Sample records for improving phosphorus availability

  1. Improving Phosphorus Availability in an Acid Soil Using Organic Amendments Produced from Agroindustrial Wastes

    PubMed Central

    Ch'ng, Huck Ywih; Ahmed, Osumanu Haruna; Majid, Nik Muhamad Ab.

    2014-01-01

    In acid soils, soluble inorganic phosphorus is fixed by aluminium and iron. To overcome this problem, acid soils are limed to fix aluminium and iron but this practice is not economical. The practice is also not environmentally friendly. This study was conducted to improve phosphorus availability using organic amendments (biochar and compost produced from chicken litter and pineapple leaves, resp.) to fix aluminium and iron instead of phosphorus. Amending soil with biochar or compost or a mixture of biochar and compost increased total phosphorus, available phosphorus, inorganic phosphorus fractions (soluble inorganic phosphorus, aluminium bound inorganic phosphorus, iron bound inorganic phosphorus, redundant soluble inorganic phosphorus, and calcium bound phosphorus), and organic phosphorus. This was possible because the organic amendments increased soil pH and reduced exchangeable acidity, exchangeable aluminium, and exchangeable iron. The findings suggest that the organic amendments altered soil chemical properties in a way that enhanced the availability of phosphorus in this study. The amendments effectively fixed aluminium and iron instead of phosphorus, thus rendering phosphorus available by keeping the inorganic phosphorus in a bioavailable labile phosphorus pool for a longer period compared with application of Triple Superphosphate without organic amendments. PMID:25032229

  2. [Effects of combined application of biochar and inorganic fertilizers on the available phosphorus content of upland red soil].

    PubMed

    Jing, Yan; Chen, Xiao-min; Liu, Zu-xiang; Huang, Qian-ru; LiI, Qiu-xia; Chen, Chen; Lu, Shao-shan

    2013-04-01

    Aiming at the low content of available phosphorus in upland red soil of Southern China, this paper studied the effects of combined application of biochar and inorganic fertilizers on the available phosphorus and organic carbon contents and the pH of this soil. With the combined application of biochar and inorganic fertilizers, the soil physical and chemical properties improved to different degrees. As compared with the control, the soil pH and the soil organic carbon and available phosphorus contents at different growth stages of oil rape after the combined application of biochar and inorganic fertilizers all had an improvement, with the increments at bolting stage, flowering stage, and ripening stage being 16%, 24% and 26%, 23%, 34% and 38%, and 100%, 191% and 317% , respectively. The soil pH and the soil organic carbon and available phosphorus contents were increased with the increasing amount of applied biochar. Under-the application of biochar, the soil available phosphorus had a significant correlation with the soil pH and soil organic carbon content. This study could provide scientific basis to improve the phosphorus deficiency and the physical and chemical properties of upland red soil.

  3. Development of a biologically based fertilizer, incorporating Bacillus megaterium A6, for improved phosphorus nutrition of oilseed rape.

    PubMed

    Hu, Xiaojia; Roberts, Daniel P; Xie, Lihua; Maul, Jude E; Yu, Changbing; Li, Yinshui; Zhang, Shujie; Liao, Xing

    2013-04-01

    Sustainable methods with diminished impact on the environment need to be developed for the production of oilseed rape in China and other regions of the world. A biological fertilizer consisting of Bacillus megaterium A6 cultured on oilseed rape meal improved oilseed rape seed yield (P < 0.0001) relative to the nontreated control in 2 greenhouse pot experiments using natural soil. This treatment resulted in slightly greater yield than oilseed rape meal without strain A6 in 1 of 2 experiments, suggesting a role for strain A6 in improving yield. Strain A6 was capable of solubilizing phosphorus from rock phosphate in liquid culture and produced enzymes capable of mineralizing organic phosphorus (acid phosphatase, phytase) in liquid culture and in the biological fertilizer. The biologically based fertilizer, containing strain A6, improved plant phosphorus nutrition in greenhouse pot experiments resulting in significantly greater available phosphorus in natural soil and in significantly greater plant phosphorus content relative to the nontreated control. Seed yield and available phosphorus in natural soil were significantly greater with a synthetic chemical fertilizer treatment, reduced in phosphorus content, than the biological fertilizer treatment, but a treatment containing the biological fertilizer combined with the synthetic fertilizer provided the significantly greatest seed yield, available phosphorus in natural soil, and plant phosphorus content. These results suggest that the biological fertilizer was capable of improving oilseed rape seed yield, at least in part, through the phosphorus-solubilizing activity of B. megaterium A6.

  4. Molecular mechanisms in response to phosphate starvation in rice.

    PubMed

    Panigrahy, Madhusmita; Rao, D Nageswara; Sarla, N

    2009-01-01

    Phosphorus is one of the most important elements that significantly affect plant growth and metabolism. Among the macro-nutrients, phosphorus is the least available to the plants as major phosphorus content of the fertiliser is sorbed by soil particles. An increased knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms controlling plant's phosphorus status is vital for improving phosphorus uptake and P-use efficiency and for reducing excessive input of fertilisers, while maintaining an acceptable yield. Phosphorus use efficiency has been studied using forward and reverse genetic analyses of mutants, quantitative genomic approaches and whole plant physiology but all these studies need to be integrated for a clearer understanding. We provide a critical overview on the molecular mechanisms and the components involved in the plant during phosphorus starvation. Then we summarize the information available on the genes and QTLs involved in phosphorus signalling and also the methods to estimate total phosphate in plant tissue. Also, an effort is made to build a comprehensive picture of phosphorus uptake, homeostasis, assimilation, remobilization, its deposition in the grain and its interaction with other micro- and macro-nutrients as well as phytohormones.

  5. Genetically encoded sensors for monitoring the transport and concentration of nitrogen-containing and phosphorus-containing molecules in plants.

    PubMed

    Okumoto, Sakiko; Versaw, Wayne

    2017-10-01

    Nitrogen and phosphorus are macronutrients indispensable for plant growth. The acquisition and reallocation of both elements require a multitude of dedicated transporters that specifically recognize inorganic and organic forms of nitrogen and phosphorous. Although many transporters have been discovered through elegant screening processes and sequence homology, many remain uncharacterized for their functions in planta. Genetically encoded sensors for nitrogen and phosphorous molecules offer a unique opportunity for studying transport mechanisms that were previously inaccessible. In the past few years, sensors for some of the key nitrogen molecules became available, and many improvements have been made for existing sensors for phosphorus molecules. Methodologies for detailed in vivo analysis also improved. We summarize the recent improvements in genetically encoded sensors for nitrogen and phosphorus molecules, and the discoveries made by using such sensors. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  6. A wheat CCAAT box-binding transcription factor increases the grain yield of wheat with less fertilizer input.

    PubMed

    Qu, Baoyuan; He, Xue; Wang, Jing; Zhao, Yanyan; Teng, Wan; Shao, An; Zhao, Xueqiang; Ma, Wenying; Wang, Junyi; Li, Bin; Li, Zhensheng; Tong, Yiping

    2015-02-01

    Increasing fertilizer consumption has led to low fertilizer use efficiency and environmental problems. Identifying nutrient-efficient genes will facilitate the breeding of crops with improved fertilizer use efficiency. This research performed a genome-wide sequence analysis of the A (NFYA), B (NFYB), and C (NFYC) subunits of Nuclear Factor Y (NF-Y) in wheat (Triticum aestivum) and further investigated their responses to nitrogen and phosphorus availability in wheat seedlings. Sequence mining together with gene cloning identified 18 NFYAs, 34 NFYBs, and 28 NFYCs. The expression of most NFYAs positively responded to low nitrogen and phosphorus availability. In contrast, microRNA169 negatively responded to low nitrogen and phosphorus availability and degraded NFYAs. Overexpressing TaNFYA-B1, a low-nitrogen- and low-phosphorus-inducible NFYA transcript factor on chromosome 6B, significantly increased both nitrogen and phosphorus uptake and grain yield under differing nitrogen and phosphorus supply levels in a field experiment. The increased nitrogen and phosphorus uptake may have resulted from the fact that that overexpressing TaNFYA-B1 stimulated root development and up-regulated the expression of both nitrate and phosphate transporters in roots. Our results suggest that TaNFYA-B1 plays essential roles in root development and in nitrogen and phosphorus usage in wheat. Furthermore, our results provide new knowledge and valuable gene resources that should be useful in efforts to breed crops targeting high yield with less fertilizer input. © 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

  7. A Wheat CCAAT Box-Binding Transcription Factor Increases the Grain Yield of Wheat with Less Fertilizer Input1

    PubMed Central

    Qu, Baoyuan; He, Xue; Wang, Jing; Zhao, Yanyan; Teng, Wan; Shao, An; Zhao, Xueqiang; Ma, Wenying; Wang, Junyi; Li, Bin; Li, Zhensheng; Tong, Yiping

