Rate constants for nitrification and denitrification in soils

Summary Rate constants for reactions in flowing solutions in soil can be calculated from extents of reactions as functions of depth, rates of flow, effective biomass of microbes and independent measurements of hydrodynamic dispersion. Constants have been calculated from data in the literature and are shown to be arbitrary unless all of these quantities have been evaluated. Good agreement of constants obtained in laboratory columns and in the field have been obtained for nitrification and denitrification in a few cases.Supported in part by a grant from The National Science Foundation-RANN.