Sorption of heavy metals on organic and inorganic soil constituents

Sorption of heavy metals to organic matter and mineral soil constituents can hardly be separated experimentally. Here we studied the retention capacity of organic matter and minerals from soils in a long-term field experiment in which the organic carbon content had been altered, but the mineral phase had remained constant over time. The sorption of Cu, Cd and Zn showed a non-additive contribution of soil organic matter and minerals to the sorption capacity of soil. Sorption on organic matter exceeded mineral sorption from 6 to 13 times. This is the first time that sorption to soil organic matter is quantified in bulk soils.