Impact of chemical oxidation on Brazilian soils

Abstract

In this work, the impacts on the mineralogical composition and on the physico-chemical properties of two representative categories of Brazilian soils - a vertisol (V) and a kandiudult (P) - after treatment with Fenton reagent were studied. The clay minerals presented in the V (rich in 2:1 expansive clay) have been degraded with this reagent application. In the other, P, rich in kaolinite, there was no significant change in its clay mineralogy after this treatment. Furthermore, the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of V was dramatically diminished and consequently can cause the soil infertility by the reduction of water and nutrients retention. © 2012 Sociedade Brasileira de Química.