Binding of organic matter into an oxidation-resistant form during the interaction of clay minerals with plant residues

Abstract

The binding of organic matter by clay minerals was studied in experiments simulating the transformation of clay rock with a high content of dioctahedral 2:1 phases in the soil during its interaction with decomposing plant residues. Using modern methods (X-ray phase analysis, thermal analysis and Fouriertransform IR spectroscopy, and adsorption-luminescence analysis), it was shown that the binding of organic matter into a form resistant to treatment with 30% H2O2 entailed changes in the actual structure of the clay aggregates. Peculiar organic-silicate compositions with their structure disordered along the c* axis were formed, in which organic matter was localized both on the surface of the particles and in the interlayer spaces. © 2010 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.