Colloids play an essential role in, and are an integral part of, many biogeochemical processes occurring in soils and natural waters and may determine the ultimate fate of environmental contaminants in all natural reservoirs. There is presently no clear definition of the word colloid within the literature. Broadly, colloids are considered as ‘particles’, macromolecules or aggregates having a least diameter in the range of about 0.001–1.0 μm.
Solid, inorganic colloids are dispersed phases, classically referred to as hydrophobic colloids. These colloids generally owe their stability to an electric double layer which causes repulsion between particles if they approach each other. In addition to the hydrophobic colloids, there are also hydrophilic colloids which are hydrated macromolecules whose colloidal properties arise from their large individual size. They are stable in solution either because the electrostatic repulsion of their ionic groups (i.e. −COO− or −NH+ 3or the solvation of...
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Filella, M., Buffle, J. (1998). Colloids . In: Geochemistry. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4496-8_62
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