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Phosphorus remediation by acid mine drainage floc and its implications for phosphorus environmental indices

  • SOILS, SEC 2 • GLOBAL CHANGE, ENVIRON RISK ASSESS, SUSTAINABLE LAND USE • RESEARCH ARTICLE
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Abstract

Purpose

Acid mine drainage (AMD) and phosphorus pollution are grave environmental concerns. Iron- and aluminum oxide-rich waste resulting from AMD treatment, variously called floc, sludge, or ochre, needs quick disposal. Fe and Al oxides have great affinity for phosphorus. AMD floc needs be characterized for its relative affinity for inorganic and organic P and subsequently for its implications in the validity of degree of P saturation (DPS) like environmental indices.

Materials and method

Phosphorus sorption on ammonia-treated floc (AF) and lime-treated- (LF) and sodium hydroxide-treated AMD floc (SF) was examined by using a range of concentrations of inorganic P (IP) and organic P (OP, inositol hexaphosphate (IHP), or phytate, the predominant OP form in manures and soils).

Results and discussion

AMD floc was highly effective, in the order AF > SF > LF, in attenuating solution P. IHP-P attenuation was 2.5–3 times IP attenuation under high P loadings. Phosphorus remediation differences across the floc types seemed to be due to differences in their surface area and porosity. A comparison between inorganic and organic P attenuation ability of the flocs suggested against blanket use of an arbitrary α value in computing DPS. Factor α in the DPS index represents the maximum number of moles of P sorbable on one mole of amorphous Fe + Al. Value of α (0.81) in OP sorption was highly different from the α value in IP (0.28) in the IP sorption. This vast difference suggests against arbitrary choices of α value in computing the DPS index.

Conclusions

AMD flocs can effectively attenuate P, especially manure P. Relative abundance of type or sources of P needs to be considered in the computation of such soil P indices that are solely based upon the amount of P associated with amorphous phases of Fe and Al oxides.

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Acknowledgments

Graduate Research Assistantship to the first author and other funds for this research were provided by West Virginia University, Morgantown, USA. Leave of absence to the first author for carrying out this work was granted by Government of Punjab State, India.

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Author notes

  1. Bharpoor S. Sekhon

    Present address: Department of Soil Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 141004, India

  2. Devinder K. Bhumbla

    Present address: American Red Cross, Washington, DC, 20013-37295, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506-6108, USA

    Bharpoor S. Sekhon & Devinder K. Bhumbla

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  1. Bharpoor S. Sekhon
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  2. Devinder K. Bhumbla
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Correspondence to Bharpoor S. Sekhon.

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Sekhon, B.S., Bhumbla, D.K. Phosphorus remediation by acid mine drainage floc and its implications for phosphorus environmental indices. J Soils Sediments 13, 336–343 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-012-0621-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-012-0621-y

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