Effects of benthic algae on release of soluble reactive phosphorus from sediments: a radioisotope tracing study

To evaluate the effect of benthic algae on soluble reactive phosphorus（SRP） release from sediments in shallow lakes, experiments on SRP release with and without benthic algae in sediment cores and an experiment on SRP uptake by benthic algae were conducted using the radioisotope（32P） tracing method. The dissolved oxygen（DO） concentration in sediment cores was also investigated. The results show that benthic algae effectively reduce the release of SRP from sediments to overlying water. The uptake of SRP by benthic algae, which is the direct way in which benthic algae affect the SRP release from sediments, is low in filtered water and increases with the SRP concentration. However, in the experiment, the increased uptake rate lasted for a short time（in one hour）, and after that it returned to a low rate. Benthic algae make the DO concentration and the oxic layer thickness increased, which can indirectly reduce the SRP release from sediments. These findings indicate that benthic algae can reduce the SRP release from sediments in both direct and indirect ways. It seems that the indirect way also plays an important role in reducing the SRP release from sediments.

Bioleaching of soluble phosphorus from rock phosphate containing pyrite with DES-induced Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

The effects of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans(At. f) mutated with diethyl sulfate(DES) as a mutagen on the bioleaching of soluble phosphorus(P) from rock phosphate(RP) were investigated. The results show that the oxidative activity of At. f is greatly improved by 1.0%(volume fraction) of DES. Correspondingly,the highest leaching rate of soluble P is also obtained to be 14.9% by the At. f mutated,which is 85.8% higher than that of the adapted At. f without mutation. In addition,the SEM images are significantly performed that the corrosion of RP residue surfaces leached by 1.0% DES-induced At.f is much worse than that of leached by the adapted At. f. All the above indicate that the leaching efficiency of soluble P from RP with pyrite can be greatly improved by using DES-induced At. f to a certain extent.

Identifying Nonpoint Sources of Phosphorus and Nitrogen: A Case Study of Pollution That Enters a Freshwater Wetland (Laguna Cartagena, Puerto Rico)

Point and nonpoint sources of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) can cause reductions in water quality, including eutrophication. Nonpoint pollution represents a special challenge because of dispersed not easily identifiable sources such as the runoff from soil, nutrients, and other chemicals from agricultural fields and residential areas. Laguna Cartagena is a tropical freshwater wetland, situated in southwestern Puerto Rico. It is a eutrophic ecosystem, and its eutrophication is caused by both external nutrient loading and internal, mainly by phosphorus. This wetland has been affected by phosphorus loading from inorganic agricultural fertilizer in this historically oligotrophic wetland system until the end of subsidized fertilizer use and sugar cane cultivation in the late 1990s. This study identifies: 1) nonpoint sources of phosphorus (SRP, Soluble Reactive Phosphorus and TP, Total Phosphorus) and nitrogen (nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia) that enter Laguna Cartagena;and 2) the role of precipitation events on the contributions of phosphorus and nitrogen loading to ecosystems. Herein we assess water samples from five channelized external sources of P and N that enter Laguna Cartagena at two-week intervals from October 2013 through November 2014. Rainfall data were obtained weekly from a rain gauge. Standard methods were used for all chemical analyses. Results showed that the channelized waterways that carry water to the lagoon can be classified as hypereutrophic (>100 μg/L) for TP concentrations and oligotrophic (<200 μg/L) for nitrogen concentrations. Currently agriculture (rice and cattle) is the predominant land use at the nearby University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Lajas Agricultural Experiment Substation, the predominant nonpoint source of nutrient pollution (SRP, TP and ammonia) in the principal channelized water sources to the lagoon. Current nutrient loads are likely derived from fertilizers applied to the Substation’s rice fields, and a high density livestock. The second important cause of external surface water degradation (SRP, TP and ammonia) is the discharge from rural households in the drainage basin that discharge greywater directly to the environment, as indicated by the results from Cerro Alto hills immediately to the north of the lagoon. Precipitation also was associated with SRP, TP and ammonia loads.

Extraction and Reaction Mechanism of Potassium from Associated Phosphorus and Potassium Ore

Potassium and phosphate were extracted at low temperature by acid hydrolysis process to decompose a new type of associated phosphorus and potassium ore. The main factors affecting the dissolution rate were investigated, such as grinding fineness, the amount of sulfuric acid and fluoride salt, reaction time and temperature, etc. Meanwhile, the effects of various factors on the formation of soluble potassium and phosphate were also discussed. The reaction products and residues were determined by X-ray diffraction（XRD）, scanning electron microscopic（SEM） analysis and other means. The results showed that the dissolution rates of potassium and phosphorus were 70wt% and 93.7wt%, respectively, under the conditions of a grain size of 95.64wt% lessthan 0.074 mm, 9.78 g·g^（-1） sulfuric acid, 0.5 g·g^（-1） ammonium fluoride, 160 ℃ and a reaction time of 2h. The thermodynamic and chemical reaction mechanism was revealed that the primary reaction could be completed spontaneously in a temperature range of 298-433 K. The increase of reaction temperature had an important influence on ion exchange reaction, which was more conducive to the spontaneous process. The research will open up a new way for efficient use of potassium ore resources.

