Isothermal Microcalorimetry: A Review of Applications in Soil and Environmental Sciences1

Isothermal microcalorimetry provides thermodynamic and kinetic information on various reactions and processes and is thereby a powerful tool to elucidate their mechanisms. Certain improvement in isotherma! microcalorimetry with regard to the studies on soil and environmental sciences is briefly described. This review mainly focuses on the use of microcalorimetry in the determination of soil microbial activity, monitoring the toxicity and biodegradation of soil organic pollutants, the risk evaluation of metals and metalloids, the heat effect of ion exchange and adsorption in soil, and environmental researches. Promising prospects for the applications of the technique in the field are also discussed.