Influence of humified organic matter on copper behavior in acid polluted soils

The main purpose of this work was to identify the role of soil humic acids (HAs) in controlling the behavior of Cu(II) in vineyard soils by exploring the relationship between the chemical and binding properties of HA fractions and those of soil as a whole. The study was conducted on soils with a sandy loam texture, pH 4.3–5.0, a carbon content of 12.4–41.0 g kg−1 and Cu concentrations from 11 to 666 mg kg−1. The metal complexing capacity of HA extracts obtained from the soils ranged from 0.69 to 1.02 mol kg−1, and the stability constants for the metal ion–HA complexes formed, log K, from 5.07 to 5.36. Organic matter-quality related characteristics had little influence on Cu adsorption in acid soils, especially if compared with pH, the degree of Cu saturation and the amount of soil organic matter.