Hari K. Pant

Phosphorus retention capacity of root bed media of sub-surface flow constructed wetlands

Phosphorus retention by sub-surface flow constructed wetlands is dependent upon the effluent quality, loading rate and type of root bed media. Three types of root bed media (Lockport dolomite, Queenston shale and Fonthill sand) at various stages of their use were sampled from a sub-surface flow wetland located in Sewage Waste Amendment Marsh Process Project (SWAMP), Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, and their P sorption characteristics were investigated. Lower equilibrium P concentration (EPCo) and higher P sorption maxima (Smax) and retention capacity (Pr) of untreated Fonthill sand compared to untreated Lockport dolomite and Queenston shale indicated that Fonthill sand could be better root bed media for sub-surface flow constructed wetland systems to remove P from wastewater. In general, EPCo of the root bed media increased with the duration of their use. Untreated root bed media indicated that the greater the amount of poorly crystalline forms of aluminum (Al), and magnesium (Mg) contents, the greater their EPC0. The P sorption maxima of root bed media increased with use by accumulation of amorphous and poorly crystalline forms of Al and iron (Fe). However, in alkaline root bed media, preferential P sorption occurred more on amorphous and poorly crystalline forms of Al than Fe. This study also indicated that increases in P sorption capacities of root bed media do not necessarily assure lower effluent P concentrations, since EPCo increased by several fold with use.

Potential internal loading of phosphorus in a wetland constructed in agricultural land.

Wetland construction on agricultural or dairy lands could result in solubilization of phosphorus (P) stored in soils and release to the water column. To study the extent of P flux during the start-up period of a constructed wetland, intact soil-cores from areas used for dairy operations, in Okeechobee, Florida, USA were obtained and flooded with adjacent creek water. In the first 28-day hydraulic-retention period, P concentration in the water column increased several fold due to rapid P flux from impacted soils. A continuous decrease in P flux to the water column until the third hydraulic retention cycle (initial influent P concentration 0.2 mgL(-1)), and constant thereafter suggest that the effect of initial influent P upon long-term P flux from soils could be limited. The initial release maybe due to high concentration of labile P in impacted soils; however, slow dissolution of relatively stable P pools could maintain a steady flux, well above of that observed from non-impacted soils. Water soluble P along with double acid-extractable magnesium explained 76% of the variability in cumulative P flux to the water column. Apparently, co-occurrence of active adsorption-desorption phenomena due to independent maintenance of equilibrium by individual P compounds regulates P dynamics of the water column. The results indicated that equilibrium P concentration of the water column of the wetland would be above 1.3 mgL(-1), which is well above the targeted P level in the water column of the Lake Okeechobee, one of the main water bodies in the area (0.04 mg PL(-1)). This suggests construction of wetlands in agricultural lands could result to substantial internal P loading. However, preventative measures including chemical amendments, establishment of vegetative communities or flushing the initially released P may potentially stabilize the system, and maintain P removal efficiency.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of soil organic phosphorus by immobilized phosphatases

Abstract In order to estimate the role of phosphatases in maintaining the potential bioavailable P pool in soils, water and 0.4 M NaOH soil extracts were incubated with immobilized acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, phospholipase and nuclease, separately, and in combinations. Immobilized nuclease at an optimum pH of 7.0 hydrolyzed the most soluble unreactive P (SUP) both in water and 0.4 M NaOH extracts. The combination of immobilized alkaline phosphatase and nuclease increased the hydrolysis of SUP at pH 7.0 by up to 61% in 0.4 M NaOH extracts relative to that due to immobilized nuclease alone. The combination of immobilized acid phosphatase and nuclease, however, did not increase the hydrolysis of SUP in either extract relative to that due to immobilized nuclease alone. Immobilized alkaline phosphatase and phospholipase increased the hydrolysis of SUP at pH 7.0 by up to 62% in 0.4 M NaOH extracts relative to that due to immobilized phospholipase alone. Similarly, immobilized acid phosphatase and phospholipase increased the hydrolysis of SUP at pH 7.0 by up to 49% in 0.4 M NaOH extracts relative to that due to immobilized phospholipase alone. The similarities in the optimum pH of indigenous phosphatases in soils and the immobilized phosphatases used in this study, immobilized on positively charged supports, suggests that indigenous phosphatases could be immobilized on positively charged surfaces in soils.

