Ammonium Retention in Sand Amended with Clinoptilolite
1987
Ferguson, Gerry A. | Pepper, I. L.
Clinoptilolite zeolite has a rigid three-dimensional lattice with 10⁻⁹ m sized tunnels, and an affinity for NH⁺₄ on its internal exchange sites. These internal tunnels are too small for 10⁻⁶ m size microbes to access; hence, clinoptilolite has the potential to physically protect NH⁺₄ from nitrification by microbes, and may reduce volatilization losses. The objective of this study was to evaluate NH⁺₄ retention of sand amended with clinoptilolite. Retention of NH⁺₄ on clinoptilolite amended sands incubated at 20% volumetric water content, was studied in the laboratory. Treatments were washed mortar sand amended with 0, 5, and 10% clinoptilolite by volume and 2.38 and 3.57 moles of NH⁺₄ m⁻³ of soil. Retention was evaluated by monitoring NH⁺₄ loss from the soil mix. Loss of NH⁺₄ decreased with increasing clinoptilolite amendment. Losses also decreased when the amount of NH⁺₄ initially applied was decreased. The effect of clinoptilolite in retaining NH⁺₄ was more pronounced when the amount of NH⁺₄ initially applied was increased. Clinoptilolite reduced NH⁺₄ losses from the soil mix and would allow increased plant N fertilizer-use efficiency. Thus clinoptilolite-amended sands have potential as a growth medium for turfgrasses on golf greens, where N use efficiency is typically low.
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