    2015-01-01

    Increasing fertilizer consumption has led to low fertilizer use efficiency and environmental problems. Identifying nutrient-efficient genes will facilitate the breeding of crops with improved fertilizer use efficiency. This research performed a genome-wide sequence analysis of the A (NFYA), B (NFYB), and C (NFYC) subunits of Nuclear Factor Y (NF-Y) in wheat (Triticum aestivum) and further investigated their responses to nitrogen and phosphorus availability in wheat seedlings. Sequence mining together with gene cloning identified 18 NFYAs, 34 NFYBs, and 28 NFYCs. The expression of most NFYAs positively responded to low nitrogen and phosphorus availability. In contrast, microRNA169 negatively responded to low nitrogen and phosphorus availability and degraded NFYAs. Overexpressing TaNFYA-B1, a low-nitrogen- and low-phosphorus-inducible NFYA transcript factor on chromosome 6B, significantly increased both nitrogen and phosphorus uptake and grain yield under differing nitrogen and phosphorus supply levels in a field experiment. The increased nitrogen and phosphorus uptake may have resulted from the fact that that overexpressing TaNFYA-B1 stimulated root development and up-regulated the expression of both nitrate and phosphate transporters in roots. Our results suggest that TaNFYA-B1 plays essential roles in root development and in nitrogen and phosphorus usage in wheat. Furthermore, our results provide new knowledge and valuable gene resources that should be useful in efforts to breed crops targeting high yield with less fertilizer input. PMID:25489021

  8. New insights into phosphorus management in agriculture--A crop rotation approach.

    PubMed

    Łukowiak, Remigiusz; Grzebisz, Witold; Sassenrath, Gretchen F

    2016-01-15

    This manuscript presents research results examining phosphorus (P) management in a soil–plant system for three variables: i) internal resources of soil available phosphorus, ii) cropping sequence, and iii) external input of phosphorus (manure, fertilizers). The research was conducted in long-term cropping sequences with oilseed rape (10 rotations) and maize (six rotations) over three consecutive growing seasons (2004/2005, 2005/2006, and 2006/2007) in a production farm on soils originated from Albic Luvisols in Poland. The soil available phosphorus pool, measured as calcium chloride extractable P (CCE-P), constituted 28% to 67% of the total phosphorus input (PTI) to the soil–plant system in the spring. Oilseed rape and maize dominant cropping sequences showed a significant potential to utilize the CCE-P pool within the soil profile. Cropping sequences containing oilseed rape significantly affected the CCE-P pool, and in turn contributed to the P(TI). The P(TI) uptake use efficiency was 50% on average. Therefore, the CCE-P pool should be taken into account as an important component of a sound and reliable phosphorus balance. The instability of the yield prediction, based on the P(TI), was mainly due to an imbalanced management of both farmyard manure and phosphorus fertilizer. Oilseed rape plants provide a significant positive impact on the CCE-P pool after harvest, improving the productive stability of the entire cropping sequence. This phenomenon was documented by the P(TI) increase during wheat cultivation following oilseed rape. The Unit Phosphorus Uptake index also showed a higher stability in oilseed rape cropping systems compared to rotations based on maize. Cropping sequences are a primary factor impacting phosphorus management. Judicious implementation of crop rotations can improve soil P resources, efficiency of crop P use, and crop yield and yield stability. Use of cropping sequences can reduce the need for external P sources such as farmyard manure and chemical fertilizers.

  9. Root and Rhizosphere Bacterial Phosphatase Activity Varies with Tree Species and Soil Phosphorus Availability in Puerto Rico Tropical Forest

    DOE PAGES

    Cabugao, Kristine Grace M.; Timm, Collin M.; Carrell, Alyssa A.; ...

    2017-10-30

    Climatic conditions in tropical forests combined with the immobility of phosphorus due to sorption on mineral surfaces or result in soils typically lacking in the form of phosphorus (orthophosphate) most easily metabolized by plants and microbes. In these soils, mineralization of organic phosphorus can be the major source for labile inorganic P available for uptake. Both plants and microbes encode for phosphatase enzymes capable of mineralizing a range of organic phosphorus compounds. However, the activity of these enzymes depends on several edaphic factors including P availability and tree or microbial species. Thus, phosphatase activity in both roots and the rootmore » microbial community constitute an important role in P mineralization and P nutrient dynamics that are not well studied in tropical forests. We measured phosphatase activity in roots and bacterial isolates from the microbial community of six tree species from three forest sites differing in phosphorus availability in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico. Root and microbial phosphatase activity were both influenced by tree identity and soil phosphorus availability. However, tree identity had a larger effect on phosphatase activity (effect size = 0.12) than soil phosphorus availability (effect size = 0.07). In addition, lower amounts of P availability corresponded with higher levels of enzyme activity. In contrast, ANOSIM analysis of the weighted UniFrac distance matrix indicates that microbial community composition was more strongly controlled by soil P availability (P value < 0.05). These results indicate that root and rhizosphere microbial phosphatase activity are similarly expressed despite the slightly stronger influence of tree identity on root function and the stronger influence of P availability on microbial community composition. The low levels of orthophosphate in tropical forests, rather than prohibiting growth, have encouraged a variety of functions to adapt to minimal levels of an essential nutrient. Phosphatase activity is one such mechanism that varies in both roots and microbial community members. A thorough understanding of phosphatase activity provides insight into P mineralization in tropical forests, providing not only perspective on ecosystem function of tropical trees and microbial communities, but also in advancing efforts to improve representations of tropical forests in future climates.« less

  10. Root and Rhizosphere Bacterial Phosphatase Activity Varies with Tree Species and Soil Phosphorus Availability in Puerto Rico Tropical Forest

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cabugao, Kristine Grace M.; Timm, Collin M.; Carrell, Alyssa A.

    Climatic conditions in tropical forests combined with the immobility of phosphorus due to sorption on mineral surfaces or result in soils typically lacking in the form of phosphorus (orthophosphate) most easily metabolized by plants and microbes. In these soils, mineralization of organic phosphorus can be the major source for labile inorganic P available for uptake. Both plants and microbes encode for phosphatase enzymes capable of mineralizing a range of organic phosphorus compounds. However, the activity of these enzymes depends on several edaphic factors including P availability and tree or microbial species. Thus, phosphatase activity in both roots and the rootmore » microbial community constitute an important role in P mineralization and P nutrient dynamics that are not well studied in tropical forests. We measured phosphatase activity in roots and bacterial isolates from the microbial community of six tree species from three forest sites differing in phosphorus availability in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico. Root and microbial phosphatase activity were both influenced by tree identity and soil phosphorus availability. However, tree identity had a larger effect on phosphatase activity (effect size = 0.12) than soil phosphorus availability (effect size = 0.07). In addition, lower amounts of P availability corresponded with higher levels of enzyme activity. In contrast, ANOSIM analysis of the weighted UniFrac distance matrix indicates that microbial community composition was more strongly controlled by soil P availability (P value < 0.05). These results indicate that root and rhizosphere microbial phosphatase activity are similarly expressed despite the slightly stronger influence of tree identity on root function and the stronger influence of P availability on microbial community composition. The low levels of orthophosphate in tropical forests, rather than prohibiting growth, have encouraged a variety of functions to adapt to minimal levels of an essential nutrient. Phosphatase activity is one such mechanism that varies in both roots and microbial community members. A thorough understanding of phosphatase activity provides insight into P mineralization in tropical forests, providing not only perspective on ecosystem function of tropical trees and microbial communities, but also in advancing efforts to improve representations of tropical forests in future climates.« less

  11. [Characteristics of soil microorganisms and soil nutrients in different sand-fixation shrub plantations in Kubuqi Desert, China].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Li-Xin; Duan, Yu Xi; Wang, Bo; Wang, Wei Feng; Li, Xiao Jing; Liu, Jin Jie

    2017-12-01

    Three types of sand-fixation shrub plantations, including Artemisia ordosica + Hedysarum fruticosum, Caragana korshinskii and Salix psammophila, were selected in the eastern area of Kubuqi Desert to study the changes in soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), quantities of soil microorganisms, contents of soil nutrients and the relations among these variables under the different plantation types and shifting sandy land. The restoration effects of each plantation type on soil quality were assessed by synthetic index method. The results showed that the contents of soil organic matter, total nitrogen and phosphorus, and available nitrogen and phosphorus under different plantations were all significantly greater than those under shifting sandy land, and the order of increase was A. ordosica + H. fruticosum > C. korshinskii > S. psammophila. The soil nutrient contents decreased with the increase of soil depth under all plantation types. The quantities of soil microorganisms and the contents of soil MBC and MBN under the plantations were higher at different degrees than those under shifting sandy land. MBC, MBN and the relative numbers of bacteria under A. ordosica+H. fruticosum plantation were higher than those under C. korshinskii plantation and S. psammophila plantation. The relative numbers of fungi and actinobacteria decreased in the order of C. korshinskii > S. psammophila > A. ordosica + H. fruticosum. The relative number of bacteria, MBC and MBN under the plantations were mainly affected by the contents of soil organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, as well as C/N, and the relative numbers of actinobacteria and fungi were primarily affected by the contents of soil total phosphorus, available nitrogen and available phosphorus. Soil quality was ranked in the order of A. ordosica + H. fruticosum > C. korshinskii > S. psammophila > shifting sandy land. These results demonstrated that different sand-fixation shrub plantations could improve the quality of the desert soil and the A. ordosica + H. fruticosum plantation was the best for soil restoration and quality improvement in the desert.

  12. Estimates of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, and Fecal Coliforms Entering the Environment Due to Inadequate Sanitation Treatment Technologies in 108 Low and Middle Income Countries.

