Environmental Chemistry of Soils

Book excerpt: This introduction to modern soil chemistry describes chemical processes in soils in terms of established principles of inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry. It aims for a modern conceptual approach rather than empirical description, including the most recently developed explanations for the more controversial topics. The text provides an understanding of the structure of the solid mineral and organic materials from which soils are formed. With the help of diagrams and graphs, it explains such important processes as cation exchange, chemisorption and physical adsorption of organic and inorganic ions and molecules, soil acidification and weathering, oxidation-reduction reactions, and development of soil alkalinity and clay swelling properties. Environmental as well as agricultural topics are covered, illustrated with case studies and individual chapters on agricultural chemicals and pollutants such as heavy metals and toxic organic chemicals. This book defines and addresses the challenge of the future -- to protect the soil ecosystem from the pollutants of an industrial society.