Opposite response of phosphorus sorption to pH and ionic strength: a comparative study in two different shallow lake sediments

Abstract

Phosphorus (P) sediment sorption is regarded as the most important buffering process against P increases in overlying water. In this study, two shallow eutrophic sediments (Mei and Hua) with distinct compositions were selected to assess effects of pH (from 6 to 9) and ionic strength (IS) (0, 0.001, 0.01 and 0.1 M KCl) on P sorption. In Mei sediments, the P sorption decreased as pH increased (6.97–9.13), but it increased as IS increased over the pH range in question. These results could be attributed to the negatively charged surface of Mei sediments, as indicated by the salt titration curve, and the high cation exchange capacity (CEC). P sorption in Hua sediments was facilitated by a pH increase (6.12–7.49), but it was hindered by an IS increase. A reasonable explanation for this phenomenon is that calcium phosphate precipitates at high pHs and that Cl− exchanges with P because the surface is weakly charged (small CEC). These results indicate that the sediment P sorption may have trends opposite to one another in relation to the salt change (e.g. drought and rainy season) in the lake water between the two sediments. These data provide additional support to explain P concentration variations in lakes.