Sorption and Environmental Risks of Phosphorus in Subtropical Forest Soils

Phosphorus (P) is one of the key limiting factors for the growth of forests and their net primary productivity in subtropical forest ecosystems. Phosphorus leaching of the forest soil to the catchment and groundwater in karst region is the main source of water eutrophication. Strong P sorption capacity of minerals is generally assumed to be a key driver of P leaching in subtropical ecosystems which varies among different soil types. Here, we estimated P adsorption capacity of the O/A and AB horizon in both limestone soil and red soil of subtropical forests by fitting the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm to investigate the potential environmental risks of P. The maximum P sorption capacity ( Q m ), P sorption constant ( K L ), P sorption index (PSI), degree of P saturation (DPS), and maximum buffer capacity (MBC) were calculated. The results indicate that Q m of the O/A horizon in both soils were similar. Comparing these two soils, the red soil had a higher K L and MBC in the AB horizon; Q m of limestone soil was larger but K L was lower, indicating that the adsorption capacity of limestone soil was weaker and MBC was lower. There was no significant difference in PSI between the two soils. The DPS values of both soils were below 1.1%, indicating that P saturation is low in both subtropical forest soils due to the lack of marked anthropogenic disturbance. In the O/A horizon, P saturation associated with available P (DPSM3 and DPSOlsen) and that associated with P in the Fe-Al bound state (DPScitrate) were higher in the red soil than in the limestone soil. DPS did not differ significantly in the AB horizon, except for higher DPSM3 and DPScitrate in the red soil. The findings highlight the influence of the soil types on P adsorption. The P adsorption and buffering of red soils were higher than those of limestone soils, indicating a lower risk of P leaching in red subtropical forest soils.

The Effect of Sol-Gel Coatings on the Phosphorus (P) Adsorption Capacity of Calcareous Materials for Use in Water Treatment

(1) Phosphorus (P) removal has proven difficult in decentralized wastewater treatment systems, and P binding material, installed as an external filter, has been proposed for improving P removal. Especially, calcium (Ca)-rich materials have shown promising results. (2) Five calcareous materials were tested with isotherm batch experiments. The material with the highest P adsorption capacity was selected to undergo different Sol-Gel coatings, i.e., different coating dilution ratios (1:10, 1:5, and 1:1) and exposure periods (5, 10, and 15 min). The seven coated materials were evaluated by isotherm experiments. (3) The maximum adsorption capacity (Qmax) was determined by fitting the Langmuir equation. Qmax for the non-coated materials, and ranged from 0.7 (sand) to 35.1 (Catsan) mg P g−1 DW, while the coated materials ranged from 7.8 to 24.7 mg P g−1 DW depending on the coating. Based on the rotated Principal Component Analysis, the most important parameters for Qmax were the texture and the Ca content. (4) Catsan was the most promising material, but when performing a Sol-Gel coating, a trade-off between preserving Qmax and the coating thickness were evident, as the materials with the thinner coating preserved more of the sorption capacity. The development of P binding materials constitutes a useful technology in decentralized wastewater treatment systems.

Kinetics, Isotherms and Adsorption–Desorption Behavior of Phosphorus from Aqueous Solution Using Zirconium–Iron and Iron Modified Biosolid Biochars

Excessive discharge of phosphorus (P) to aquatic ecosystems can lead to unpleasant eutrophication phenomenon. Removal and recovery of P is challenging due to low C/N ratios in wastewater, hence the development of efficient removal and recovery of P strategies is essential. In this study, zirconium–iron (Zr–FeBC) and iron modified (Fe–BC) biosolid biochars were examined to investigate their capacity for the removal of P by batch experiments. The influence of solution pH, biochar dose, initial P concentration, ionic strength, interfering ions and temperature were also studied to evaluate the P adsorption performance of biochars. The P experimental data were best described with pseudo-second order kinetics and the Freundlich isotherm model. The maximum P adsorption capacities were reached to 33.33 and 25.71 mg g−1 for 24 h by Zr–FeBC and Fe-BC at pH 5 and 4, respectively. Desorption studies were performed to investigate the reusability, cost-effectiveness and stability of the adsorbents Zr–FeBC and Fe-BC. The adsorption–desorption study suggests that both examined biochars have considerable potentiality as adsorbent candidates in removing as well as recovery of P from wastewaters. Results also reveal that the regenerated Zr–FeBC and Fe–BC could be utilized repetitively in seven adsorption–desorption cycles using NaOH as a desorbing agent, which greatly reduces the P-removal cost from wastewaters. Thus, P enriched biochar could potentially be used as fertilizer in the agriculture sector.

