ADSORPTION OF AMINO-ACIDS AND GLUCOSE BY SEDIMENTS OF RESURRECTION BAY, ALASKA, USA - FUNCTIONAL-GROUP EFFECTS

The adsorption of amino acids and glucose was investigated in sediments from Resurrection Bay, Alaska. Adsorption of the basic amino acid lysine was greater than adsorption of glutamic acid, alanine, leucine, or glucose. Formaldehyde and heat treatments were used to separate adsorption from biological uptake, but can alter adsorption significantly; formaldehyde treatment, followed by a seawater rinse, was the most satisfactory. Much of the rapid amino acid adsorption by these sediments was due to the formation of ionic bonds, since adsorbed amino acids could be extracted using concentrated solutions of amino acid, cesium chloride, sodium citrate, ammonium chloride, or sodium acetate. However, most amino acid adsorption was not reversible by ion exchange solutions, indicating that additional processes or chemical reactions occur which result in irreversible binding to sediment. Consistent with literature reports of the negative surface charge of marine particulate matter, lysine (with a net positive charge) was adsorbed to the greatest extent and had the largest cation-exchangeable adsorption. However, negatively charged amino acid functional groups also influenced adsorption. Chemical modification of sediments with reagents reactive with aldehydes decreased lysine adsorption. This suggests that reactive functional groups of sediment organic matter contribute to adsorption, consistent with a melanoidin-type reaction. An estimate of the rate of amino acid adsorption indicates that adsorption could produce a significant amount of the total refractory sediment organic nitrogen.