Soil nutrient loss, which leads to low plant utilization, has become an urgent issue. Graphene can improve soil fertilizer-holding properties given its small size effect, strong adsorption properties, and large specific surface area. Herein, different amounts of graphene were added to soil samples to study its effect on soil nutrient retention and growth of pepper seedlings. The colloidal double electric layer theory forms the basis for an analysis of variations in soil nutrient concentration through measurements of the zeta potential, which is affected by variations in ion concentrations in soil colloids. We measured the zeta potential of graphene and soil mixed colloids and found that graphene could increase the concentration of nutrient ions in soil colloids. In addition, graphene reduced the loss of nutrients; increased the contents of ammonium nitrogen, effective phosphorus, and fast-acting potassium in the soil after leaching; and enhanced the stability of soil aggregates after leaching. In addition, pepper seedlings grown under graphene treatment for 60 days outperformed seedlings grown without graphene treatment, in terms of plant height and nutrient content. This study demonstrates that the addition of graphene to soil can reduce nutrient loss and promote fertility and plant growth.
Keywords: double electric layer; graphene; nutrients; soil colloids; zeta potential.