Advances in analytical pyrolysis of soil organic matter

This review summarizes advances in soil organic matter (SOM) research obtai ned by applications of analytical pyrolysis. Conventional pyrolysis-gas chr omatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) was used to investigate a wide ran ge of plans materials and humic substances. Much fewer investigations of wh ole soils were reported. On the basis of pyrolysis-field ionization mass sp ectrometry (Py-FIMS) and complementary chemical, physical and biological an alyses, progress was achieved in the discovery of relationships between: (1 ) organic precursors and SOM composition, (2) geographic origin and SOM, an d (3) specific SOM constituents and soil functions, e.g. unknown soil N, di ssolved organic matter (DOM), particle-size, density and aggregate fraction s. Hence it can be concluded that analytical pyrolysis has been developed a s a key method for SOM and DOM research and will expand into urgent problem s of environmental chemistry with topics such as soil and groundwater conta mination, soil amelioration, sustainable agriculture, etc., and, last but n ot least, the fundamental objectives of soil structure, processes and quali ty. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.