Fixation of Selenium by Clay Minerals and Iron Oxides

In studying Se fixation, soil components capable of retaining Se were investigated. The importance of Fe hydrous oxides in the fixation of Se was established. The clay minerals common to soils, such as kaolinite, montmorillonite and vermiculite, all exhibited Se fixation, but greater fixation occurred with the 1:1 than the 2:1 clay type.

Experiments with finely ground minerals showed that the pH of the systems greatly influenced the rate of fixation, reaching a maximum between pH 3 and 5 and decreasing rapidly as the pH increased. With the Fe2O3 system fixed Se was slightly reduced as the pH was increased to over 8. The extractability of Se from the clay minerals indicated that 1:1 clay type minerals fix selenite more indissolubly than 2:1 clays and that selenite was adsorbed on the clays mainly by a surface exchange reaction.

The major part of the selenite added to the Fe2O3 system was found as potentially and difficultly available forms, which suggested that Se fixation may take place by exchange reactions and by precipitation as ferric selenite precipitates.