Time-Dependent Zinc Desorption in Some Calcareous Soils of Iran

Desorption of zinc (Zn) from soil is an important factor governing Zn concentration in the soil solution and Zn availability to plants. Batch experiments were performed to study the kinetics of Zn desorption by diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) from 15 calcareous soil samples taken from Golestan Province in northern Iran. Soils were equilibrated with 0.005 mol L-1 DTPA solutions for 0.25 to 192 h. The results showed that the extraction process consisted of rapid extraction in the first 2 h followed by much slower extraction for the remainder of the experiment. Desorption kinetic data was fitted to pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The experimental data were found to deviate from the straight line of the pseudo-first-order plots after 2 h. The model of two first-order reactions was fitted to the kinetic data and allowed to distinguish two pools for Zn: a labile fraction (Q(1)), quickly extracted with a rate constant k(1), and a slowly labile fraction (Q(2)), more slowly extracted with a rate constant k(2). The applicability of pseudo-second-order model in describing the kinetic data of Zn desorption was also evaluated.