Adsorption processes of heavy metals in soils have been more extensively studied than desorption, in spite of this latter process being related to nutrient bioavailability in the soil solution. Copper desorption from surface (0-0.2 m) and subsurface (1.0 -1.2 m) samples of an Anionic Acrudox was studied at two pH values (4.5 and 7.5). Soil samples were incubated with Cu rates varying from 0 to 400 mg kg Complete soil adsorption of added Cu was observed at pH 7.5 in all incubation periods, indicating that a 24h-shaking period was enough to reach equilibrium and maximum adsorption. Copper adsorption varied with the incubation period and was much lower at pH 4.5 than at pH 7.5, after the 24 hour-incubation period. After 4 and 12 weeks, Cu adsorption values were higher and similar for all soil samples, irrespective of pH or depth of sampling. The effect of the incubation period on soil Cu adsorption surpassed the pH effect for all Cu rates. The hysteresis was expressive, suggesting that Cu enhances high-energy bonds with the soil colloids. Calcium chloride was not efficient in promoting native soil Cu desorption in the studied concentrations. . No pH mais elevado (7,5), em todos os períodos de incubação, as amostras adsorveram praticamente todo o cobre adicionado, indicando que o tempo de 24 h de agitação para se atingir o equilíbrio foi suficiente para atingir a adsorção máxima. A adsorção de Cu variou com o tempo de incubação do elemento com o solo. No pH mais baixo (4,5), a adsorção foi bem menor após 24 h de incubação. Após 4 e 12 semanas, as adsorções foram elevadas e semelhantes para todas as amostras, independentemente da profundidade e do pH. Para todas as doses estudadas, o efeito do tempo de incubação na adsorção de cobre pelo solo sobrepujou o efeito do pH. O fenômeno de histerese foi expressivo, sugerindo que o Cu forma ligações de alta energia com os colóides do solo. O cloreto de cálcio não foi eficiente para dessorver cobre nativo do solo.

Many extractors are used to quantify available P in soils, but few studies have assessed the availability of P in soils of the wet tropics amended with high rates of biosolids. In this study, ion exchange resin, Mehlich-1 solution, and Fe-impregnated strips were used to quantify available P in samples from an Oxisol amended with surface-applied biosolids in a long-term field experiment. The soil's maximum capacity for P adsorption was also estimated. Experimental design consisted of randomized blocks, with four treatments and three replicates. Samples of biosolids were collected every year during the experiment, from 1999 to 2002. In 1999, two applications were made before growing maize (Zea mays L.) in austral summer and winter. Treatments were: Control (no biosolids added); B (biosolids added at rates based on their total N content); B2 (biosolids added at twice the rate of B), and B4 (biosolids added at four times the rate of B). Soil samples were collected at 0-to 0.1-, 0.1-to 0.2-, and 0.2-to 0.4-m depths. Biosolids were broadcast applied and incorporated into the soil to a depth of 0.2 m using a rotary hoe. The Oxisol had a high P-adsorption capacity (around 2450 mg kg'') because of its high contents of clay and Fe and Al oxides. All the extractors were effective at assessing P availability and were positively correlated among themselves. Available P soil contents correlated positively with P content in maize leaves and grains, and the rssin method yielded the highest correlation with P contents in leaves and grains.

Phosphorus speciation and degree of phosphorus saturation of an Oxisol amended with sewage sludge Because of the population and industrial increase in the great urban centers, the amount of generated sewage sludge (SS) has also increased, and it constitutes, today, one of the great problems of modern society. The most viable alternative seems to be the land disposal of the sludge, since it is a source of nutrients as N, P, Ca, organic matter (OM) etc. However, the indiscriminate use can cause damages to the environment, as the eutrophication of aquifers, caused by phosphorus accumulation in the soil. Research regarding the behavior of P in soil is of common occurrence. However, the ones that quantify the adsorption, bioavailability, speciation of soil solution and losses of nutrients in areas amended with SS are scarce. The present study was carried out with samples of a Rhodic Hapludox, (RH) collected in a field experiment of the Embrapa Meio-Ambiente, located in Jaguariúna (SP), in which SS was added since 1999. Samples were collected in 2003, at the depths of 0-0.1, 0.1-0.2, and 0.2-0.4m, after five years of SS application. Treatments were: T1 = absolute control; T2 = Amount of SS calculated on basis of N concentration; T3 = Twice of SS amount applied in the T2, and T4 = Four times the SS amount in the T2. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the ionic speciation of P in soil solution and the risk of P losses in the RH by means of the degree of phosphorus saturation (DPS).

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