    PubMed

    Fuhrmeister, Erica R; Schwab, Kellogg J; Julian, Timothy R

    2015-10-06

    Understanding the excretion and treatment of human waste (feces and urine) in low and middle income countries (LMICs) is necessary to design appropriate waste management strategies. However, excretion and treatment are often difficult to quantify due to decentralization of excreta management. We address this gap by developing a mechanistic, stochastic model to characterize phosphorus, nitrogen, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and fecal coliform pollution from human excreta for 108 LMICs. The model estimates excretion and treatment given three scenarios: (1) use of existing sanitation systems, (2) use of World Health Organization-defined "improved sanitation", and (3) use of best available technologies. Our model estimates that more than 10(9) kg/yr each of phosphorus, nitrogen and BOD are produced. Of this, 22(19-27)%, 11(7-15)%, 17(10-23)%, and 35 (23-47)% (mean and 95% range) BOD, nitrogen, phosphorus, and fecal coliforms, respectively, are removed by existing sanitation systems. Our model estimates that upgrading to "improved sanitation" increases mean removal slightly to between 17 and 53%. Under the best available technology scenario, only approximately 60-80% of pollutants are treated. To reduce impact of nutrient and microbial pollution on human and environmental health, improvements in both access to adequate sanitation and sanitation treatment efficiency are needed.

  13. Fertilization with phosphorus increases soil nitrogen absorption in young plants of Eucalyptus grandis.

    Treesearch

    Corina Graciano; Juan F. Goya; Jorge L. Frangi; Juan J. Guiamet

    2006-01-01

    Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are the nutrients that most commonly limit tree growth. Interactions between fertilization and soil type are well known, and in soils with moderate or low N availability, N-fertilization is frequently recommended to improve tree nutrition. The aim of this paper was to analyze how different doses of P and N applied in three different...

  14. Quantitative Conversion of Phytate to Inorganic Phosphorus in Soybean Seeds Expressing a Bacterial Phytase1[OA

    PubMed Central

    Bilyeu, Kristin D.; Zeng, Peiyu; Coello, Patricia; Zhang, Zhanyuan J.; Krishnan, Hari B.; Bailey, April; Beuselinck, Paul R.; Polacco, Joe C.

    2008-01-01

    Phytic acid (PA) contains the major portion of the phosphorus in the soybean (Glycine max) seed and chelates divalent cations. During germination, both minerals and phosphate are released upon phytase-catalyzed degradation of PA. We generated a soybean line (CAPPA) in which an Escherichia coli periplasmic phytase, the product of the appA gene, was expressed in the cytoplasm of developing cotyledons. CAPPA exhibited high levels of phytase expression, ≥90% reduction in seed PA, and concomitant increases in total free phosphate. These traits were stable, and, although resulted in a trend for reduced emergence and a statistically significant reduction in germination rates, had no effect on the number of seeds per plant or seed weight. Because phytate is not digested by monogastric animals, untreated soymeal does not provide monogastrics with sufficient phosphorus and minerals, and PA in the waste stream leads to phosphorus runoff. The expression of a cytoplasmic phytase in the CAPPA line therefore improves phosphorus availability and surpasses gains achieved by other reported transgenic and mutational strategies by combining in seeds both high phytase expression and significant increases in available phosphorus. Thus, in addition to its value as a high-phosphate meal source, soymeal from CAPPA could be used to convert PA of admixed meals, such as cornmeal, directly to utilizable inorganic phosphorus. PMID:18162589

  15. [Soil Olsen-P content changing trend and its relationship with phosphorus surplus and crop yield under long-term fertilization in loessial soil region on the Loess Plateau, China].

    PubMed

    E, Sheng Zhe; Yang, Zhi Qi; Zeng, Xi Bai; Wang, Ya Nan; Luo, Zhao Xia; Yuan, Jin Hua; Che, Zong Xian

    2017-11-01

    The changing trend of soil available phosphorus (Olsen-P) content in soil and its relationship with soil phosphorus surplus and crop yield are fundamental when making appropriate phosphate fertilizer recommendations. In this paper, the influences of long-term fertilization on crops phosphorus uptake, soil phosphorus surplus, changing trend of soil available phosphorus content and relationships of soil available phosphorus content with soil phosphorus surplus and crop yield were investigated through 34 years (1981-2015) long-term trial in loessial soil region on the Loess Plateau. The experiment had a completely-randomized-block split-plot design in triplicate. Two main-plot treatments were no farmyard manure and farmyard manure (M), and four subplot treatments were CK (no fertilizer), N (application of chemical fertilizer N), NP (application of chemical fertilizer NP) and NPK (balanced application of chemical fertilizer NPK), respectively. The results showed that fertilization treatments and crop types significantly influenced uptake amount of phosphorus and soil phosphorus surplus. Averaged over time from 1981 to 2015, wheat mean phosphorus uptake amounts of CK, N, NP, NPK, M, MN, MNP and MNPK were 8.63, 10.64, 16.22, 16.21, 16.25, 17.83, 20.39 and 20.27 kg·hm -2 , while rape phosphorus uptakeamounts of eight treatments were 4.40, 8.38, 15.08, 15.71, 10.52, 11.23, 17.96 and 17.66 kg·hm -2 , respectively. The surplus amount of soil phosphorus significantly correlated with the amount of phosphorus applied to soil. When soil phosphorus surplus amount equal zero, wheat and rape phosphorus input amounts were 10.47 kg·hm -2 and 6.97 kg·hm -2 , respectively. Soil phosphorus surplus amount significantly influenced the changing trend of available phosphorus content in soil. CK and N treatments had no phosphorus input, and soil available phosphorus content exhibited a declining trend, annually decreased by 0.16 mg·kg -1 and 0.15 mg·kg -1 , respectively. In contrast, NP, NPK, M, MN, MNP and MNPK six treatments were applied with phosphate fertilizer every years, and available phosphorus content gradually increased along with the duration of trial, with annual increase by 0.02-0.33 mg·kg -1 . Soil available phosphorus content significantly correlated with phosphorus accumulative surplus amount, and the linear models were y=0.012x+9.33 and y=0.009x+11.72 in manure and no manure treatments, respectively. In no manure treatments, wheat yields significantly positively correlated with soil available phosphorus content, however, in manure treatments, their relationships did not reach a significant level. The relationship of wheat grain yield with available phosphorus content could be significantly fitted by piecewise linear model, and available phosphorus agronomy threshold of wheat was 14.99 mg·kg -1 . Rape grain yield also increased with increasing soil available phosphorus content, but the relationship was not significant. This indicated when soil available P content is higher than 14.99 mg·kg -1 , application of phosphate fertili-zer should be reduced or even avoided for planting wheat in loessial soil region on the Loess Plateau.

  16. Diversity of inland valleys and opportunities for agricultural development in Sierra Leone.

    PubMed

    Dossou-Yovo, Elliott Ronald; Baggie, Idriss; Djagba, Justin Fagnombo; Zwart, Sander Jaap

    2017-01-01

    Inland valleys are becoming increasingly important agricultural production areas for rural households in sub-Saharan Africa due to their relative high and secure water availability and soil fertility. In addition, inland valleys are important as water buffer and biodiversity hot spots and they provide local communities with forest, forage, and fishing resources. As different inland-valley ecosystem functions may conflict with agricultural objectives, indiscriminate development should be avoided. This study aims to analyze the diversity of inland valleys in Sierra Leone and to develop guidelines for more precise interventions. Land use, biophysical and socio-economic data were analyzed on 257 inland valleys using spatial and multivariate techniques. Five cluster groups of inland valleys were identified: (i) semi-permanently flooded with high soil organic carbon (4.2%) and moderate available phosphorus (10.2 ppm), mostly under natural vegetation; (ii) semi-permanently flooded with low soil organic carbon (1.5%) and very low available phosphorus (3.1 ppm), abandoned by farmers; (iii) seasonally flooded with moderate soil organic carbon (3.1%) and low available phosphorus (8.3 ppm), used for rainfed rice and off-season vegetables produced without fertilizer application for household consumption and market; (iv) well drained with moderate soil organic carbon (3.8%) and moderate available phosphorus (10.0 ppm), used for rainfed rice and off-season vegetables produced with fertilizer application for household consumption and market; and (v) well drained with moderate soil organic carbon (3.6%) and moderate available phosphorus (11 ppm), used for household consumption without fertilizer application. Soil organic carbon, available phosphorus, hydrological regime, physical accessibility and market opportunity were the major factors affecting agricultural intensification of inland valleys. Opening up the areas in which inland valleys occur through improved roads and markets, and better water control through drainage infrastructures along with an integrated nutrient management would promote the sustainable agricultural use of inland valleys.

