Effect of Soil Moisture Content Upon Adsorption and Movement of Phosphorus from Leachates of Domestic Waste Disposal Systems

摘要

This investigation was undertaken in an attempt to establish the effects of soil moisture content upon movement and adsorption of phosphorus (P), knowing this relationship would help in optimizing the design of leachfields. Three plexiglass laboratory soil columns containing the same Adams soil were loaded with a P solution (25 mg/liter as P) at rates to maintain constant saturation levels throughout the column (1.0 (fully saturated), 0.86, and 0.64). Reducing the degree of saturation, by controlling infiltration rate in otherwise physically-similar columns, increased the soil adsorptive capacity and hence greatly reduced the extent of P penetration into the column per pore volume of influent applied.