Iron-organic carbon coprecipitates reduce nitrification by restricting molybdenum in agricultural soils
Nitrification converts ammonium (NH4+) to nitrate (NO3−) using metalloenzymes, the activity of which depends on iron (Fe), molybdenum (Mo), and copper (Cu) availability. Iron-organic carbon coprecipitates (or Fe-OC flocs) are key byproducts of wastewater treatment industry and natural components of...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Materials |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmats.2024.1346112/full |
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| author | Imane Slimani Imane Slimani Timothy Doane Xia Zhu-Barker Patricia Lazicki Patricia Lazicki Rebecca A. Lybrand Dragos G. Zaharescu William Horwath |
| author_facet | Imane Slimani Imane Slimani Timothy Doane Xia Zhu-Barker Patricia Lazicki Patricia Lazicki Rebecca A. Lybrand Dragos G. Zaharescu William Horwath |
| author_sort | Imane Slimani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nitrification converts ammonium (NH4+) to nitrate (NO3−) using metalloenzymes, the activity of which depends on iron (Fe), molybdenum (Mo), and copper (Cu) availability. Iron-organic carbon coprecipitates (or Fe-OC flocs) are key byproducts of wastewater treatment industry and natural components of soil that may affect nitrification by changing the bioavailability of these metals. Here, we used flocs of different chemistry (aromatic and aliphatic) and known Fe and C composition to investigate their effects on nitrification in soils along a soil C gradient. Both aromatic and aliphatic flocs reduced net nitrification, but the magnitude of their effect was more pronounced in soils with low C content as opposed to those with high C content. Within each soil, both flocs reduced net nitrification similarly. In the presence of flocs, the bioavailability of Mo (assessed by changes in the concentration of water-soluble Mo) was dramatically decreased in low C soils, possibly because Mo was incorporated into or adsorbed to flocs or their decomposition products. In contrast, Mo bioavailability in high C soils was decreased to a lesser extent by flocs, likely because organic matter limited floc adsorption capacity and released Mo through mineralization. The depletion of bioavailable Mo by flocs in agricultural soils has the potential to impede soil nitrification and extend the residence time of NH4+ and its availability to plants and microbes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T13:09:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2b76db2d9c374c2cbfc44e4dd0d7c353 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-8016 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T13:09:19Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Materials |
| spelling | doaj.art-2b76db2d9c374c2cbfc44e4dd0d7c3532024-04-05T04:57:21ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Materials2296-80162024-04-011110.3389/fmats.2024.13461121346112Iron-organic carbon coprecipitates reduce nitrification by restricting molybdenum in agricultural soilsImane Slimani0Imane Slimani1Timothy Doane2Xia Zhu-Barker3Patricia Lazicki4Patricia Lazicki5Rebecca A. Lybrand6Dragos G. Zaharescu7William Horwath8Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United StatesAgroBioSciences Program, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir, MoroccoDepartment of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United StatesDepartment of Soil Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United StatesDepartment of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United StatesUniversity of California Cooperative Extension, Woodland, CA, United StatesDepartment of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United StatesDepartment of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United StatesDepartment of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United StatesNitrification converts ammonium (NH4+) to nitrate (NO3−) using metalloenzymes, the activity of which depends on iron (Fe), molybdenum (Mo), and copper (Cu) availability. Iron-organic carbon coprecipitates (or Fe-OC flocs) are key byproducts of wastewater treatment industry and natural components of soil that may affect nitrification by changing the bioavailability of these metals. Here, we used flocs of different chemistry (aromatic and aliphatic) and known Fe and C composition to investigate their effects on nitrification in soils along a soil C gradient. Both aromatic and aliphatic flocs reduced net nitrification, but the magnitude of their effect was more pronounced in soils with low C content as opposed to those with high C content. Within each soil, both flocs reduced net nitrification similarly. In the presence of flocs, the bioavailability of Mo (assessed by changes in the concentration of water-soluble Mo) was dramatically decreased in low C soils, possibly because Mo was incorporated into or adsorbed to flocs or their decomposition products. In contrast, Mo bioavailability in high C soils was decreased to a lesser extent by flocs, likely because organic matter limited floc adsorption capacity and released Mo through mineralization. The depletion of bioavailable Mo by flocs in agricultural soils has the potential to impede soil nitrification and extend the residence time of NH4+ and its availability to plants and microbes.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmats.2024.1346112/fullnitrificationiron-organic matter coprecipitatesflocsmolybdenumsoils |
| spellingShingle | Imane Slimani Imane Slimani Timothy Doane Xia Zhu-Barker Patricia Lazicki Patricia Lazicki Rebecca A. Lybrand Dragos G. Zaharescu William Horwath Iron-organic carbon coprecipitates reduce nitrification by restricting molybdenum in agricultural soils Frontiers in Materials nitrification iron-organic matter coprecipitates flocs molybdenum soils |
| title | Iron-organic carbon coprecipitates reduce nitrification by restricting molybdenum in agricultural soils |
| title_full | Iron-organic carbon coprecipitates reduce nitrification by restricting molybdenum in agricultural soils |
| title_fullStr | Iron-organic carbon coprecipitates reduce nitrification by restricting molybdenum in agricultural soils |
| title_full_unstemmed | Iron-organic carbon coprecipitates reduce nitrification by restricting molybdenum in agricultural soils |
| title_short | Iron-organic carbon coprecipitates reduce nitrification by restricting molybdenum in agricultural soils |
| title_sort | iron organic carbon coprecipitates reduce nitrification by restricting molybdenum in agricultural soils |
| topic | nitrification iron-organic matter coprecipitates flocs molybdenum soils |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmats.2024.1346112/full |
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