| In batch studies, sinks are increasingly being used to evaluate element release from soils. The objective of this study was to characterize some properties of hydrous-ferric-oxide strips (HFO-strips) to assess their use as potential multielement sinks for evaluating nutrient bioavailability, and to compare their performance against current ion-exchange resin techniques. A modified HFO-impregnated filter paper technique was developed, evaluated, and compared with current ion-exchange resin methods. The modified HFO-strip method proved to be a simple, reproducible technique for the quantitative multielement removal from solution and a potential tool for detailed study of sorption processes at solid/liquid interfaces. Metal release from soils determined by HFO-strips suggests diffusion-controlled kinetics. Comparable results were obtained for P extraction among the different sinks, except in Ca-rich samples where presence of a cation-sink may prove valuable. |
