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Selenium enrichment, partitioning and leachability along semi-arid soils of NE Punjab, India

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Abstract

Selenium (Se) bioavailability is largely governed by its fractionation in soil constituents which is yet an unaddressed issue of severely seleniferous agricultural soils of NE Punjab, India. Five selective soils with Se content up to 6.2 mg kg−1 were examined to understand Se partitioning in different soil constituents and fraction of exchangeable soil Se. Its mobilization behavior under oxygenated and anaerobic conditions was also examined and role of NO3− and PO43− on it. Soil from Barwa, Nawanshahr with CT of 1.3% is found to be enriched in Se, Zn, Cr, Mn, Cu, Cr, Co, U and Th, while Ramgarh soil, Hoshiarpur with CT of 1.0% is least contaminated. Selenium leaching is favored under anoxic condition with rapid initial release, while no leaching has occurred in oxygenated condition. The presence of competitive anions, i.e., NO3− or PO43−, has facilitated slight greater Se leaching after 9 days, whereas leaching decreased continuously in normal milli-Q water reactors. Generation of CH4 is insignificant, whereas CO2 production increased with time in anoxic medium. Easy bioavailability of Se around the agricultural field is inferred from the extractability of soil Se through ligand exchange, phosphate exchange and water extraction. The hard bound soil Se, i.e., crystalline phase, organic matter and iron–manganese oxide-bound fractions are nil that further supports its easy bioavailability.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The research work was funded by DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), Germany under visiting professor scheme to Dr. Paikaray. University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, India has supported field work and soil sample preparation by UGC-startup grant to Dr. Paikaray. Prof. Peiffer is thankful to funding sources to perform analysis and chemical costs. Ms. Navjot Kaur, Ms. Shefali Chander and Tanuj Mahajan, JRFs, PU, India has assisted soil sampling, acid digestion and map preparation.

Funding

The research work was funded by DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), Germany and University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India

    Susanta Paikaray

  2. Department of Hydrology, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany

    Stefan Peiffer

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  1. Susanta Paikaray
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  2. Stefan Peiffer
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S. Paikaray—field, experiment, analysis, interpretation, data compilation and writing. S. Peiffer—infrastructural support, lab and instruments, discussion, interpretation, review, editing, formatting.

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Correspondence to Susanta Paikaray.

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Paikaray, S., Peiffer, S. Selenium enrichment, partitioning and leachability along semi-arid soils of NE Punjab, India. Environ Earth Sci 83, 272 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-024-11585-3

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