Mineral surface coatings and mineralized organic matter preserve products of past and present (a)biotic soil processes and can sequester contaminants in soils and sediments. Both soil constituents can contain complex assemblages of nano-size minerals and organic components. The formation, composition, and morphology of these mineral assemblages depend on the mineralogical and chemical composition of the substrate they develop on and the environmental factors in the surrounding soils and sediments, and therefore act as a record of the recent environmental conditions to which they were exposed. Mineral surface coatings and mineralized organic matter typically contain complex and variable porosity, often with regions of limited flow conditions within confined pore spaces. Limitations in the flow conditions in combination with different generations and types of assemblages of nano-size phases in the interior of mineral surface coatings and mineralized organic matter allows the effective sequestration of various types of contaminant-bearing solutes, complexes and nanoparticles.

The structural and compositional complexity of surfaces on minerals and organic matter in soils

256th National Meeting (2018)

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