Extraction, molecular fractionation and enzyme degradation of organically associated phosphorus in soil solutions

The concentrations and chemical composition of water-extractable P were compared in four soil types from NE Scotland. All sites were sampled during the early establishment phase of a spring barley (Hordeum vulgare) crop. The quantity of total soluble P extracted ranged from <2.0 to 10 mg P kg soil-1, of which up to 50% was classified as being organically associated. Sample fractionation showed that both orthophosphate inorganic P and organic P were associated with a wide molecular-size range of organic material. A strong positive correlation was readily apparent between P and the sum of Fe + Al in the fractionated samples. The extent of enzymatic hydrolysis of organic P varied between soil samples and the type of enzyme. Phytase consistently produced the greatest degree of hydrolysis.

Identification of soil organic phosphorus by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Abstract Soil samples from different land use systems were collected before cropping (in spring) and after harvest (in fall) for organic phosphorus (P) extractions by 0.4M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and characterization by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. To prevent hydrolysis of organic P compounds prior to sample concentration, NaOH was removed from the NaOH soil extracts using a G‐25 Sephadex column. The 31P NMR spectra in the NaOH soil extracts showed the presence of glucose‐6 phosphate (up to 64%), glycerophosphate (up to 45%), nucleoside monophosphates (up to 91%), and polynucleotides (up to 58%) as the major forms of organic P in soils. The relative concentration of nucleoside monophosphates and polynucleotides decreased in some of the soils after harvest. The 31P NMR spectra of the extracts also revealed the presence of phosphoenolpyruvates, a previously unreported form of soil organic P.

Molecular size distribution and enzymatic degradation of organic phosphorus in root exudates of spring barley

Seeds from two varieties of spring barley (Prisma and Camorgue) were grown axenically in water. After 14 days, the culture solutions contained organic P substances (about 4 μg P per plant) derived from root exudation, representing about 3% of the total P found in the seed. Gel filtration, separated the organic P into two well defined peaks, one with a high molecular weight (>45000 daltons) and the other with a low molecular weight (<500 daltons). The bioavailability of the soluble organic P released was assessed enzymatically and chemically. At the optimum pH of 5.0, phytase and acid phosphatase hydrolysed about 80% and 65%, respectively of the organic P in the exudate after 24 h whereas at the optimum pH of 9.8, alkaline phosphatase hydrolysed up to 40% P after the same length of time. In a pH 5.0 buffer, up to 10% of the organic P was hydrolysed compared with up to 45% in a pH 9.8 buffer. The high molecular weight organic P fraction recovered from the G-75 Sephadex behaved similarly.

Identification of organic phosphorus compounds in the Bronx River bed sediments by phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Sediment characteristics influence the distribution and bioavailability of phosphorus (P) in rivers and lakes. The objectives of this study were to identify P compounds in sediments collected from 15 sites along the Bronx River to get insights on nutrient transport for management of highly variable and modified ecosystems such as the Bronx River. The nuclear magnetic resonance spectra showed that the dominant P species in Bronx River bed sediments are orthophosphate monoester and lesser phosphate diesters and pyrophosphates (pyro-P). The P compounds were mostly glycerophosphate, nucleoside monophosphates, and polynucleotides. A few sites showed a small amount of dihydroxyacetone phosphate, inosine monophosphate. By allowing a downstream comparison of P compound variations along the Bronx River, this study provides a step toward improving water quality in an urban river system such as New York City and helps to assess the bioavailability of P, in turn, design estuary habitat restoration projects in comparable region of the world.