Sediment metals adhering to biochar enhanced phosphorus adsorption in sediment capping

Metal ions in sediment were inherent Ca and Fe sources for biochar modification. In this work, effect of Ca2+ and Fe2+ released from sediment on biochar for phosphorus adsorption was evaluated. Results showed that, raw peanut shell biochar (PSB) was poor in phosphorus adsorption (0.48 mg/g); sediment-triggered biochar (S-PSB) exhibited P adsorption capacity of 1.32 mg/g in capping reactor and maximum adsorption capacity of 10.72 mg/g in Langmuir model. Sediment released Ca2+ of 2.2–4.1 mg/L and Fe2+/Fe3+ of 0.2–9.0 mg/L. The metals loaded onto biochar surface in the forms of Ca-O and Fe-O, with Ca and Fe content of 1.47 and 0.29%, respectively. Sediment metals made point of zero charge (pHpzc) of biochar shifted from 5.39 to 6.46. The mechanisms of enhanced P adsorption by S-PSB were surface complexation of CaHPO4 followed by precipitation of Ca3(PO4)2 and Ca5(PO4)3(OH). Sediment metals induced modification of biochar and improvement of P adsorption, which was feasible to overcome the shortcomings of biochar on phosphorus control in sediment capping.

Effects of Two-Stage Ditch and Natural Floodplains on Sediment Processes Driven by Different Hydrological Conditions

The two-stage ditch is a river restoration technique that aims at improving the sediment regime and lateral channel connectivity by recreating a small floodplain alongside a stream reach. This study aimed to analyze the efficiency of a two-stage ditch in improving the stream sediment structure and functions under different hydrological conditions (baseflow, post-bankfull, post-flood). Stream sediments were collected in channel sections adjacent to the two-stage ditch, adjacent to a natural floodplain along channelized reaches without inundation areas. Grain sizes, organic matter content and phosphorous (P) fractions were analyzed along with functional parameters (benthic respiration rate and P adsorption capacity, EPC0). The reach at the two-stage ditch showed no changes in sediment texture and stocks, while the floodplain reach showed higher fines and organic matter content under all hydrological conditions. The sediments in degraded reaches were more likely to be P sources, while they were more in equilibrium with the water column next to the natural floodplains and the two-stage ditch. Only functional parameters allowed for assessing the restoration effects on improving the sediment stability and functionality. Due to its sensitivity, the use of P adsorption capacity is recommended in future studies aiming at evaluating the response of river sediments to restoration measures under different hydrological conditions.

ADSORÇÃO DE FÓSFORO EM SOLOS DE REGIÕES TROPICAIS

O fósforo (P) é o nutriente mais limitante ao cultivo nos solos tropicais, que, geralmente, apresentam alta capacidade de adsorção de P. Alguns atributos químicos e físicos do solo como o teor de argila, pH, CTC efetiva e matéria orgânica influenciam na dinâmica de adsorção. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o processo de adsorção do fósforo em um Latossolo Vermelho Amarelo (LVA) e um Neossolo Quartzarênico (RQ) da região de transição Cerrado-Amazônia, e avaliar os atributos dos solos que influenciam na dinâmica de adsorção do P. Os ensaios de sorção foram realizados pelo método “Batch” ou em batelada e à partir dos dados obtidos foram construídas curvas obtendo a equação linearizada de Langmuir, com as quais foram determinados os valores de capacidade máxima de adsorção de P (CMAP), a constante relacionada com a energia de ligação (KL) e o fator capacidade de P máximo (FCPmáx). Houve diferença na CMAP, KL e FCPmáx dos solos estudados, sendo que os maiores valores foram encontrados no LVA, devido principalmente ao maior teor de argila em relação ao RQ. A matéria orgânica foi um dos poucos atributos que tiveram correlação negativa com os atributos de adsorção, ressaltando sua importância no manejo para aumentar a eficiência da adubação fosfatada. Palavras-chave: Latossolo Vermelho Amarelo; Neossolo Quartzarênico; Isotermas de adsorção. Phosphorus adsorption in soils of tropical regions ABSTRACT: Phosphorus (P) is the most limiting nutrient for cultivation in tropical soils, as they generally have high P adsorption capacity. Some chemical and physical attributes of soil such as clay content, pH, effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) and organic matter influence the adsorption dynamics. The objective of this study was to evaluate the behaviour of the phosphorus adsorption process in a Red-Yellow Latosol and a Quartzarenic Neosol from the Cerrado-Amazon transition region, and to evaluate the soil attributes that influence the adsorption dynamics of the soil of the phosphorus. Sorption tests were performed using the “Bach” method, from the Langmuir linearized equation, the maximum P adsorption capacity (MPAC), the constant with the binding energy (KB) and the maximum capacity factor (PCFmax) were selected. There was a difference in MPAC, KB and PCFmax of the studied soils, and the highest values ​​were found in the Red-Yellow Oxisol, mainly due to the higher clay content in relation to theTypic Quartzipisamment. Organic matter was one of the few attributes that had a negative correlation with the adsorption attributes, highlighting (emphasizing) it’s importance in (soil) management to increase the efficiency of phosphate fertilization. Keywords: Red-Yellow Latosol; Quartzarenic Neosol; adsorption isotherms.