  17. A Nested Phosphorus and Proton Coil Array for Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy

    PubMed Central

    Brown, Ryan; Lakshmanan, Karthik; Madelin, Guillaume; Parasoglou, Prodromos

    2015-01-01

    A dual-nuclei radiofrequency coil array was constructed for phosphorus and proton magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy of the human brain at 7 Tesla. An eight-channel transceive degenerate birdcage phosphorus module was implemented to provide whole-brain coverage and significant sensitivity improvement over a standard dual-tuned loop coil. A nested eight-channel proton module provided adequate sensitivity for anatomical localization without substantially sacrificing performance on the phosphorus module. The developed array enabled phosphorus spectroscopy, a saturation transfer technique to calculate the global creatine kinase forward reaction rate, and single-metabolite whole-brain imaging with 1.4 cm nominal isotropic resolution in 15 min (2.3 cm actual resolution), while additionally enabling 1 mm isotropic proton imaging. This study demonstrates that a multi-channel array can be utilized for phosphorus and proton applications with improved coverage and/or sensitivity over traditional single-channel coils. The efficient multi-channel coil array, time-efficient pulse sequences, and the enhanced signal strength available at ultra-high fields can be combined to allow volumetric assessment of the brain and could provide new insights into the underlying energy metabolism impairment in several neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, as well as mental disorders such as schizophrenia. PMID:26375209

  18. A nested phosphorus and proton coil array for brain magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Brown, Ryan; Lakshmanan, Karthik; Madelin, Guillaume; Parasoglou, Prodromos

    2016-01-01

    A dual-nuclei radiofrequency coil array was constructed for phosphorus and proton magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy of the human brain at 7T. An eight-channel transceive degenerate birdcage phosphorus module was implemented to provide whole-brain coverage and significant sensitivity improvement over a standard dual-tuned loop coil. A nested eight-channel proton module provided adequate sensitivity for anatomical localization without substantially sacrificing performance on the phosphorus module. The developed array enabled phosphorus spectroscopy, a saturation transfer technique to calculate the global creatine kinase forward reaction rate, and single-metabolite whole-brain imaging with 1.4cm nominal isotropic resolution in 15min (2.3cm actual resolution), while additionally enabling 1mm isotropic proton imaging. This study demonstrates that a multi-channel array can be utilized for phosphorus and proton applications with improved coverage and/or sensitivity over traditional single-channel coils. The efficient multi-channel coil array, time-efficient pulse sequences, and the enhanced signal strength available at ultra-high fields can be combined to allow volumetric assessment of the brain and could provide new insights into the underlying energy metabolism impairment in several neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, as well as mental disorders such as schizophrenia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Relationship among Phosphorus Circulation Activity, Bacterial Biomass, pH, and Mineral Concentration in Agricultural Soil.

    PubMed

    Adhikari, Dinesh; Jiang, Tianyi; Kawagoe, Taiki; Kai, Takamitsu; Kubota, Kenzo; Araki, Kiwako S; Kubo, Motoki

    2017-12-04

    Improvement of phosphorus circulation in the soil is necessary to enhance phosphorus availability to plants. Phosphorus circulation activity is an index of soil's ability to supply soluble phosphorus from organic phosphorus in the soil solution. To understand the relationship among phosphorus circulation activity; bacterial biomass; pH; and Fe, Al, and Ca concentrations (described as mineral concentration in this paper) in agricultural soil, 232 soil samples from various agricultural fields were collected and analyzed. A weak relationship between phosphorus circulation activity and bacterial biomass was observed in all soil samples ( R ² = 0.25), and this relationship became significantly stronger at near-neutral pH (6.0-7.3; R ² = 0.67). No relationship between phosphorus circulation activity and bacterial biomass was observed at acidic (pH < 6.0) or alkaline (pH > 7.3) pH. A negative correlation between Fe and Al concentrations and phosphorus circulation activity was observed at acidic pH ( R ² = 0.72 and 0.73, respectively), as well as for Ca at alkaline pH ( R ² = 0.64). Therefore, bacterial biomass, pH, and mineral concentration should be considered together for activation of phosphorus circulation activity in the soil. A relationship model was proposed based on the effects of bacterial biomass and mineral concentration on phosphorus circulation activity. The suitable conditions of bacterial biomass, pH, and mineral concentration for phosphorus circulation activity could be estimated from the relationship model.

  20. [Phosphorus availability in cropland soils of China and related affecting factors].

    PubMed

    Wang, Yong-Zhuang; Chen, Xin; Shi, Yi

    2013-01-01

    Soil phosphorus (P) availability directly determines cropland productivity. Based on the long-term fertilization experiments in different climatic zones of China, this paper summarized the P content, its availability, and the factors affecting the P transformation in China cropland soils. The total and available P contents in different types of China cropland soils were 0.31-1.72 g x kg(-1) and 0.1-228.8 mg x kg(-1), respectively. Soil parent material, soil physical and chemical prosperities, and fertilization practices were the main factors affecting the soil P availability. It was suggested that more attentions should be paid on the mixed application of organic manure and chemical fertilizers to improve the P availability of cropland soils and on the potential environmental impacts of this fertilization.

  1. Nutritional evaluation of low-phytate peas (Pisum sativum L.) for young broiler chicks.

    PubMed

    Thacker, Philip; Deep, Aman; Petri, Daniel; Warkentin, Thomas

    2013-02-01

    This experiment determined the effects of including normal and low-phytate peas in diets fed to young broiler chickens on performance, phosphorus availability and bone strength. A total of 180, day-old, male broilers (Ross-308 line) were assigned to six treatments. The control was based on corn and soybean meal while two additional corn-based diets were formulated containing 30% of either normal or low-phytate pea providing 0.45% available phosphorus. For each of these three diets, a similar diet was formulated by reducing the amount of dicalcium phosphate to produce a diet with 0.3% available phosphorus. The total tract apparent availability (TTAA) of phosphorus was higher (p = 0.02) for broilers fed the low-phytate pea than for birds fed the normal pea diets. Birds fed diets containing the lower level of phosphorus had a higher TTAA of phosphorus (50.64 vs. 46.68%) than broilers fed diets adequate in phosphorus. Protein source had no effect on weight gain, feed intake or feed conversion. Broilers fed the low phosphorus diets had lower weight gain (p = 0.04) and feed intake (p < 0.01) than broilers fed the higher phosphorus level. Bone strength was higher (p < 0.01) for broilers fed diets based on low-phytate pea than for those fed diets based on normal pea or soybean meal. Increasing the availability of the phosphorus in peas could mean that less inorganic phosphorus would be required in order to meet the nutritional requirements of broilers. Since inorganic phosphorus sources tend to be expensive, a reduction in their use would lower ration costs. In addition, increased availability of phosphorus would reduce the amount of phosphorus excreted thus reducing the amount of phosphorus that can potentially pollute the environment.

  2. Microbial Phosphorus Solubilization and Its Potential for Use in Sustainable Agriculture

    PubMed Central

    Alori, Elizabeth T.; Glick, Bernard R.; Babalola, Olubukola O.

    2017-01-01

    The use of excess conventional Phosphorus (P) fertilizers to improve agricultural productivity, in order to meet constantly increasing global food demand, potentially causes surface and ground water pollution, waterway eutrophication, soil fertility depletion, and accumulation of toxic elements such as high concentration of selenium (Se), arsenic (As) in the soil. Quite a number of soil microorganisms are capable of solubilizing/mineralizing insoluble soil phosphate to release soluble P and making it available to plants. These microorganisms improve the growth and yield of a wide variety of crops. Thus, inoculating seeds/crops/soil with Phosphate Solubilizing Microorganisms (PSM) is a promising strategy to improve world food production without causing any environmental hazard. Despite their great significance in soil fertility improvement, phosphorus-solubilizing microorganisms have yet to replace conventional chemical fertilizers in commercial agriculture. A better understanding of recent developments in PSM functional diversity, colonizing ability, mode of actions and judicious application should facilitate their use as reliable components of sustainable agricultural systems. In this review, we discussed various soil microorganisms that have the ability to solubilize phosphorus and hence have the potential to be used as bio fertilizers. The mechanisms of inorganic phosphate solubilization by PSM and the mechanisms of organic phosphorus mineralization are highlighted together with some factors that determine the success of this technology. Finally we provide some indications that the use of PSM will promote sustainable agriculture and conclude that this technology is ready for commercial exploitation in various regions worldwide. PMID:28626450

  3. Effect of super dosing of phytase on growth performance, ileal digestibility and bone characteristics in broilers fed corn-soya-based diets.

    PubMed

    Manobhavan, M; Elangovan, A V; Sridhar, M; Shet, D; Ajith, S; Pal, D T; Gowda, N K S

    2016-02-01

    A feeding trial was designed to assess the effect of super dosing of phytase in corn-soya-based diets of broiler chicken. One hundred and sixty-eight day-old broilers were selected and randomly allocated to four dietary treatment groups, with 6 replicates having 7 chicks per treatment group. Two-phased diets were used. The starter and finisher diet was fed from 0 to 3 weeks and 4 to 5 weeks of age respectively. The dietary treatments were consisted of normal phosphorus (NP) group without any phytase enzyme (4.5 g/kg available/non-phytin phosphorus (P) during starter and 4.0 g/kg during finisher phase), three low-phosphorus (LP) groups (3.2 g/kg available/non-phytin P during starter and 2.8 g/kg during finisher phase) supplemented with phytase at 500, 2500, 5000 FTU/kg diet, respectively, to full fill their phosphorus requirements. The results showed that super doses of phytase (at 2500 FTU and 5000 FTU/kg) on low-phosphorus diet improved feed intake, body weight gain, ileal digestibility (serine, aspartic acid, calcium, phosphorus), blood P levels and bone minerals such as calcium (Ca), P, magnesium (Mg) and zinc (Zn) content. It could be concluded that super doses of phytase in low-phosphorus diet were beneficial than the normal standard dose (at 500 FTU/kg) of phytase in diet of broiler chicken. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  4. How Dietary Phosphorus Availability during Development Influences Condition and Life History Traits of the Cricket, Acheta domesticas

    PubMed Central

    Visanuvimol, Laksanavadee; Bertram, Susan M.