Phosphorus release from soils upon exposure to ultra‐violet light

Abstract Available phosphorus (P) is often low in acid soils either due to its adsorption or precipitation by iron (Fe) oxides and hydroxides. Ultra‐violet (UV) light can induce the release of P from Fe(III)‐P compounds though the photo‐reduction process. Soils collected from a permanent timothy (Phleum pratense) pasture, subjected to manure applications at different rates and times of the year, were irradiated at different UV‐B strengths. No significant difference was obtained in the release of soluble reactive P (SRP) from soils irradiated at higher strength (45 mw‐1 m‐2) or lower strength (16 mw ‐1 m‐2) of UV‐B. The increase in SRP after UV irradiation, however, was highest in soils from unamended subplots followed by subplots amended with manure in spring and summer. This study showed that sunlight could play a significant role in maintaining a bioavailable P pool in soils. Moreover, the study hypothesized that an application of manure to a timothy pasture in the summer might reduce P loss to runoff and help to utilize native soil P.

Phosphorus sorption characteristics of the Bronx River bed sediments.

Abstract Phosphorus (P) is a major nutrient for plant growth, and it is often the primary limiting nutrient in freshwater ecosystems controlling algal blooms. The Bronx River of New York City, New York, USA includes freshwater and coastal water systems. The water quality of both fresh and saline water is lower than the standard levels designated by New York State, and classified as Class B and Class I waters, respectively. Algal blooms and oxygen depletion within the river have degraded the water quality, endangered fishing, and limited recreational use. The internal loading of P, an important bioavailability indicator in the Bronx River, is determined by the sorption processes, i.e., cycling of P between solid and liquid phases. The objectives of this study were to understand how P sorption characteristics affect the internal loading of P and the conditions that might give rise to a flux of P from sediment to the water column, and to estimate the effects of physicochemical properties of the sediments on P sorption parameters. Bed sediments were collected from 15 sites along the Bronx River, from the origin in Westchester Davis Brook, Kensico Dam through the Bronx to the Sound View Park estuary. Phosphorus sorption maximum (Smax) were significantly correlated with oxalate–extractable iron (Ox–Fe) and aluminum (Ox–Al), acid-extractable calcium (HCl–Ca) and magnesium (HCl–Mg), and total organic matter (OM), suggesting that not only metal ions affected P sorption characteristics, but OM also influenced the P sorption processes. This study also showed that originally sorbed P (S0) was significantly correlated with Ox–Fe, Ox–Al, HCl–Mg, and OM. The extremely high values of the percentage of sorbed P retained in sediments (>98% for all sites except the two estuary sites: site 13 of 88% and site 14 of 92%) suggest that a large flux of P to the water column from the sediments could potentially occur under changing hydro-climatic conditions, such as the changes in pH, ionic strength and redox conditions, which may, in turn, exacerbate eutrophic conditions and subsequent algal blooms.

Nitrous oxide emissions in nonflooding period from fallow paddy fields.

The study was conducted to investigate the N2O emissions and dissolved N2O in the leachate during the nonflooding period in nongrowing paddy fields. Three kinds of paddy soils were repacked to soil columns and were supersaturated with water initially and dried gradually in a greenhouse to attain the N2O emissions flux during the incubation. Soils with the texture of silty clay-loam (Q and H) produced cracks during the drying of soil, but soil with the texture of silty loam (X) did not form the cracks. Cracked soils had similar amount of N2O emissions, and the mean N2O flux was 1,280.9 and 1,133.3 microg/(m2 x h) from Q and H soil, respectively, during the incubation; whereas the mean N2O flux from noncracked X soil was 426.3 microg/(m2 x h), i.e., significantly different from cracked soils. From cracked soils, the diurnal N2O emissions reached two peaks at 14:00 and 2:00, but such emissions peaked only at 2:00 from noncracked soil. The dissolved N2O concentrations in leachates from noncracked soil columns were greater than those from the cracked soil columns, and it indicated that the preferential flow might not affect the amounts of dissolved N2O in leachates during soil cracking. Supersaturated dissolved N2O in the leachate was potential source of N2O emissions. Fallow paddy fields have big risks of N2O emissions during nonflooding periods.