Release and Sorption Pattern of Monosilicic Acid from Silicon Fertilizers in Different Soils of Louisiana: A Laboratory Incubation Study

The amount of monosilicic acid (H4SiO4), which is the plant-available form of silicon (Si), released from fertilizers can be influenced by Si source and soil properties. A series of laboratory experiments were conducted using six soil series from Louisiana to document the differences in the release characteristics of H4SiO4 from wollastonite and slag. Monosilicic acid in solution released from slag declined with time while wollastonite consistently increased its concentration across all soil suspensions well above 40 mu g mL(-1). Among these soil series, soils high in organic matter and clay were seen to have maximum percent sorption (up to 79%) with minimum polymerization of H4SiO4. The presence of ions like aluminum (Al) and magnesium (Mg) enhanced the process of H4SiO4 polymerization, which led to a decrease in H4SiO4 concentration in solution. Evident relationships were observed between H4SiO4 concentration in solution with added Si sources and sorbed quantity from soil solutions.