    2011-01-01

    Phosphorus is extremely limited in the environment, often being 10–20 times lower in plants than what invertebrate herbivores require. This mismatch between resource availability and resource need can profoundly influence herbivore life history traits and fitness. This study investigated how dietary phosphorus availability influenced invertebrate growth, development time, consumption, condition, and lifespan using juvenile European house crickets, Acheta domesticus L. (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). Crickets reared on high phosphorus diets ate more food, gained more weight, were in better condition at maturity, and contained more phosphorus, nitrogen, and carbon in their bodies at death than crickets reared on low phosphorus diets. There was also a trend for crickets reared on high phosphorus diets to become larger adults (interaction with weight prior to the start of the experiment). These findings can be added to the small but growing number of studies that reveal the importance of phosphorus to insect life history traits. Future research should explore the importance of dietary phosphorus availability relative to protein, lipid, and carbohydrate availability. PMID:21864157

  5. Heterologous Expression of Secreted Bacterial BPP and HAP Phytases in Plants Stimulates Arabidopsis thaliana Growth on Phytate.

    PubMed

    Valeeva, Lia R; Nyamsuren, Chuluuntsetseg; Sharipova, Margarita R; Shakirov, Eugene V

    2018-01-01

    Phytases are specialized phosphatases capable of releasing inorganic phosphate from myo -inositol hexakisphosphate (phytate), which is highly abundant in many soils. As inorganic phosphorus reserves decrease over time in many agricultural soils, genetic manipulation of plants to enable secretion of potent phytases into the rhizosphere has been proposed as a promising approach to improve plant phosphorus nutrition. Several families of biotechnologically important phytases have been discovered and characterized, but little data are available on which phytase families can offer the most benefits toward improving plant phosphorus intake. We have developed transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants expressing bacterial phytases PaPhyC (HAP family of phytases) and 168phyA (BPP family) under the control of root-specific inducible promoter Pht1;2 . The effects of each phytase expression on growth, morphology and inorganic phosphorus accumulation in plants grown on phytate hydroponically or in perlite as the only source of phosphorus were investigated. The most enzymatic activity for both phytases was detected in cell wall-bound fractions of roots, indicating that these enzymes were efficiently secreted. Expression of both bacterial phytases in roots improved plant growth on phytate and resulted in larger rosette leaf area and diameter, higher phosphorus content and increased shoot dry weight, implying that these plants were indeed capable of utilizing phytate as the source of phosphorus for growth and development. When grown on phytate the HAP-type phytase outperformed its BPP-type counterpart for plant biomass production, though this effect was only observed in hydroponic conditions and not in perlite. Furthermore, we found no evidence of adverse side effects of microbial phytase expression in A. thaliana on plant physiology and seed germination. Our data highlight important functional differences between these members of bacterial phytase families and indicate that future crop biotechnologies involving such enzymes will require a very careful evaluation of phytase source and activity. Overall, our data suggest feasibility of using bacterial phytases to improve plant growth in conditions of phosphorus deficiency and demonstrate that inducible expression of recombinant enzymes should be investigated further as a viable approach to plant biotechnology.

  6. Heterologous Expression of Secreted Bacterial BPP and HAP Phytases in Plants Stimulates Arabidopsis thaliana Growth on Phytate

    PubMed Central

    Valeeva, Lia R.; Nyamsuren, Chuluuntsetseg; Sharipova, Margarita R.; Shakirov, Eugene V.

    2018-01-01

    Phytases are specialized phosphatases capable of releasing inorganic phosphate from myo-inositol hexakisphosphate (phytate), which is highly abundant in many soils. As inorganic phosphorus reserves decrease over time in many agricultural soils, genetic manipulation of plants to enable secretion of potent phytases into the rhizosphere has been proposed as a promising approach to improve plant phosphorus nutrition. Several families of biotechnologically important phytases have been discovered and characterized, but little data are available on which phytase families can offer the most benefits toward improving plant phosphorus intake. We have developed transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants expressing bacterial phytases PaPhyC (HAP family of phytases) and 168phyA (BPP family) under the control of root-specific inducible promoter Pht1;2. The effects of each phytase expression on growth, morphology and inorganic phosphorus accumulation in plants grown on phytate hydroponically or in perlite as the only source of phosphorus were investigated. The most enzymatic activity for both phytases was detected in cell wall-bound fractions of roots, indicating that these enzymes were efficiently secreted. Expression of both bacterial phytases in roots improved plant growth on phytate and resulted in larger rosette leaf area and diameter, higher phosphorus content and increased shoot dry weight, implying that these plants were indeed capable of utilizing phytate as the source of phosphorus for growth and development. When grown on phytate the HAP-type phytase outperformed its BPP-type counterpart for plant biomass production, though this effect was only observed in hydroponic conditions and not in perlite. Furthermore, we found no evidence of adverse side effects of microbial phytase expression in A. thaliana on plant physiology and seed germination. Our data highlight important functional differences between these members of bacterial phytase families and indicate that future crop biotechnologies involving such enzymes will require a very careful evaluation of phytase source and activity. Overall, our data suggest feasibility of using bacterial phytases to improve plant growth in conditions of phosphorus deficiency and demonstrate that inducible expression of recombinant enzymes should be investigated further as a viable approach to plant biotechnology. PMID:29515604

  7. Biochar as phosphorus transporter to support the closure of the phosphorus cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soja, Gerhard; Jagerhofer, Reinhard; Fristak, Vladimir; Pfeifer, Christoph

    2017-04-01

    Waste materials rich in phosphorus could partly substitute rock phosphate-based mineral fertilizers. As rock phosphate is listed as critical raw material, measures for increasing the recovery rate of phosphorus and for closing the phosphorus cycle are required. However, direct use of the waste materials as fertilizers are frequently not possible because of legal constraints, adverse side effects because of co-occurring contaminants or hygienic concerns. So this study had the objective to test the appropriateness of carbonizing P-rich residues that can be used as secondary P resources for producing P fertilizers. The resulting biochar or hydrochar products should be tested for the bioavailability of P for plant uptake. Feedstock materials tested as secondary P resources were chicken manure, animal bone flour, sewage sludge, and digestates. These materials were either pyrolyzed at different temperatures, partly with different chemical modifications, or hydrothermally carbonized. The biochar and hydrochar products were analyzed for their total and available P concentrations, and the plant bioavailability was determined with a standardized plant growth test with rye (Neubauer-test). The results showed that biochar produced from a mixture of chicken manure and saw dust was equivalent to a standard phosphate fertilizer (superphosphate) with respect to P available for plant uptake. For most materials, a pyrolysis temperature of 400 °C was slightly more beneficial for P availability than 500 °C. Pyrolytic carbonization mostly was more supportive for plant growth than hydrothermal carbonization of the tested feedstocks. For some feedstocks the addition of sodium carbonate improved the P uptake of the plants without affecting the biomass production. The results show that P-rich waste materials used as secondary resources for carbonization can effectively contribute to increased P recovery, savings in the use of mineral phosphate fertilizers and reduced P loads to non-target ecosystems. Additionally, other benefits of biochar application to agricultural soils like carbon sequestration or improvements of physical soil characteristics may supplement the fertilizer effect of P-enriched biochars or hydrochars.

  8. Changes in total phosphorus concentration in the Red River of the North Basin, 1970-2012

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ryberg, Karen R.; Akyüz, F. Adnan; Lin, Wei

    2015-01-01

    The Red River of the North drains much of eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota and flows north into Manitoba, Canada, ultimately into Lake Winnipeg; therefore, water quality is an International concern. With increased runoff in the past few decades, phosphorus flux (the amount of phosphorus transported by the river) has increased. This is a concern, especially with respect to Lake Winnipeg, an important inland fishery and recreational destination. There is pressure at the State and International levels to reduce phosphorus flux, an expensive proposition. Depending on the method (controlling sources, settling ponds, buffer strips), control of phosphorus flux is not always effective during spring runoff. This work represents a first step in developing a causal model for phosphorus flux by examining available data and changes in concentration over time. Total phosphorus concentration data for the Red River at Emerson, Manitoba, and at Fargo, North Dakota-Moorhead, Minnesota, were summarized and then analyzed using WRTDS (Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season) to describe total phosphorus changes over time in two analysis periods: 1970-1993 and 1993-2012. Total phosphorus concentration increased in the first period at Emerson, Manitoba, indicating phosphorus was likely being transported to streams during runoff events. A very different pattern occurred at Fargo-Moorhead with declines in concentration, except at high discharge. While concentration continually changes, during the second period it decreased during spring runoff at Emerson and Fargo-Moorhead and during the growing season at Fargo-Moorhead, perhaps because of improved agricultural practices and declines in some uses of phosphorus.

