Soils and sediments are composed of complex mixtures of inorganic minerals and natural organic matter (NOM). The buffering capacity, metal-binding capacity, stability of aggregates of soil particles, water-holding capacity, and sorption capacity for hydrophobic organic compounds of a soil are dependent, to a large extent, on the amount of NOM in the soil. The pool of NOM in soils is vital in maintaining plant fertility; it also serves as a carbon sink in the global carbon cycle. The formalism of thermodynamics provides a framework for modeling the interactions of NOM in soils. Soils are multi-component, multi-phase thermodynamic systems. We propose that as a first step in the modeling of NOM in soils relatively simple, well-characterized artificial (surrogate) NOM phases be prepared in the laboratory, and that the physical and chemical properties of these phases be compared to the physical and chemical properties of soil isolates.

Modeling the physical and chemical interactions of natural organic matter in soils:  General principles

242nd National Meeting (2011)

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