title: Impact of a long-term fire retardant (Fire Trol 931) on the leaching of Ca, Mg, and K from a Mediterranean forest loamy soil.
abstract: The present laboratory study was conducted in pot soil taken from forest. The leaching of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K) (plant macronutrients) due to the application of a nitrogen phosphate-based long-term fire retardant (LTFR) (Fire Trol 931) was investigated. The concentrations of Ca(2+), Mg(2+), and K(+) were measured in the resulting leachates from pots with forest soil and pine tree alone and in combination with fire. Magnesium is a minor component of Fire Trol 931. The leaching of Ca(2+), Mg(2+), and K(+) from treated soils with the retardant pots was significantly greater than that from control pots. The leaching of Mg(2+) was found to be of small percentage of the initially applied Mg quantities. Fire Trol 931 application resulted in the leaching of Ca(2+), Mg(2+), and K(+) from a typical Mediterranean forest soil in pots, following the application of simulated annual precipitation probably due to ammonium (one of the major retardant components) soil deposition that mobilizes base cations from the soil. It seems that LTFR application may result in chemical leaching from the soil to the drainage water.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, Laboratory of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Iroon Polytechniou Str., 157 80, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Charalampos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Michalopoulos
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, Laboratory of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Iroon Polytechniou Str., 157 80, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koufopoulou
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, Laboratory of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Iroon Polytechniou Str., 157 80, Athens, Greece. nipitz@central.ntua.gr.
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tzamtzis
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, Laboratory of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Iroon Polytechniou Str., 157 80, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Athina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pappa
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000737:chemistry*; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000032:analysis*; D065928:Forests; D007700:Kinetics; D008274:Magnesium / Q000737:chemistry*; D019083:Mediterranean Region; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry; D011188:Potassium / Q000737:chemistry*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005411:Flame Retardants; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D008274:Magnesium; D009584:Nitrogen; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium
keywords: Greece; Groundwater quality; Leachates; Macronutrients; Post fire effects; Pot technique