Organic matter increases jarosite dissolution in acid sulfate soils under inundation conditions

A column experiment was conducted to examine the effects of added organic matter and thickness of surface water on the stability of jarosite in a coastal acid sulfate soil. The results show that dissolution of jarosite was negligible if no organic matter was added onto the soil. However, where organic matter was added onto the soils, the acidity and the concentrations of iron and sulfate in the leachate of the soil increased following water inundation, indicating the decomposition of jarosite in such conditions. Probably, the organic matter content of the soil was originally too low to enable the creation of reducing conditions that could sufficiently cause the breakdown of jarosite contained in the soil. Under the experimental conditions, the amount of added organic matter played a more important role than the thickness of the overlying water in the dissolution of jarosite.