Analysis of phosphorus migration into soil profiles fertilized with struvite

Institute of Environmental Engineering, Czestochowa University of Technology, Brzeznicka 60a, 42-200, Czestochowa, Poland

^* Corresponding author: mworwag@is.pcz.czest.pl, jszoltysek@is.pcz.czest.pl

Abstract

The focus of the present study was on phosphorus migration into soil profile fertilized with struvite with various doses (0.0 g – control, 0.1 g, 0.5 g and 1.0 g). Lysimeter examinations were carried out in 3 columns which modelled 3 levels of soil washing (10, 20 and 30 cm) for each soil mixture with specific struvite doses. Each experiment consisted in flushing water through a column filled with a mixture, with an amount modelling the average annual rainfall for the area of the city of Czestochowa, Poland, adopted at the level of 650 mm. The tests were conducted for 12 days, with simulation of monthly rainfall performed on each day. The phosphorus content was analyzed in the leachate. It was found based on the results that the amount of leached phosphorus was directly connected with the struvite dose in the mixture. The highest phosphorus concentrations were observed at the level of 20 cm of the height of soil profile for the dose of 0.1 g struvite. In the case of the higher struvite doses, i.e. 1.0 g, the highest concentration was found for the height of 30 cm. A decline in concentration of the leached phosphorus was observed after the sixth sampling of the eluate, which resulted from leaching the soil profile with simulated annual rainfall amount.