| Abstract: | The dependency of the retention of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on mineral phase properties in soils remains uncertain especially at neutral pH. To specifically elucidate the role of mineral surfaces and pedogenic oxides for DOC retention at pH 7, we sorbed DOC to bulk soil (illitic surface soils of a toposequence) and corresponding clay fraction (< 2 μm) samples after the removal of organic matter and after removal of organic matter and pedogenic oxides. The DOC retention was related to the content of dithionite‐extractable iron, specific surface area (SSA, BET‐N2 method) and cation exchange capacity (pH 7). The reversibility of DOC sorption was determined by a desorption experiment. All samples sorbed 20–40 % of the DOC added. The DOC sorption of the clay fractions explained the total sorption of the bulk soils. None of the mineral phase properties investigated was able to solely explain the DOC retention. A sorption of 9 to 24 μg DOC m–2 indicated that DOC interacted only with a fraction of the mineral surface, since loadings above 500 μg m–2 would be expected for a carbon monolayer. Under the experimental conditions used, the surface of the silicate clay minerals seemed to be more important for the DOC sorption than the surface of the iron oxides. The desorption experiment removed 11 to 31 % of the DOC sorbed. Most of the DOC was strongly sorbed. |
