Facilitated transport of ferrihydrite with phosphate under saturated flow conditions

Tufail Shah, Kang Zhao*, Ai Chen, Atif Muhmood, Syed Atizaz Ali Shah, Muhammad Kashif Irshad, Yuji Arai, Jianying Shang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaperJournal articleResearchpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

With increasing phosphate (P) entering the environment during agricultural application, the subsurface flow of particular P has been recently discussed as a vital P transport pathway. Iron (oxyhydr)oxide colloid-facilitated P transport is critical for iron and P biogeochemical processes in the subsurface. This study investigated the ferrihydrite colloid-facilitated P transport through adsorption and column experiments under different P concentrations and three pH conditions. Increased P loading on ferrihydrite colloids decreased the transport of ferrihydrite colloids (< 8.0%) under acid conditions through pore straining and irreversible attachment. Under neutral and alkaline conditions, ferrihydrite colloids exhibited more negative surfaces and smaller diameters with increasing P, which further enhanced ferrihydrite colloid transport (maximum to 95.6%). Ferrihydrite colloid-facilitated P transport was limited under acid conditions, and it was 10% - 57% enhancement under neutral and alkaline conditions with increasing P adsorption. Under neutral conditions, ferrihydrite colloid-facilitated P transport was strongest (maximum to 68.84%) because of its stronger ferrihydrite colloid transport than under acid conditions and larger P adsorption capacity than under alkaline conditions. Our findings indicate that the facilitated transport of ferrihydrite colloids in the presence of P may be appreciable in iron and phosphate-rich soil and subsurface systems, which is essential for evaluating the fate of iron and iron-facilitated P and potential environmental risks of P transport in the subsurface.

Original languageEnglish
Article number104384
JournalJournal of Contaminant Hydrology
Volume265
ISSN0169-7722
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2024

Keywords

  • Adsorption
  • Facilitated transport
  • Ferrihydrite
  • Phosphate
  • Porous media

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Facilitated transport of ferrihydrite with phosphate under saturated flow conditions'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this