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Amorphous Aluminum Hydroxide Control on Sulfate and Phosphate in Sediment-Solution Systems

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Abstract

We experimentally determined the adsorption characteristics of natural, freshly precipitated Al(OH)3 for SO4 and PO4. The fresh Al precipitate occurred in stream sediment of Jachymov Stream (Czech Republic). The Al-rich sediment strongly adsorbed added PO4 prior to acidification experiment; this sorbed PO4 was released only after substantial dissolution of the sediment, at pH < 3.67. Sorption of P by Al(OH)3 appears to be an important control on dissolved PO4 concentration in surface waters, unless there is a large excess of PO4. Acidification of the sediment-solution system caused protonation of the sediment surface, thereby increasing the adsorption capacity for SO4. Maximum SO4 adsorption occurred at pH 4.2, below which dissolution of the sediment offset the increasing anion adsorption capacity, and formation of AISO4 + inhibited the increasing SO4 adsorption capacity. This research demonstrates that there are important pH thresholds for anion adsorption in freshwaters below which dissolution of the Al(OH)3 substrate reduces total capacity for anion adsorption. In freshwaters, with sufficient concentrations of suspended Al(OH)3, or in Al(OH)3-rich sediment, PO4 mobility will be severely restricted. Suspended Al(OH)3 in acidified surface waters cannot strongly influence SO4 concentrations because of the considerably higher total SO4 concentrations compared to the available surface area.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful for the help of Maria Hojdova in the field and Irena Dobesova in the laboratory. TEM imaging was done by M. Klementova at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, ASCR, v.v.i.. BET measurements were done by A. Zukal at the J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, ASCR, v.v.i.. The National Science Foundation (DEB-0415348 and DEB-0210257) supported Norton, Fernandez, and Amirbahman. Rohovec was supported by institutional project no. AV0Z30130516 and Navratil by project KONAKT ME 840 and the J.W. Fulbright Commission.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Czech Geological Survey, Klárov 3, Prague 1, 118 21, Czech Republic

    Tomas Navratil

  2. Institute of Geology, Acad. of Sci. v.v.i, Rozvojová 269, Prague 6, 16502, Czech Republic

    Jan Rohovec

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469-5711, USA

    Aria Amirbahman

  4. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469-5790, USA

    Stephen A. Norton

  5. Department of Plant, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469-5722, USA

    Ivan J. Fernandez

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  1. Tomas Navratil
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Correspondence to Tomas Navratil.

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Navratil, T., Rohovec, J., Amirbahman, A. et al. Amorphous Aluminum Hydroxide Control on Sulfate and Phosphate in Sediment-Solution Systems. Water Air Soil Pollut 201, 87–98 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-008-9929-z

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