The Sewage Sludge Biochar and Its Composts Influence the Phosphate Sorption in an Alkaline–Calcareous Soil

This study evaluates the potential of sewage sludge, farm manure, rock phosphate, and their composts or biochar as useful materials for phosphorous (P) recovery. An alkaline–calcareous soil was incubated with different compost-based amendments to discern their impact on the P sorption characteristics. The treatments examined consisted of sewage sludge (SS), SS biochar (SS-BC), or composts of SS with rock phosphate (RP) and farm manure (FM) in different ratios, i.e., (i) control, (ii) SS, (iii) SS-BC, (iv) SS50:FM50, (v) SS75:FM25, (vi) SS25:FM25:RP50, (vii) SS50:FM25:RP25, (viii) SS75:FM0:RP25, and (ix) SS50:FM0:RP50. Prior to incubation for 45 days, the composts and biochar treatments combinations were characterized for elemental composition using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. The treated soils were analyzed for soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), Olsen’s P, and P adsorption isotherms, at day 5 and 45 of the incubation. Langmuir and Freundlich’s equations were used to calculate P adsorption. Results showed that there was no significant influence on soil pH for any treatment throughout the experiment. However, soil EC decreased significantly for all treatments after 5 days of incubation; however, this effect was diminished after 45 days of incubation. All the treatments significantly decreased P sorption capacity both at the start (day 5) and end of the incubation (day 45) period compared to control. The treatment combination SS25:FM25:RP50 recovered the highest Olsen-P (79.41 mg kg−1). The other treatment combinations including SS and FM also recovered a greater Olsen’s P compared to the control. However, the sole application of only SS showed lower P recovery than the control soil, which further decreased with increase in incubation time. These findings improve our understanding that the stable pool of bioavailable P within an alkaline calcareous soil can be mobilized by using different organic treatment combinations instead of only SS. However, further in situ investigations may help to valorize the potential of sewage sludge, farm manure, rock phosphate, and their composts or biochar to improve P recovery in alkaline–calcareous.

Impacts of long-term inorganic and organic fertilization on phosphorus adsorption and desorption characteristics in red paddies in southern China

Soil phosphorus (P) adsorption and desorption occur in an important endogenous cycle linked with soil fertility problems and relevant to the environmental risk assessment of P. In our study, the effect of long-term inorganic and organic fertilization on P adsorption and desorption characteristics in relation to changes in soil properties was evaluated by selecting three long-term experimental sites in southern China. The selected treatments at each site were CK (unfertilized), NPK (synthetic nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) and NPKM (synthetic NPK plus manure). The adsorption and desorption characteristics of P were evaluated using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The results showed that long-term application of NPK plus manure significantly increased soil organic carbon (SOC), total P and available P at all three sites compared with the NPK and CK treatments. All three treatments fit these equations well. The maximum adsorption capacity (Qm) of P increased with NPKM treatment, and the binding energy of P (K) and the maximum buffering capacity (MBC) showed increasing trends. NPKM showed the highest Qm (2346.13 mg kg-1) at the Jinxian site, followed by Nanchang (221.16 mg kg-1) and Ningxiang (2219.36 mg kg-1). Compared to CK and NPK, the NPKM treatment showed a higher MBC as 66.64, 46.93 and 44.39 L kg-1 at all three sites. The maximum desorption capacity (Dm) of P in soil was highest with the NPKM treatment (157.58, 166.76, 143.13 mg kg-1), showing a better ability to release P in soil. The correlation matrix showed a significant positive correlation of SOC, total and available P with Qm, Dm and MBC. In conclusion, it is suggested that manure addition is crucial to improve P utilization in red paddy soils within the recommended range to avoid the risk of environmental pollution.