  9. Spatial Variation of Surface Soil Available Phosphorous and Its Relation with Environmental Factors in the Chaohu Lake Watershed

    PubMed Central

    Gao, Yongnian; Gao, Junfeng; Chen, Jiongfeng

    2011-01-01

    The study presented in this paper attempts to evaluate the spatial pattern of soil available phosphorus, as well as the relation between soil available phosphorus and environment factors including elevation, slope, precipitation, percentage of cultivated land, percentage of forest land, percentage of construction land and NDVI using statistical methods and GIS spatial analysis techniques. The results showed that the Spline Tension method performed the best in the prediction of soil available phosphorus in the Chaohu Lake watershed. The spatial variation of surface soil available phosphorus was high in Chaohu Lake watershed and the upstream regions around Chaohu Lake, including the west of Chaohu lake (e.g., southwest of Feixi county, east of Shucheng county and north of Lujiang county) and to the north of Chaohu Lake (e.g., south of Hefei city, south of Feidong county, southwest of Juchao district), had the highest soil available phosphorus content. The mean and standard deviation of soil available phosphorus content gradually decreased as the elevation or slope increased. The cultivated land comprised 60.11% of the watershed and of that land 65.63% belonged to the medium to very high SAP level classes, and it played a major role in SAP availability within the watershed and a potential source of phosphorus to Chaohu Lake resulting in eutrophication. Among the land use types, paddy fields have some of the highest maximum values and variation of coefficients. Subwatershed scale soil available phosphorus was significantly affected by elevation, slope, precipitation, percentage of cultivated land and percentage of forest land and was decided by not only these environmental factors but also some other factors such as artificial phosphorus fertilizer application. PMID:21909308

  10. Patient-Reported Factors Associated With Poor Phosphorus Control in a Maintenance Hemodialysis Population.

    PubMed

    Joson, Cherriday G; Henry, Shayna L; Kim, Sue; Cheung, Mandy Y; Parab, Prajakta; Abcar, Antoine C; Jacobsen, Steven J; Morisky, Donald E; Sim, John J

    2016-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of patient-reported medication adherence and phosphorus-related knowledge on phosphorus control and pharmacy-reported adherence to phosphorus binding medication among patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Retrospective, cross-sectional cohort study. Seventy-nine hemodialysis patients (mean age 64.2 years, SD = 14 years; 46.8% female) in a stand-alone hemodialysis unit within an integrated learning healthcare system. Ten percent (10%) of subjects were Caucasian, 42% Latino, 19% African American, and 29% Asian. Forty-eight percent had diabetes; 72% had BMI ≥ 30. Inclusion criteria included the provision of survey data and having medication refill data available in the pharmacy system. 77.2% had mean phosphorus levels ≤ 5.5 mg/dL; 22.8% had mean phosphorus levels > 5.5 mg/dL. Subjects were administered the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) and also reported on their phosphorus-related knowledge. Phosphorus levels within an adequate range. The mean serum phosphorus level was 4.96 mg/dL (SD = 1.21). In the well-controlled group, mean phosphorus was 4.44 mg/dL (SD = 0.76). In the poorly controlled group, mean phosphorus was 6.69 mg/dL (SD = 0.74). A total of 61% of patients reported at least some unintentional medication nonadherence, and 48% reported intentional medication nonadherence. Phosphorus-specific knowledge was low, with just under half of patients reporting that they could not name two high-phosphorus foods or identify a phosphorus-related health risk. Phosphorus binder-related nonadherence was substantially higher in the uncontrolled than the controlled group. Adjusting for age, individuals with poorer self-reported binder adherence were less likely to have controlled phosphorus levels (odds ratio = 0.71, P = .06). Phosphorus-related non-adherence, but not low phosphorus-specific knowledge, was associated with poorer phosphorus control. Such findings provide important information for the development of evidence-based strategies for improving phosphorus control among patients on dialysis. Copyright © 2016 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Quantifying phosphorus levels in soils, plants, surface water, and shallow groundwater associated with bahiagrass-based pastures.

    PubMed

    Sigua, Gilbert C; Hubbard, Robert K; Coleman, Samuel W

    2010-01-01

    Recent assessments of water quality status have identified eutrophication as one of the major causes of water quality 'impairment' not only in the USA but also around the world. In most cases, eutrophication has accelerated by increased inputs of phosphorus due to intensification of crop and animal production systems since the early 1990 s. Despite substantial measurements using both laboratory and field techniques, little is known about the spatial and temporal variability of phosphorus dynamics across landscapes, especially in agricultural landscapes with cow-calf operations. Critical to determining environmental balance and accountability is an understanding of phosphorus excreted by animals, phosphorus removal by plants, acceptable losses of phosphorus within the manure management and crop production systems into soil and waters, and export of phosphorus off-farm. Further research effort on optimizing forage-based cow-calf operations to improve pasture sustainability and protect water quality is therefore warranted. We hypothesized that properly managed cow-calf operations in subtropical agroecosystem would not be major contributors to excess loads of phosphorus in surface and ground water. To verify our hypothesis, we examined the comparative concentrations of total phosphorus among soils, forage, surface water, and groundwater beneath bahiagrass-based pastures with cow-calf operations in central Florida, USA. Soil samples were collected at 0-20; 20-40, 40-60, and 60-100 cm across the landscape (top slope, middle slope, and bottom slope) of 8 ha pasture in the fall and spring of 2004 to 2006. Forage availability and phosphorus uptake of bahiagrass were also measured from the top slope, middle slope, and bottom slope. Bi-weekly (2004-2006) groundwater and surface water samples were taken from wells located at top slope, middle slope, and bottom slope, and from the runoff/seepage area. Concentrations of phosphorus in soils, forage, surface water, and shallow groundwater beneath a bahiagrass-based pasture and forage availability at four different landscape positions and soil depth (for soil samples only) in 2004, 2005, and 2006 were analyzed statistically following a two-way analysis of variance using the SAS PROC general linear models model. Where the F-test indicated a significant (p

  12. Effects of microbial phytase, produced by solid-state fermentation, on the performance and nutrient utilisation of broilers fed maize- and wheat-based diets.

    PubMed

    Wu, Y B; Ravindran, V; Hendriks, W H

    2003-12-01

    1. The influence of a microbial phytase on the performance, toe ash contents and nutrient utilisation of male broilers fed diets based on maize and wheat was investigated. The experiment was conducted as 2 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Within the factorial, two diet types (maize-soy or wheat-soy) containing two levels of non-phytate phosphorus (3.0 or 4.5 g/kg) were evaluated and each level of non-phytate phosphorus was supplemented with 0 or 500 PU phytase/kg diet. Each of the 8 dietary treatments were fed to 6 pens of 8 birds from d 1 to 21 post-hatching. 2. Main effects of diet type and phytase were observed for all parameters. Main effect of non-phytate phosphorus was significant only for feed/gain and toe ash contents. Phytase addition improved weight gains irrespective of diet type or non-phytate phosphorus level, but the magnitude of improvement in the phosphorus-deficient wheat-soy diet was greater, resulting in a diet type x non-phytate phosphorus interaction. Responses in toe ash contents were noted only in phosphorus-deficient diets, as indicated by a non-phytate phosphorus x phytase interaction. 3. Phytase addition improved apparent metabolisable energy values of wheat-based diets, but had little effect on the apparent metabolisable energy of maize-based diets as shown by a diet type x phytase interaction. The apparent metabolisable energy was not influenced by dietary non-phytate P. 4. Phytase improved ileal nitrogen digestibility in both diet types, but the responses to added phytase tended to be higher in wheat-based diets, as shown by a diet type x phytase interaction. 5. Increasing the dietary non-phytate phosphorus level reduced phosphorus digestibility and increased excreta phosphorus content. Addition of phytase improved phosphorus digestibility, but the increments were higher in low phosphorus diets resulting in a non-phytate phosphorus x phytase interaction. Phytase addition tended to lower the excreta phosphorus content, but the effects were greater in birds fed low phosphorus diets, as shown by a non-phytate phosphorus x phytase interaction.

  13. Effect of phytase from Aspergillus niger on plant growth and mineral assimilation in wheat (Triticum aestivum Linn.) and its potential for use as a soil amendment.

    PubMed

    Gujar, Pradnya D; Bhavsar, Kavita P; Khire, Jayant M

    2013-07-01

    Extensive use of non-replenishable phosphate reserves as phosphate supplements in agriculture and animal feed poses a threat for environmental pollution and necessitated a search for alternative phosphate sources. Unlocking the phytate phosphorus using microbial phytase can provide an ecofriendly solution in agriculture. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of phytase from Aspergillus niger NCIM 563 in degradation of phytate phosphorus to benefit plant nutrition and soil amendment in comparison with chemical fertilizers. An enzyme dose of 12 IU was sufficient to hydrolyze phytate and increase assimilation of phosphorus by about 74%. Phytase supplementation leads to increase in shoot:total length ratio by about 200%, indicating its growth-promoting effect. Consistency in phytase-induced growth was reflected at pot and tray levels, wherein shoot:total length ratio was observed to be 2.01 and 2.12 respectively. Mineral assimilation due to phytase was more efficient as compared to chemical fertilizers, thus overcoming the constraints of practicability and economics in the agriculture industry. Phytase was efficient in reducing the phytic acid content of soil by about 30% while simultaneously increasing the phytate phosphate availability by 1.18-fold. Phytase from A. niger showed improvement in phytate phosphorus and mineral availability. Besides a plant growth-promoting effect, reduction in use of chemical fertilizers and soil improvement could be achieved simultaneously for maintaining the sustainability of agriculture. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.

