Observations on the formation and oxidation of pyrite in the soil

Harmsen, G. W.

doi:10.1007/bf01354456

Cited by 39 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…It may be that the greater permeability of such soils is effective in controlling or eliminating the formation and retention of monosulphide and elemental sulphur, at least in the surface layers of the soil. Accumulation of pyrites is likely to occur in these soils as Harmsen et al 7 have reasoned that pyrites formation must take place under aerobic conditions, and have demonstrated that this substance is actually formed under aerobic conditions in freshly suspended marine detritis. A possible solution to the problem of the development of saline Rhizophora swamps in Sierra Leone might lie in the preliminary establishment of soil conditions (possibly by improved drainage or selection of suitable areas) which would favour pyrites formation before empoldering.…”

Section: (F) the Effect O/ Cac03 On Sulphur Oxidationmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The gyttja soil contained 10 mg/g dry marter as acid-soluble sulphide out of a total sulphur content of 13 mg/g (Wiklander et al 22). Both Verhoop (cf Harmsen et al 7) and Wiklander et al 28 have envisaged the decomposition of ferrous sulphide as occurring in two phases, a preliminary rapid oxidation of the iron to hydroxide and a subsequent bacterial oxidation of the elemental sulphur released to sulphuric acid. The experiments of Wiklander et al 2~ showed that when gyttia solls were kept under dryish conditions which would be unfavourable for the development of a large population of sulphur oxidisers, sulphate formation was slow.…”

Section: (F) the Effect O/ Cac03 On Sulphur Oxidationmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Sulphur oxidation in tidal mangrove soils of Sierra Leone

Hart

1959

Plant Soil

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INTRODUCTIONThe development of mangrove soils for rice cultivation in Sierra Leone has been proceeding for about seventy years, and much of the rice now produced in the territory is grown on these soils. The system used is one of free tidal irrigatióll: during both wet and dry seasons tidal water is allowed to ftow freely on and off the land. In the dry season, when the water in the rivers becomes saline, high salt concentrations develop in the soils but these are quickly reduced at the onset of the Iollowing rainy season, before rice is transplanted. The soils contain large amounts of sulphur in various forms, and although fluctuations occur in the pH value of the surface soil (Tomlinson ~0), such fluctuations do not interIere with the growing of a rice crop during the rainy season.The tidal irrigation system is limited to those areas lying on main rivers or creeks which carry suIficient fresh water during the rains to push back the sea water and leach the accumulated salt Irom the soil. Future expansion of the rice-producing capacity of the territory will depend to some extent on the development of permanently saline Rhizophora mangrove swamps in coastal areas.Large tracts of this type of land are at present uncultivable owing to their high salinity and to the extremely acid conditions which develop in them if they are empoldered to keep out salt water (Dent 4, Tomlinson 19). Owing to the absence of any appreciable source of indigenous liming material in Sierra Leone, the use of heavy dressings of lime to neutralise the acid formed in ëmpoldered soils would be very expensive. On the other hand, experience has METHODSThe soil used in the experiments was collected from a silted drain on the Rokupr Experimental Farm, which is under tidal conditions throughout the year. Collections were always made from a depth of about one foot owing to seasonal variations in the sulphur content of the surface mud, which is well leached and may be Mtered in composition by the deposition of river-borne silt.In experiments on the effect of drying on soll acidity and other factors, the soll was brought into the laboratory and allowed to dry at room temperature in the air. It was thoroughly mixed every day throughout the experimental period.Soll pH v«lue was determined in 1 : 1 water suspension using a pH meter and glass electrode.Titrateable acid was determined by titrating 5 g soll in 15 ml distilled water with N/IO NaOH, the alkali being added in l-tal aliquots and the mixture stirred for 5 min before the pH value was determined.Sulphate was determined by the method of Chesnin and Yien 3, possible interference from colloidal organic marter being eliminated by co-precipiration with ferric hydroxide as recommended by Hesse s Soluble sutphate was extraeted with Morgan's reagent (sodium acetate -acetic acid mixture buffered to pH 4.5) and total sulphate with conc. I-IC1, which dissolves the basic ferric sulphates which are common constituents of dried mangrove soll.

