[Impact of SDBS/Na+ on red soil colloidal stability].

ABSTRACT

The interactions between soil colloidal-sized particles and organic contaminants or inorganic ions profoundly affect numerous soil physical, chemical and biological processes. The coupling effect of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) and Na+ on the aggregation process of red soil colloid was studied using the dynamic light scattering method, and the mechanism of interactions between soil colloidal-sized particles and SDBS/Na+ was analyzed according to the pH and Zeta potential of suspension during the aggregation process. Results show that, (1) under a given concentration of Na+, the soil colloidal suspension becomes more stable with increasing SDBS concentrations. For example, under 120 mmol x L(-1) Na+, as the concentrations of SDBS increase from 0 mmol x L(-1) to 10 mmol x L(-1), the effective diameters of aggregates decrease from 702 nm to 193 nm, and the total average aggregation rates of aggregates decrease from 28.6 nm x min(-1) to 3.36 nm x min(-1). (2) Under a given concentration of SDBS, as the concentrations of Na+ increase, the Zeta potential of suspension sharply decreases, while the effective diameters and the total average aggregation rates of aggregates gradually increase. (3) The absolute values of Zeta potential for suspensions without adding NaNO3 solution increase from 47.6 mV to 62.2 mV as the SDBS concentrations increase, and the pH of the suspensions increase from 6.17 to 6.76, although these pH values are lower than that of initial soil colloidal suspension (6.89). Therefore, the adsorption of SDBS onto soil colloidal-sized particles, which is attributed to the hydrophobic effect and electrostatic effect, results in the increment of surface charge number, as well as the decrease in effective concentration of Na+ around colloidal-sized particles' surface (resulting from the steric hindrance of long hydrophobic chain of adsorbed SDBS and adsorption of Na+ by SDBS micelle). As a result, soil colloidal suspension becomes more stable and needs to absorb more Na+ to aggregate.