Chapters authored
Processes and Factors Affecting Phosphorus Sorption in Soils
The subject of this chapter is soil chemistry. The chapter is entitled Processes and Factors Affecting Phosphorus (P) Adsorption in Soils. The chapter aims to give an overview of the major mechanisms responsible for phosphate sorption (i.e., adsorption and absorption of phosphate) in soils, particularly of acid soils. According to studies conducted by some soil scientists, the major soil factors affecting P sorption are time, soil pH, soil organic matter, and iron and aluminium oxides of soils. Studies conducted indicated that adsorption of the P increases as the P ages in the soil. Soil pH affects phosphate adsorption but the effect is limited for adsorption by soils in the pH range of 4–8. Organic matter may affect P adsorption in two ways: indirectly by inhibiting iron oxide crystallisation and directly by competing for adsorption sites. On per mole basis, oxalate extractable aluminium oxides adsorb nearly twice as much P as oxalate extractable iron oxides due to poorer crystallinity (higher specific area) of the aluminium oxides compared to the iron oxides and also to a higher charge of the former. The chapter also highlights the pedotransfer functions (PTFs) of Borggaard, which can be used to calculate for the P adsorption in highly weathered acid soils.
Part of the book: Sorption in 2020s