Dursun, S.Boddy, L.Frankland, J. C.Ineson, P.2020-03-262020-03-261998Dursun, S., Boddy, L., Frankland, J. C., Ineson, P., (1998). Oxidation Rate of Sulphite on Decomposing Leaf Litter. Turkish Journal of Engineering and Environmental Sciences, 22(5), 365-369.1300-0160https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12395/16846Sulphite (SO32-), the major solution product of SO2, has been shown to inhibit leaf litter decomposition at concentrations occurring in urban rainfall. The rate of oxidation of SO32- on leaf litter is a major factor in determining the effect of this inhibition and this study investigated the oxidation rate of SO32- to sulphate (SO42-) when applied to decomposing Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) needle litter under laboratory conditions. Measurements showed that SO2 has a short life under atmospheric conditions and oxidises very quickly in the presence of metal ions and in alkaline conditions. After addition of sulphite (0.1 mM SO32-) to Scots pine litter, about 80% of the SO32- oxidised in 5 h, and SO32- was not detected after 24 h. The time period over which SO32- underwent oxidation at environmentally-realistic concentrations was sufficient to affect microbial decomposition processes in soil and leaf litter.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessLeaf LitterScots PineSulphite MeasurementSulphite OxidationArticle225365369N/A