  14. Increasing phosphorus recovery from dewatering centrate in microbial electrolysis cells.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Pengyi; Kim, Younggy

    2017-01-01

    Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) use bioelectrochemical reactions to remove organic contaminants at the bioanode and produce hydrogen gas at the cathode. High local pH conditions near the cathode can also be utilized to produce struvite from nutrient-rich wastewater. This beneficial aspect was investigated using lab-scale MECs fed with dewatering centrate collected at a local wastewater treatment plant. The main objective was to improve phosphorus recovery by examining various cathode configurations and electric current conditions. The stainless steel mesh (SSM) cathode was relatively inefficient to achieve complete phosphorus recovery because struvite crystals were smaller (a few to tens of micrometers) than the open space between mesh wires (80 µm). As a result, the use of multiple pieces of SSM also showed a limited improvement in the phosphorus recovery up to only 68% with 5 SSM pieces. Readily available organic substrates were not sufficient in the dewatering centrate, resulting in relatively low electric current density (mostly below 0.2 A/m 2 ). The slow electrode reaction did not provide sufficiently high pH conditions near the cathode for complete recovery of phosphorus as struvite. Based on these findings, additional experiments were conducted using stainless steel foil (SSF) as the cathode and acetate (12 mM) as an additional organic substrate for exoelectrogens at the bioanode. With the high electric current (>2 A/m 2 ), a thick layer of struvite crystals was formed on the SSF cathode. The phosphorus recovery increased to 96% with the increasing MEC operation time from 1 to 7 days. With the high phosphorus recovery, estimated energy requirement was relatively low at 13.8 kWh (with acetate) and 0.30 kWh (without acetate) to produce 1 kg struvite from dewatering centrate. For efficient phosphorus recovery from real wastewater, a foil-type cathode is recommended to avoid potential losses of small struvite crystals. Also, presence of readily available organic substrates is important to maintain high electric current and establish high local pH conditions near the cathode. Struvite precipitation was relatively slow, requiring 7 days for nearly complete removal (92%) and recovery (96%). Future studies need to focus on shortening the time requirement.

  15. Metallic Nanoparticle (TiO2 and Fe3O4) Application Modifies Rhizosphere Phosphorus Availability and Uptake by Lactuca sativa.

    PubMed

    Zahra, Zahra; Arshad, Muhammad; Rafique, Rafia; Mahmood, Arshad; Habib, Amir; Qazi, Ishtiaq A; Khan, Saud A

    2015-08-12

    Application of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) with respect to nutrient uptake in plants is not yet well understood. The impacts of TiO2 and Fe3O4 NPs on the availability of naturally soil-bound inorganic phosphorus (Pi) to plants were studied along with relevant parameters. For this purpose, Lactuca sativa (lettuce) was cultivated on the soil amended with TiO2 and Fe3O4 (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 mg kg(-1)) over a period of 90 days. Different techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Raman, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to monitor translocation and understand the possible mechanisms for phosphorus (P) uptake. The trends for P accumulation were different for roots (TiO2 > Fe3O4 > control) and shoots (Fe3O4 > TiO2 > control). Cystine and methionine were detected in the rhizosphere in Raman spectra. Affinities of NPs to adsorb phosphate ions, modifications in P speciation, and NP stress in the rhizosphere had possibly contributed to enhanced root exudation and acidification. All of these changes led to improved P availability and uptake by the plants. These promising results can help to develop an innovative strategy for using NPs for improved nutrient management to ensure food security.

  16. Study on structural characteristics of pillared clay modified phosphate fertilizers and its increase efficiency mechanism*

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Ping-xiao; Liao, Zong-wen

    2005-01-01

    Three types of new high-efficiency phosphate fertilizers were made when pillared clays at certain proportions were added into ground phosphate rock. Chemical analyses showed that their soluble phosphorus content decreased more than that of superphosphate. Pot experiment showed that, under equal weights, the new fertilizers increased their efficiency by a large margin over that of superphosphate. Researches on their structures by means of XRD, IR and EPR spectrum revealed that their crystal structures changed considerably, improving their activity and preventing the fixation of available phosphorus in the soil, and consequently, greatly improved the bioavailability and became the main cause of the increase of biomass. PMID:15682504

  17. Colorimetric analyzer based on mobile phone camera for determination of available phosphorus in soil.

    PubMed

    Moonrungsee, Nuntaporn; Pencharee, Somkid; Jakmunee, Jaroon

    2015-05-01

    A field deployable colorimetric analyzer based on an "Android mobile phone" was developed for the determination of available phosphorus content in soil. An inexpensive mobile phone embedded with digital camera was used for taking photograph of the chemical solution under test. The method involved a reaction of the phosphorus (orthophosphate form), ammonium molybdate and potassium antimonyl tartrate to form phosphomolybdic acid which was reduced by ascorbic acid to produce the intense colored molybdenum blue. The software program was developed to use with the phone for recording and analyzing RGB color of the picture. A light tight box with LED light to control illumination was fabricated to improve precision and accuracy of the measurement. Under the optimum conditions, the calibration graph was created by measuring blue color intensity of a series of standard phosphorus solution (0.0-1.0mgPL(-1)), then, the calibration equation obtained was retained by the program for the analysis of sample solution. The results obtained from the proposed method agreed well with the spectrophotometric method, with a detection limit of 0.01mgPL(-1) and a sample throughput about 40h(-1) was achieved. The developed system provided good accuracy (RE<5%) and precision (RSD<2%, intra- and inter-day), fast and cheap analysis, and especially convenient to use in crop field for soil analysis of phosphorus nutrient. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. The application of soil amendments benefits to the reduction of phosphorus depletion and the growth of cabbage and corn.

    PubMed

    Liu, Wei; Ji, Hongli; Kerr, Philip; Wu, Yonghong; Fang, Yanming

    2015-11-01

    The loss of phosphorus from agricultural intensive areas can cause ecological problems such as eutrophication in downstream surface waters. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to control the phosphorus loss using environmentally benign soil amendments, viz, ferrous sulfate (FES), aluminum sulfate (ALS), and polyacrylamide (PAM). The phosphorus concentration changes in soil and leaching solution, the morphological index of plant (including stem and root), and root activity and quality (represented by chlorophyll and soluble sugar) at different growth stages of cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata L.) were monitored in a pilot experiment. Phosphorus contents in soil and runoff were also investigated in field experiments cultivated with corn (Zea mays L.). The results show that the application of these amendments improved the phosphorus uptake by cabbage and corn, resulting in the enhanced morphologies of root and stem as well as the root activity at the early and middle stages of cabbage growth. The soil total phosphorus and available phosphorus in soils treated with FES, ALS, and PAM declined, resulting in lower concentrations of phosphorus in the leachate and the soil runoff. During the use of the soil amendments, the cabbage quality measures, determined as chlorophyll and soluble sugar in leaves, were not significantly different from those in the control. It is suggested that the application of these soil amendments is safe for cabbage production under single season cropping conditions, and the use of these three amendments is a promising measure to reduce phosphorus loss in intensive agricultural areas.

  19. Effect of fire on phosphorus forms in Sphagnum moss and peat soils of ombrotrophic bogs.

    PubMed

    Wang, Guoping; Yu, Xiaofei; Bao, Kunshan; Xing, Wei; Gao, Chuanyu; Lin, Qianxin; Lu, Xianguo

    2015-01-01

    The effect of burning Sphagnum moss and peat on phosphorus forms was studied with controlled combustion in the laboratory. Two fire treatments, a light fire (250 °C) and a severe fire (600 °C), were performed in a muffle furnace with 1-h residence time to simulate the effects of different forest fire conditions. The results showed that fire burning Sphagnum moss and peat soils resulted in losses of organic phosphorus (Po), while inorganic phosphorus (Pi) concentrations increased. Burning significantly changed detailed phosphorus composition and availability, with severe fires destroying over 90% of organic phosphorus and increasing the availability of inorganic P by more than twofold. Our study suggest that, while decomposition processes in ombrotrophic bogs occur very slowly, rapid changes in the form and availability of phosphorus in vegetation and litter may occur as the result of forest fires on peat soils. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. [Research advances in mechanism of high phosphorus use efficiency of plants].

    PubMed

    Ma, Xiangqing; Liang, Xia

    2004-04-01

    Phosphorus deficiency is one of the main factors influencing agricultural and forestry productions. Fertilization and soil improvement are the major measures to meet the demand of phosphorus for crops in traditional agriculture and forestry management. Recently, the plants with high phosphorus use efficiency have been discovered to replace the traditional measures to improve phosphorus use efficiency of crops. This paper reviewed the research advances in the morphological, physiological and genetics mechanisms of plants with high phosphorus use efficiency. There were three mechanisms for the plants with high phosphorus use efficiency to grow under phosphorus stress: (1) under low phosphorus stress, the root morphology would change (root system grew fast, root axes became small, the number and density of lateral root increased) and more photosynthesis products would transport from the crown to the root, (2) under low phosphorus stress, plant root exudation increased, mycorrhizae invaded into root system, the feature of root absorption kinetics changed, and the internal phosphorus cycling of plant reinforced to tolerate phosphorus deficiency, and (3) under long selection stress of low phosphorus, some plants would form the genetic properties of phosphorus nutrition that could exploit the hardly soluble phosphorus in the soil.

