Adsorption and stabilization of organic carbon by mineral surfaces in soils

Soils are the largest carbon reservoir in the terrestrial system. Soils contain about three times more carbon than vegetation and twice as much as that present in the atmosphere. Soil organic matter （SOM） is very complex in composition and structure, formed of heterogeneous substances and generally associated with minerals in soils. SOM is classified as labile and stable fractions on the basis of residence time, determined not only by the chemical composition of SOM, but also by types of protection or bonds within soils. The stable carbon fraction is protected either physically or chemically. To understand the process of SOM stabilization, physicochemical properties of organic-mineral complexes were determined by Fourier transformed infrared （FTIR） with attenuated total reflectance （ATR） and diffuse reflectance （DRIFT）, atomic force microscopy （AFM）, and nuclear magnetic spectroscopy （NMR）. Humic acids and carboxylic acids with relatively short carbon chains were used as sorbates, and goethite, kaolinite, and montmorillonite as adsorbents. Humic acid was fractionated during adsorption on the minerals, which was highly influenced by the characteristics of minerals. For instance, long-chain aliphatic carbon was likely to be adsorbed onto the surface of kaolinite and montmorillonite, while goethite surface attracted carboxylic functional groups of humic acid.

Adsorption and stabilization of organic carbon by mineral surfaces in soils