Phosphorus fate and transport in soil columns loaded intermittently with influent of high phosphorus concentrations

Tian C. Zhang, Mohamed F. Dahab, Germana S. Nunes, Cong Hu, Rao Surampalli

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this study, several columns of different lengths were filled with composite soils sampled from the field at corresponding depths and then loaded intermittently with influent of a high phosphorus concentration to evaluate phosphorus fate and transport in soil. The results indicate that the height of the mass transfer zone, solvent pore velocity, and soil's life expectancy for phosphorus removal increased with depth, while the retained phosphorus per kilogram of soil and the linear adsorption equilibrium coefficient, R, decreased with depth. An equation was developed to link liquid-phase phosphorus with solvent traveling time and soil depth. The results of X-ray diffraction and washout tests indicate that calcium-phosphorus precipitation and/or crystal growth occurred in the columns. The new protocol is useful for evaluation of phosphorus fate and transport in other subsurface systems, because it allows flexible adjustments in hydraulic loadings, feed solution, and sampling schemes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2343-2351
Number of pages9
JournalWater Environment Research
Volume79
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2007

Keywords

  • Adsorption
  • Fate and transport
  • Land treatment system
  • Life expectancy
  • Phosphorus

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Ecological Modeling
  • Water Science and Technology
  • Waste Management and Disposal
  • Pollution

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