Environmental Soil Chemistry

DONALD L. SPARKS is the Unidel S. Hallock du Pont Chair and Francis Alison Professor at the University of Delaware. He is internationally recognized for his research in the areas of kinetics of biogeochemical processes and surface chemistry of natural materials. His research has focused on fate and transport of trace metals in soil and water, soil remediation, water quality, and carbon sequestration in soils. Dr. Sparks is the author of two previous editions of Environmental Soil Chemistry and more than 350 refereed papers and book chapters. He is fellow of five scientific societies, and he has been the recipient of major awards and lectureships including the Geochemistry Medal from the American Chemical Society, the Liebig Medal from the International Union of Soil Sciences, the Einstein Professorship from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Philippe Duchaufour Medal from the European Geosciences Union. Dr. Sparks served as president of the Soil Science Society of America and the International Union of Soil Sciences, has served on advisory committees for several national laboratories and national and international centers and institutes, and served as chair of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Committee for Soil Sciences and other NAS Committees.

Environmental Soil Chemistry: An Overview: Evolution of Soil Chemistry. The Modern Environmental Movement. Contaminants in Waters and Soils. Case Study of Pollution of Soils and Waters. Soil Decontamination. Inorganic Soil Components: Pauling's Rules. Primary Soil Minerals. Secondary Soil Minerals. Specific Surface of Soil Minerals. Surface Charge of Soil Minerals. Identification of Minerals by X-Ray Diffraction Analyses. Use of Clay Minerals to Retain Organic Contaminants. Chemistry of Soil Organic Matter: Effects of Soil Formation Factors on SOM Contents. Composition of SOM. Fractionation of SOM. SOM Structure. Functional Groups and Charge Characteristics. Humic Substance-Metal Interactions. SOM-Clay Complexes. Retention of Pesticides and Other Organic Substances by Humic Substances. Soil Solution-Solid Phase Equilibria: Measurement of the Soil Solution. Speciation of the Soil Solution. Ion Activity and Activity Coefficients. Dissolution and Solubility Processes. Sorption Phenomena on Soils: Introduction and Terminology. Surface Functional Groups. Surface Complexes. Adsorption Isotherms. Equilibrium-Based Adsorption Models. Surface Precipitation. Sorption of Metal Cations. Sorption of Anions. Points of Zero Charge. Desorption. Use of Spectroscopic and Microscopic Methods in Determining Mechanisms for Sorption-Desorption Phenomena.