Aquasoil Buffer (again !)

[Cédric]

Hello everyone,
Little question : If buffer acid carbonic/carbonate is no more when using aqua soil, so what does buffer the water ? I guess it is the aqua soil itself, but how ? Some buffer including organic acid ? Can someone explain. Very curious about that.

 

[adriancarr]

This is something I'd like to understand better in the context of commercial aqua soils.

Not surprisingly, there seems to be quite a bit of literature on soil pH buffer, particularly in agriculture. This should be applicable to aqua soils and aquariums.

Based on the article linked at the bottom, it seems that "buffering by cation exchange and pH-dependent charge sites" are the main mechanisms in the pH range found in aqua soil.

Soil Buffering: Mechanism of Buffering Action & Importance - Plantlet

 

[Cédric]

Hi adrian, ty for the answer and the link. I agree with you : theories about pH buffer in agriculture are applicable in some way to aqua soil.