were obtained at 11, 20 and 30°C. The data were analyzed by the application of the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. It was concluded that, in both soils, the adsorption of boron occurred on three distinct sites or regions.

The acid ferrigenous Aiken soil had a higher adsorption capacity for boron than the calcareous Vernal soil when compared on a unit mass basis. On the unit area basis, however, the Vernal soil adsorbed more boron than the Aiken soil. The isoteric heat of adsorption showed that boron reacted more energetically with the Vernal soil. The calculated ΔH values were -7.6 K cal/M and -3.3 K cal/M for Vernal and Aiken soils, respectively.

The capacity of both soils to adsorb phosphorus was higher than their capacity to adsorb boron. The presence of adsorbed phosphate did not greatly reduce the amount of boron adsorbed by either soil studied. In the Vernal soil, phosphate was three times more efficient in replacing boron than in the Aiken soil. Also, chloride was found to desorb more boron from the Aiken soil than phosphate. However, neither phosphate nor chloride was found to be effective in reducing to any great extent the adsorption of boron by the two soils studied.

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