Effect of pH on metal mobility in the soil
Margareta Maria Sintorini, Hilarion Widyatmoko, Eva Lia Risky Sinaga, N Aliyah
Abstract
Abstract pH is a parameter that can be used to estimate the mobility of chemical elements in the soil and can be used to measure the level of toxicity and soil pollution. The purpose of this study is to prove how far the influence of pH on metal mobility in the soil. Method that used in this study, 35 samples each 1 kg were taken from the soil profile in Cilengsi Bogor and then dried at room temperature. From each sample 20 grams were taken for pH and Eh measurements. The result of this study that the analysis showed a significant correlation between pH and Eh with r = 0.888. Although the samples are heterogeneous or come from different soils, there is still a positive correlation between metal concentration and pH (pH-Mn = 0.12; pH-Cd = 0.0058; pH-Pb = 0.39). This means that for homogeneous samples, the correlation between pH-metals will be more significant. Eh and soil pH variations depends on the activity and decomposition of carbon by plants and microorganisms. Therefore, it can be ideally be concluded that the topsoil Eh is higher than the bottom Eh. The aerobic-anaerobic boundary is at around 300 mV.