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Section: (F) the Effect O/ Cac03 On Sulphur Oxidationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: (F) the Effect O/ Cac03 On Sulphur Oxidationmentioning

confidence: 98%

Sulphur oxidation in tidal mangrove soils of Sierra Leone

Hart

1959

Plant Soil

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“…The soil materials can actually be cemented together by the basic ferric sulphate produced from the oxidation of iron sulphide ( VAN DeR SI'EK 1950). Pyrite, FeS=, appears to be much more resistant to oxidation than is FeS (HARMSEN 1954, andQuIsvEL, HARMSEN andOTZEN 1952) and considerable pyrite may be found in drained soils years after it has been reclaimed. It has been suggested (HARMSEN 1954) that the stability of iron polysulpbides, in arable soils developed from marine sediments in the Zuldersee area of Holland, is due to the high S/Fe ratio in the polysulphides and to the formation of insoluble iron phosphates.…”

Section: Oxidation Of Sulphidementioning

confidence: 97%

Oxidation of sulphur in soils

Freney

1967

Mineral. Deposita

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This paper reviews briefly the forms of sulphur in soils and discusses the factors affecting the oxidation of this sulphur to other oxidation states. This oxidation is believed to be carried out mainly be micro-organisms but in many cases strictly chemical reactions are involved. Invironmental factors such as temperature, moisture, and pH, as well as microbial population and particle size influence the rate of sulphur oxidation in soil. Plants normally absorb sulphur in the form of sulphate, and thus the oxidation of sulphide, elemental sulphur and organic sulphur is of prime importance in plant nutrition.

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“…The contents are rather invariant with depth down to 80 cm deep. Harmsen (1954) analysed topsoil samples from polders reclaimed from the sea to ascertain their sulphur contents. He found that some old and well-aerated soils contained significant percentages of pyrite while in others pyrite was absent.…”

Section: Fe Sulphidesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The mineralogy of suspended matter, fresh and Cenozoic sediments in the fluvio-deltaic Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt–Ems area, the Netherlands: An overview and review

Griffioen

Klaver

Westerhoff

2016

Netherlands Journal of Geosciences

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Minerals are the building blocks of clastic sediments and play an important role with respect to the physico-chemical properties of the sediment and the lithostratigraphy of sediments. This paper aims to provide an overview of the mineralogy (including solid organic matter) of sediments as well as suspended matter as found in the Netherlands (and some parts of Belgium). The work is based on a review of the scientific literature published over more than 100 years. Cenozoic sediments are addressed together with suspended matter and recent sediments of the surface water systems because they form a geoscientific continuum from material subject to transport via recently settled to aged material. Most attention is paid to heavy minerals, clay minerals, feldspars, Ca carbonates, reactive Fe minerals (oxides, siderite, sulphides, glauconite) and solid organic matter because they represent the dominant minerals and their properties form a main issue in subsurface and water management. When possible and relevant, the amounts, provenance, relationship with grain size distribution, early diagenesis and palaeohydrological evolution are described. Tables with statistical data about the mineral contents and isotopic composition of carbonates and organic matter are presented as overviews. The review on the mineralogy of Dutch fluvial and marine environments is more extensive than that for the other sedimentary environments because the first two have been studied much more intensively than the others and they also form the larger part of the Dutch deposits. The focus is on the natural background mineralogy of Dutch sediments, but this is hard for recent sediments, largely because the massive hydraulic infrastructure present in the Netherlands has probably also affected the mineralogy and geochemistry of sediments deposited in recent centuries. Many findings are summarised, several of which lead to more general insights for the Dutch situation. Ca carbonates in sediments often have several provenances and thus must be considered as mixtures. Dolomite is commonly present in addition to calcite. The importance of biotite as weatherable mica is unclear. Weathering of heavy minerals plays some role but it is unclear in which way it affects the heavy mineral associations. Clays are usually dominated by illite, smectite and their interstratified variant, while kaolinite is usually below 20% and chlorite below 5%. Vermiculite is a minor constituent in fluvial clays and its illitisation presumably happens during early diagenesis in the marine environment. Opaque Fe hydroxides can be present in addition to Fe oxyhydroxide coatings and both will play a role in redox chemistry as reactive Fe minerals. Feldspars in marine sediments must be present but they have not been properly studied. The genesis of rattle stones and carbonate concretions has not been completely elucidated. The fraction of terrigeneous organic matter in estuarine and coastal marine sediments is substantial. The available data and information are spread irregularly over the country and the reviewed information discussed in this paper is derived from relatively small-scale studies dealing with a limited amount of analysed samples. Much information is available from the Scheldt estuaries in the southwestern part of the Netherlands partly due to the severe contamination of the Western Scheldt in recent decades.

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Observations on the formation and oxidation of pyrite in the soil

Cited by 39 publications

References 9 publications

Sulphur oxidation in tidal mangrove soils of Sierra Leone

Sulphur oxidation in tidal mangrove soils of Sierra Leone

Oxidation of sulphur in soils

The mineralogy of suspended matter, fresh and Cenozoic sediments in the fluvio-deltaic Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt–Ems area, the Netherlands: An overview and review

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