對於土壤理化性質之改良,其基本原理是利用土壤陰離子之特性吸附作用,以降低pH_0而增加土壤表面電荷密度,進而達到提升土壤保肥力及穩定性之目的。經試驗結果顯示,磷酸根離子及矽酸根離子均具此效果。本研究所使用材料有磷酸銨及矽酸鈉兩種化學藥品;爐渣及飛灰兩種工業廢料;沸石、玄武岩及泥岩三種天然石粉。除飛灰表面電荷爲正電荷,會中和土壤負電荷,而未能增加土壤陽離子交換量外,其餘均有增加土壤保肥力之功效。又鹼性玄武岩及田寮泥岩因其中交換性鈉含量太高,不具有穩定土壤之效果,其餘均可增加土壤團粒穩定性。市售之沸石則因爲已經過500℃熱處理而失去其改良土壤之功效。
The basic principle for amending tropical soils is to increase their surface charge density by using the specific adsorption of potential determining ions such as phosphate and silicate anions. Two chemicals (ammonium phosphate and sodium silicate), two industrial wastes (basic slag and fly ash) and four nature rock powders (zeolite, basalt, tholeiite and mudstone) have been used as the amending materials for the tropical soils in Taiwan. Most of them have positive effects on both surface charge and aggregate stability. Fly ash, on the contrary, decreases soil surface charge due to its positive surface charge in nature. The basalt and ''Moon-world'' mudstone powders sometimes have negative effect on aggregate stability mainly due to the high contents of exchangeable sodium ions. The market zeolite powder has no amending effect on both surface charge and aggregate stability because of the high heat (500℃) treatment.