Components, rocks, soil mineral/composition

In this chapter, the relationship of geological origins and interfacial properties of bentonite clay will be reviewed first. Then we will discuss the migration of water-soluble substances in rocks and soil, and the effect of sorption on the migration. A linear model will be derived by which the quantity of ion sorbed on rocks can be estimated when the mineral composition and sorption parameters of the mineral components are known. Surface acid-base properties of soils will be discussed, and the sorption of an anion (cyanide ion) will be shown on different soils and sediments. 

In this chapter we give a brief overview of the structure and composition of the Earth, discuss some properties of rocks and minerals, explain the origin of minerals and the consequences of weathering, analyze the dissolution and precipitation of solids, and present key soil phenomena and components. 

Specific adsorption on well defined materials has been the subject of many reviews [8-13]. Specific adsorption plays a key role in transport of nutrients and contaminants in the natural environment, and many studies with natural, complex, and ill defined materials have been carried out. Specific adsorption of ions by soils and other materials was reviewed by Barrow [14,15]. The components of complex mineral assemblies can differ in specific surface area and in affinity to certain solutes by many orders of magnitude. For example, in soils and rocks, (hydr)oxides of Fe(IH) and Mn(IV) are the main scavengers of metal cations and certain anions, even when their concentration expressed as mass fraction is very low. Traces of Ti02 present as impurities are responsible for the enhanced uptake of U by some natural kaolinites. In general, complex materials whose chemical composition seems very similar can substantially differ in their sorption properties due to different nature and concentration of impurities , which are dispersed in a relatively inert matrix, and which play a crucial role in the sorption process. In this respect the significance of parameters characterizing overall sorption properties of complex materials is limited. On the other hand the assessment of the contributions of particular components of a complex material to the overall sorption properties would be very tedious. 

The hydrosphere consists mainly of oceanic and terrestrial freshwater in the liquid phase. Compared to terrestrial water enviromnents, such as rivers, lakes and ground water, the chemical composition of the oceans is relatively constant. The amount of water contained in the soil, in minerals and rocks (fluid inclusions, adsorbed surface water, water in crystals etc.), water component of organisms, and water vapor in the atmosphere, all of which are found near the earth s surface environment, is minor. 

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