Factors Affecting Adsorption The intensity of adsorption depends upon several factors, including physical and chemical properties of the pollutants themselves, as well as the soil matrix, composition, and surface properties. It is generally possible to summaries all these factors as follows: Mineralogical composition of the soil; Clay minerals are the most important adsorbents in the soil environment, followed by some silicates and organic components. Accordingly, the intensity of adsorbance in soils will largely depend on the clay content of the soil, as well as on the proportion of other silicates in the mineralogical composition.