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Effects of 1-Alkyl-3-Methylimidazolium Nitrate on Soil Physical and Chemical Properties and Microbial Biomass

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Abstract

Ionic liquids (ILs), also called room temperature ILs, are widely applied in many fields on the basis of their unique physical and chemical properties. However, numerous ILs may be released into and gradually accumulate in the environment due to their extensive use and absolute solubility. The effects of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium nitrate ([Cnmim]NO3, n = 4, 6, 8) on soil pH, conductivity, cation exchange capacity, microbial biomass carbon, and microbial biomass nitrogen were examined at the doses of 1, 10, and 100 mg/kg on days 10, 20, 30, and 40. The results demonstrated that the soil pH decreased and the conductivity increased with increasing IL doses. No significant differences were observed in the soil cation-exchange capacity. All three of the tested ILs decreased the soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen. Additionally, there were few differences among the ILs with different alkyl chain lengths on the tested indicators except for the microbial biomass nitrogen. The present study addressed a gap in the literature regarding the effects of the aforementioned ILs with different alkyl side chains on the physicochemical properties of soil, and the results could provide the basic data for future studies on their toxicity to soil organisms, such as earthworms and soil microbes.

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Funding

This study was funded by the National Key Research and Development Plan (Grant Numbers 2017YFD0200307, 2016YFD0800202 and 2016YFD0201203); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Numbers 41771282, 41671320); the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province, China (ZR2017MD005) and the Special Funds of Taishan Scholar of Shandong Province, China.

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Author notes

  1. Tongtong Zhou and Jun Wang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environment, Key Lab of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Road, Taian, 271018, People’s Republic of China

    Tongtong Zhou, Jun Wang, Zhiqiang Ma, Zhongkun Du, Cheng Zhang, Lusheng Zhu & Jinhua Wang

Authors
  1. Tongtong Zhou
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  2. Jun Wang
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  3. Zhiqiang Ma
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  4. Zhongkun Du
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  5. Cheng Zhang
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  6. Lusheng Zhu
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  7. Jinhua Wang
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Zhongkun Du or Lusheng Zhu.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Data Availability

The datasets generated during and analysed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Zhou, T., Wang, J., Ma, Z. et al. Effects of 1-Alkyl-3-Methylimidazolium Nitrate on Soil Physical and Chemical Properties and Microbial Biomass. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 74, 577–586 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-017-0497-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-017-0497-3

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