This module will examine the chemical and biological processes in soil and related terrestrial environments, and the consequences of these processes as they relate to soil productivity, environmental quality and pollution of soil and water. The student will learn about soil organisms communities (soil biota) and its impact on soil pollution in agro ecosystem ( agrocenose) and chemistry of soil organic matter( hmus chemistry)its environmental significance, particular potential labile humic substances on soil pollution).
This module describes fundamental chemical concepts such as soil solution and solid phase chemistry, sorption phenomena, ion exchange and oxidation-reduction, hydrolysis and photolysis reactions. These concepts can be used to predict the transport and bioavailability of inorganic and organic contaminants in soils and to assess the behavior of soils to crop production controlling nutrients’ availability to plants and rates of pollutant reactions as well as technologies for remediating contaminated soils.