Migration and Transformation of Phosphorus from Phosphogypsum Leachate with High Fluorine Concentration in Soils with Different pH Values
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 149, Issue 5
Abstract
Soil pH can effectively regulate phosphorus (P) transport. In this study, phosphogypsum (PG) leachate, with a high concentration of fluoride ions () and low pH, was applied to soils for the control of P release under different soil pH conditions. P transport in soil columns was investigated by monitoring tracer molecules in acidic, alkaline, and neutral soils. Saturated P-soil column experiments were conducted to determine the influence of soil pH on the release and retention of P derived from PG leachate in the soil. The results were compared with those obtained using phosphate fertilizer solution and a blank control, which showed that PG leachate with a high concentration and low pH significantly reduced the P retention capacity of all three types of soil. The high concentration and low pH level of PG leachate did not affect the conversion direction of P in the acidic soil environment (S01), which was dominated by iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) elements. In contrast, the high concentration and low pH level promoted the conversion of dicalcium phosphate () and octacalcium phosphate () to iron phosphate (Fe-P) and aluminum phosphate (Al-P) in alkaline soil (S02), which was dominated by calcium (Ca) systems. Varying pH conditions were found to change the fractions of various P forms in soil by affecting microbial biomass and activity related to soil P cycling, thus inhibiting the mutual conversion of PG leachate P between inorganic and organic forms in different types of soil. The findings of this study provide support for the effective control of soil and groundwater pollution caused by P contamination derived from PG leachate.
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Data Availability Statement
The data sets used and analyzed during this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41977170), the Sichuan Science and Technology Program (No. 2018SZDZX0020), the State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection Independent Research Project (SKLGP2021Z006), and the Key Research and Development Program of Sichuan Province of China (No. 2018SZ0311).
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 149 • Issue 5 • May 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 22, 2022
Accepted: Nov 30, 2022
Published online: Feb 16, 2023
Published in print: May 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Jul 16, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Chemical compounds
- Chemical properties
- Chemicals
- Chemistry
- Environmental engineering
- Geomechanics
- Geotechnical engineering
- Groundwater pollution
- Leachates
- Nutrient pollution
- pH
- Phosphate
- Pollution
- Salts
- Saturated soils
- Soft soils
- Soil mechanics
- Soil pollution
- Soil properties
- Soils (by type)
- Waste management
- Waste treatment
- Water pollution
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