Brazilian tropical Latosol soil samples were thermally analyzed associating thermogravimetric (TG) and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) techniques under synthetic air or argon atmospheres. Rhodic eutrudox soils with forest vegetation, from unburnt and burnt cane plantations and that of a sandy phase having cerrado vegetation were investigated. From the organic soil fraction humic acids were extracted that decompose similarly to the commercial product, following the steps: i) adsorbed water, dehydrations, decarboxylations and release of organic molecules, ii) thermolabile decomposition fraction, iii) macromolecular organic matter and iv) residues. The DSC curves gave the corresponding peak for water release near 100 ºC and exothermic peaks at temperatures higher than 300 ºC, attributed to the combustion of thermolabile organic matter. The TG curves for all soil samples are more complex than those of the humic acids due to the inorganic components, being characterized by stages i) dehydration process, ii) thermolabile organic matter, iii) macromolecular organic domain and iv) oxide residues. These steps of decomposition correspond to three endothermic DSC peaks and one exothermic peak clearly shown under a synthetic air atmosphere, being attributed to the combustion of the macromolecular organic fraction near 300 ºC. The DSC curves from burnt and unburnt red Latosol soils from sugar cane cultivation showed more intense endothermic peaks than those of the forest. These thermal results show the influence of both the type and the organic matter contents on curve profiles, which are highly influenced by the soil mineral compositions and land-use activities, as well as the burning processes.
latosol soil; inorganic compounds; organic fraction; cane sugar plantation; thermogravimetry; differential scanning calorimetry
