Spatial distribution characteristics and main controlling factors of germanium in soil of northern Dabie Mountains, China
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Abstract:
With the increasing application of germanium (Ge) elements in modern industry, military and medical health industries, especially with the growing demand for Ge-rich agricultural products, the study of Ge-rich soil has become particularly important, but the enrichment pattern and control factors of Ge-rich soil are still not well understood due to the high dispersion and high migration of Ge-rich soil. In this paper, 495 surface soil (0–20 cm) and 149 deep soil (150–200 cm) samples were collected from the northern foothills of Dabie Mountain using a double-layer grid layout, and the spatial distribution and enrichment characteristics of Ge were studied by high-resolution method, and the controlling factors affecting the distribution of Ge-rich soil was analyzed by geo-statistics and spatial analogy. The results show an average Ge content of 1.34 mg/kg for the surface and 1.36 mg/kg for the deep soil. In the assessment grade classification of surface and deep soil for Ge, the abundant and sub-abundant grades account for 37.97% and 31.70%, respectively, covering 752 km2 and 634 km2. Surface Ge-rich regions are distributed in concentrated strips in the north-central part of the studied region, and there is no clear pattern in the spatial distribution of deep soils. In the areas under study, such as Fenlukou, Dingji, and Jiangjiadian, the surface soil is very rich in Ge and has a high enrichment factor, which is valuable for agricultural development. In surface soils, river deposits and shallow metamorphic rock parent materials have the highest content of Ge, while in deep soils, the highest content has been found in the parent material of moderately acidic rock. Both surface and deep soils have the highest Ge content in purple paddy soils and plain areas. The source of Ge in the soils of the study area is most influenced by the lithology of the soil-forming parent material, while the distribution of Ge in the surface soils is jointly influenced by pH, SiO2, TFe2O3, and Al2O3 in the soil. This study has implications for understanding the enrichment pattern of Ge in soil and its controlling factors as well as for the development of Ge-rich agricultural products.
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Key words:
- Germanium /
- Soil /
- Enrichment feature /
- Distribution characteristics /
- Influencing factors
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Table 1. The test results
Numeral Element/Index Testing instruments/Testing methods Required detection limit (mg/kg) Detection limit in this experiment (mg/kg) 1 pH ISE 0.1（**） 0.1（**） 2 Ge HG-AFS 0.1 0.1 3 SiO2 ZSXPrimusⅡ XRF 0.1* 0.05* 4 Al2O3 ZSXPrimusⅡ XRF 0.05* 0.05* 5 TFe2O3 ZSXPrimusⅡ XRF 0.05* 0.05* 6 Organic matter VOL 0.1（*） 0.05（*） Note: “*” means mass fraction of 10−2, “**” means dimensionless. 
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Table 2. Statistical analysis of soil Ge content in the study area
Sample
(numbers)Minimum
（mg/kg）Maximum
（mg/kg）Standard
deviationA quarter of
the quantileThree-quarters
of quantileVariable
coefficientAverage Surface 495 1.01 1.80 0.139 1.24 1.44 0.104 1.34 Deep 149 1.00 1.82 0.166 1.24 1.47 0.122 1.36
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Table 3. The national-provincial/provincial-district land quality evaluation criteria for the classification of nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and sulfur and the Ge concentration percentage in the study area
Index Top-grade
（Abundant）Second-grade
（Sub-abundant）Third-grade
（Medium）Fourth-grade
（Sub-lack）Fifth-grade
（Lack）Ge（mg/kg） >1.50 >1.40–1.50 >1.30 –1.40 >1.20–1.30 ≤1.20 Surface Samples 66 122 124 100 84 percentage（%） 13.33 24.64 25.05 20.20 16.96 Deep Samples 59 60 84 74 98 percentage（%） 15.70 16.00 22.40 19.70 26.10
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Table 4. Enrichment classification of germanium in soils of the study area
Grade Lack Background Enrichment Enrichment coefficient <0.85 0.85–1.05 >1.05 Area covering percentage 15.12% 46.97% 37.90%
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Table 5. Distribution of soil germanium in different parent material types, soil types and topographic features in the study area
Type Surface Deep Difference Sample
(numbers)Mean
value
(mg/kg)Variation
(%)Sample
(numbers)Mean
value
(mg/kg)Variation
(%)Soil-forming parent material River impact parent material 371 1.35 1.01–1.80 106 1.33 1.10–1.75 0.02 Red clastic rock 85 1.30 1.04–1.71 26 1.45 1.00–1.82 −0.15 Shallow metamorphic rock 26 1.35 1.11–1.67 5 1.28 1.07–1.54 0.07 Medium alkaline rock 3 1.26 1.18–1.38 4 1.3 1.07–1.56 −0.04 Medium acidic rock 10 1.29 1.05–1.40 7 1.50 1.37–1.60 −0.21 Soil type Purple paddy soils 66 1.36 1.05–1.80 21 1.43 1.18–1.82 −0.11 Yellow brown soils 60 1.28 1.02–1.69 18 1.33 0.99–1.75 0.03 Fluvo-aquic soils 54 1.31 1.05–1.61 17 1.29 1.07–1.57 0.02 Paddy soils 319 1.35 1.01–1.67 93 1.35 1.00–1.71 −0.02 Topography Basin 17 1.20 1.01–1.33 3 1.28 1.14–1.35 −0.08 Hills 75 1.28 1.05–1.70 21 1.41 1.00–1.82 −0.13 Mountains 4 1.32 1.18–1.44 3 1.34 1.07–1.56 −0.02 Plains 399 1.36 1.02–1.80 121 1.35 0.99–1.75 0.01
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Table 6. Correlation analysis of germanium in soil with other elements
Category Al2O3 TFe2O3 Corg pH SiO2 Germanium Surface −0.141** 0.232** 0.284** 0.157** 0.204** Deep −0.157 −0.029 0.059 0.014 0.312** Notes: **At level 0.01 (double tails), the correlation was significant.
*At level 0.05 (double tails), the correlation was significant.
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