Mobilization of dissolved organic matter, aluminium and iron in podzol eluvial horizons as affected by formation of metal-organic complexes and interactions with solid soil material

Summary Interactions with dissolved organic matter (DOM) are generally believed to play a crucial role in the translocation of Al and Fe in acid sandy soils. Binding of Al and Fe to DOM affects their mobility in soils by altering sorption equilibria of charged sites on solid soil material, inducing precipitation of organo-metallic complexes and preventing the formation of inorganic Al and Fe phases. The relative importance of the different processes, especially with respect to the translocation of Al, Fe and organic matter in podzols, remains unresolved. We determined the effect of the presence of solid soil material from the eluvial (AhE and AE, respectively) horizons of a Fimic Anthrosol and a Haplic Podzol on the metal-to-organic carbon (M/C) ratio in solution and the formation of dissolved organic Al and Fe complexes. Furthermore, we assessed the resulting influence on the mobilization of Al, Fe and DOM. Even under considerable metal loading, the M/C ratios and ‘free’ metal fractions in solution remained low and relatively constant, due to an apparent buffering by the solid phase and the formation of organo-metal complexes in solution. The M/C ratios remained so low that significant precipitation of organo-metal complexes due to saturation with metals was not found. The apparent buffering by the solid phase can be explained by a strong release of organic matter from solid soil material and adsorption of non-complexed Al and Fe on solid organic matter upon metal addition. Adsorption of organo-metal complexes most likely played only a minor role. The observations confirm the expected mobilization of Al, Fe and DOM in eluvial horizons and seem to indicate that even under fluctuating input of Al, Fe and DOM the soil solution will have a constant composition with respect to M/C ratios and percentage of Al and Fe present in dissolved organo-metal complexes.