Dissolved organic matter, aluminium and iron interactions: precipitation induced by metal/carbon ratio, pH and competition

摘要

To better understand the precipitation behaviour of dissolved organic matter induced by interactions with metals, a systematic titration experiment was conducted mimicking the soil solution conditions in an acidic, sandy soil. The variables of interest included the type of metal species (Al, Fe), the redox state [Fe(Ⅱ), Fe(Ⅲ)], the pH (3.5, 4.0, 4.5), the metal to organic carbon (M/C) ratio and the competition between Al and Fe. Precipitation of DOM-A1 appeared to be strongly correlated with M/C ratio and the pH. For Fe(Ⅱ) only little precipitation occurred, while the strongest flocculation degree was found after addition of Fe(Ⅲ). In contrast to Al, hardly any correlation between DOM-Fe precipitation and pH was observed. Both reduction and oxidation of Fe was found and exhibited a strong effect on the precipitated amounts of DOM and Fe. In competition, Al determined the precipitation behaviour at lower M/C ratios (<0.10), while at higher M/C ratios Fe determined the flocculation. Below a M/C ratio of 0.06 Al was the dominant metal in the precipitates, especially at lower pH levels, while the opposite trend was found at M/C ratios above 0.06. Overall, Fe(Ⅲ) gave the strongest flocculation, although Al influenced the impact of Fe(Ⅲ) interactions with DOM in relation to pH and M/C ratio.