Phosphorus Dynamics in Two Poultry-Litter Amended Soils of Mississippi Under Three Management Systems

An experiment arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications was conducted on a Lexington soil (fine-silty,mixed,active,thermic,Ultic Hapludalfs) and a Loring soil (fine-silty,mixed,active,thermic,Oxyaquic Fragiudalfs) in Mississippi from September 1997 to September 2000 on 18 runoff plots under natural rainfall condition to study the phosphorus (P) dynamics in poultry litter amended soils under three management systems combining tillage and planting date treatments to identify effective management practices in southern U.S.A.The management systems in the study were:1) tillage in the fall prior to litter application followed by a delayed planting of fall forages (CT-DP);2) tillage followed by immediate planting of the fall forage with subsequent litter application (CT-IP);and 3) no-till with planting prior to litter application (NT-IP).The results indicated that there was significant increase in soil P after 3 years of poultry litter application for both Lexington and Loring soils (P < 0.05).Based on P budget analysis,the majority of P from poultry litter application (> 90%),was accumulated in both soils.In Loring soil,soluble P mass in the runoff was significantly higher from NT-IP than from CT-DP and CT-IP over the entire study period (P < 0.01).For both soils,there were no significant differences in sediment P mass between management systems.For Loring soil,CT-DP and CT-IP were effective management practices to mitigate negative effects due to poultry litter application.

Effect of Different Levels of Water Soluble Phosphorus in Complex Fertilizers on Crop Productivity and Soil Health

Field experiments were undertaken on sandy soils with three cropping systems at Giridih,Jharkhand,India for two years during 2012-2014.The experiments were executed in split plot design by assigning water soluble phosphorus(WSP)fertilizers in main-plot and recommended dose of phosphorus(RDP)in sub-plot with three replications.The maximum economical yield of rice(4705 kg/ha),baby corn(842 kg/ha)and Chickpea(920 kg/ha)were recorded with the application of 30%WSP.The maximum economical yield of successive crops-wheat(3185 kg/ha),mustard(1720 kg/ha)and groundnut(1578 kg/ha)were recorded with the application of 30%WSP and 100%RDP treatment.Almost similar trends were noticed in terms of by-product yield,nutrient uptake and residual soil fertility status.All the levels of WSP(30%-89%)in complex fertilizers were found to be equally effective for grain yield,straw yield,nutrient uptake,and residual soil fertility.

Effects of treatment time and temperature on the DC corona pretreatment performance of waste activated sludge

In order to improve the anaerobic digestion efficiency of waste activated sludge（WAS）,a pretreatment procedure should be carried out so as to disrupt the microbial cell structure,thus releasing intracellular organic matters.In this paper,a corona discharge triggered by a DC voltage was employed to pre-treat WAS for various time periods under different temperatures.The magnitude of the DC voltage was 4 k V at both negative and positive polarities.The changes in the soluble chemical oxygen demand,phosphorus and nitrogen content,and p H value within the WAS were utilized to estimate the pretreatment performance of the DC corona.It was found that with increasing treatment time,the pretreatment efficiency tends to be reduced.With increased temperature,the pretreatment efficiency appears to be better.It is suggested that the oxidative species and the active particles generated in the corona discharge play an important role in disrupting the microbial cell structure,which is dependent upon the treatment time and the temperature.

Assessing high resolution oxidation-reduction potential and soluble reactive phosphorus variation across vertical sediments and water layers in Xinghu Lake:A novel laboratory approach

To understand the transfer process of soluble reactive phosphorus （SRP） on the lake sediment-water interface in a mesotrophic shallow lake in South China, the SRP concentrations and the oxidation-reduction potential （ORP） across the sediment-water interfaces were continually monitored. Sediment samples were collected from Xinghu Lake in Guangdong Province. The ORP dynamics at different layers of overlying water was similar for six experimental systems, whereas those in porewater were significantly different. The ORP in overlying water was 200-300 mV higher than those in sediments. The oxygen penetration depth ranged from 2 to 10 mm in Xiannu Lake sediments. The variation amplitudes of ORP increased with sediment depth, but the mean ORP values were all about 218 mV. The SRP concentrations in porewater maintained at a low level of about 0.049 mg/L because of high atom ratio of total iron and total manganese to total phosphorus. The SRP concentrations and variation amplitudes in porewater increased with sediment depth. The SRP in overlying water mainly originated from S RP transference of the porewater of middle and bottom sediments （3-15 cm）. The ORP variation and SRP transfer in porewater played important roles in changing SRP concentrations. A distinct SRP concentration gradient appeared in overlying water when intense exchange occurred at the sediment-water interface; therefore, it was necessary to monitor the SRP concentration profiles to accurately estimate the internal loading.