  1. Evaluation of the TBET model for potential improvement of southern P indices

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Due to a shortage of available phosphorus (P) loss data sets, simulated data from a quantitative P transport model could be used to evaluate a P-index. However, the model would need to accurately predict the P loss data sets that are available. The objective of this study was to compare predictions ...

  2. Tillage and phosphorus management effects on enzyme-labile bioactive phosphorus availability in brazilian cerrado oxisols and temperature zone typic hapludults

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Tillage management practices have a direct effect on the behavior and availability of soil nutrients. Phosphorus (P) is an essential element in crop growth which can be growth-limiting or an environmental contaminant, if present in excess. Sorption and availability of various soil P forms were eva...

  3. [Physicochemical properties of Guanting Reservoir sediment and its land application].

    PubMed

    Su, De-Chun; Hu, Yu-Feng; Song, Chong-Wei; Wu, Fei-Long; Liu, Pei-Bin

    2007-06-01

    Surface sediment of Guanting Reservoir was dredged up and dewatered in field, and pollutant and physicochemical characterizations were mensurated. The stabilization and agricultural land use of the sediment was also studied in the field. Results showed that the sediments have a higher clay content, bulk density (1.89 g x cm(-3)) and lower porosity (23.8%), higher deoxidize material and available nitrogen, phosphorus concentration. Heavy metal and organochlorinated pesticides concentration was lower than the class II of national standard for soil. Stabilized the sediment with sand soil and straw could improve the physical property and decrease the concentration of deoxidize material and available nitrogen, phosphorus. Stabilized sediment could be a suitable medium for alfalfa, tree and corn growth and used for agricultural land.

  4. Interspecific variability in phosphorus-induced lipid remodelling among marine eukaryotic phytoplankton.

    PubMed

    Cañavate, José Pedro; Armada, Isabel; Hachero-Cruzado, Ismael

    2017-01-01

    The response of marine microalgal lipids to phosphorus is of central importance in phytoplankton ecology but remains poorly understood. We determined how taxonomically diverse microalgal species remodelled their lipid class profile in response to phosphorus availability and whether these changes coincided with those already known to occur in land plants and in the limited number of phytoplankton species for which data are available. The complete lipid class profile and specific lipid ratios influenced by phosphorus availability were quantified in two green microalgae and seven Chromalveolates exposed to phosphorus repletion, deprivation and replenishment. Lipid class cell quota changes in the two green microalgae resembled the currently described pattern of betaine lipids substituting for phospholipids under phosphorus depletion, whereas only two of the studied Chromalveolates showed this pattern. Sulpholipids counterbalanced phosphatidylglycerol only in Picochlorum atomus. In all other species, both lipids decreased simultaneously under phosphorus deprivation, although sulpholipids declined more slowly. Phosphorus deprivation always induced a decrease in digalactosyl-diacylglycerol. However, the ratio of digalactosyl-diacylglycerol to total phospholipids increased in eight species and remained unchanged in Isochrysis galbana. Marine phytoplankton seems to have evolved a diversified mechanism for remodelling its lipid class profile under the influence of phosphorus, with cryptophytes and particularly haptophytes exhibiting previously unobserved lipid responses to phosphorus. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

  5. Fauna-associated changes in chemical and biochemical properties of soil.

    PubMed

    Tripathi, G; Sharma, B M

    2006-12-01

    To study the impacts of abundance of woodlice, termites, and mites on some functional aspects of soil in order to elucidate the specific role of soil fauna in improving soil fertility in desert. Fauna-rich sites were selected as experimental sites and adjacent areas were taken as control. Soil samples were collected from both sites. Soil respiration was measured at both sites. The soil samples were sent to laboratory, their chemical and biochemical properties were analyzed. Woodlice showed 25% decrease in organic carbon and organic matter as compared to control site. Whereas termites and mites showed 58% and 16% decrease in organic carbon and organic matter. In contrast, available nitrogen (nitrate and ammonical both) and phosphorus exhibited 2-fold and 1.2-fold increase, respectively. Soil respiration and dehydrogenase activity at the sites rich in woodlice, termites and mites produced 2.5-, 3.5- and 2-fold increases, respectively as compared to their control values. Fauna-associated increase in these biological parameters clearly reflected fauna-induced microbial activity in soil. Maximum decrease in organic carbon and increase in nitrate-nitrogen and ammonical-nitrogen, available phosphorus, soil respiration and dehydrogenase activity were produced by termites and minimum by mites reflecting termite as an efficient soil improver in desert environment. The soil fauna-associated changes in chemical (organic carbon, nitrate-nitrogen, ammonical-nitrogen, phosphorus) and biochemical (soil respiration, dehydrogenase activity) properties of soil improve soil health and help in conservation of desert pedoecosystem.

  6. [Effects of phosphorus sources on phosphorus fractions in rhizosphere soil of wild barley genotypes with high phosphorus utilization efficiency].

    PubMed

    Cai, Qiu-Yan; Zhang, Xi-Zhou; Li, Ting-Xuan; Chen, Guang-Deng

    2014-11-01

    High P-efficiency (IS-22-30, IS-22-25) and low P-efficiency (IS-07-07) wild barley cultivars were chosen to evaluate characteristics of phosphorus uptake and utilization, and properties of phosphorus fractions in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere in a pot experiment with 0 (CK) and 30 mg P · kg(-1) supplied as only Pi (KH2PO4), only Po (phytate) or Pi + Po (KH2PO4+ phytate). The results showed that dry matter and phosphorus accumulation of wild barley in the different treatments was ranked as Pi > Pi + Po > Po > CK. In addition, dry matter yield and phosphorus uptake of wild barley with high P-efficiency exhibited significantly greater than that with low P-efficiency. The concentration of soil available phosphorus was significantly different after application of different phosphorus sources, which was presented as Pi > Pi + Po > Po. The concentration of soil available phosphorus in high P-efficiency wild barley was significantly higher than that of low P-efficiency in the rhizosphere soil. There was a deficit in rhizosphere available phosphorus of high P-efficiency wild barley, especially in Pi and Pi+Po treatments. The inorganic phosphorus fractions increased with the increasing Pi treatment, and the concentrations of inorganic phosphorus fractions in soil were sorted as follows: Ca10-P > O-P > Fe-P > Al-P > Ca2-P > Ca8-P. The contents of Ca2-P and Ca8-P for high P-efficiency wild barley showed deficits in rhizosphere soil under each phosphorus source treatment. In addition, enrichment of Al-P and Fe-P was observed in Pi treatment in rhizosphere soil. The concentrations of organic phosphorus fractions in soil were sorted as follows: moderate labile organic phosphorus > moderate resistant, resistant organic phosphorus > labile organic phosphorus. The labile and moderate labile organic phosphorus enriched in rhizosphere soil and the greatest enrichment appeared in Pi treatment. Furthermore, the concentrations of moderate resistant organic phosphorus and resistant organic phosphorus decreased in rhizosphere soil. The concentrations of labile and moderate labile organic phosphorus in rhizosphere soil of high P-efficiency wild barley were significantly higher than that of low P-efficiency wild barley in each phosphorus source treatment. However, moderate resistant organic phosphorus and resistant organic phosphorus concentrations had no significant difference between the two genotypes. Wild barley with high P-efficiency demonstrated a greater ability of mobilization and uptake Ca2-P, Ca8-P, Al-P and labile organic phosphorus than that with low P-efficiency under Pi deficiency.

  7. Pervasive phosphorus limitation of tree species but not communities in tropical forests

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Turner, Benjamin L.; Brenes-Arguedas, Tania; Condit, Richard

    2018-03-01

    Phosphorus availability is widely assumed to limit primary productivity in tropical forests, but support for this paradigm is equivocal. Although biogeochemical theory predicts that phosphorus limitation should be prevalent on old, strongly weathered soils, experimental manipulations have failed to detect a consistent response to phosphorus addition in species-rich lowland tropical forests. Here we show, by quantifying the growth of 541 tropical tree species across a steep natural phosphorus gradient in Panama, that phosphorus limitation is widespread at the level of individual species and strengthens markedly below a threshold of two parts per million exchangeable soil phosphate. However, this pervasive species-specific phosphorus limitation does not translate into a community-wide response, because some species grow rapidly on infertile soils despite extremely low phosphorus availability. These results redefine our understanding of nutrient limitation in diverse plant communities and have important implications for attempts to predict the response of tropical forests to environmental change.

  8. Environmental and resource implications of phosphorus recovery from waste activated sludge.

    PubMed

    Sørensen, Birgitte Lilholt; Dall, Ole Leinikka; Habib, Komal

    2015-11-01

    Phosphorus is an essential mineral resource for the growth of crops and thus necessary to feed the ever increasing global population. The essentiality and irreplaceability of phosphorus in food production has raised the concerns regarding the long-term phosphorus availability and the resulting food supply issues in the future. Hence, the recovery of phosphorus from waste activated sludge and other waste streams is getting huge attention as a viable solution to tackle the potential availability issues of phosphorus in the future. This study explores the environmental implications of phosphorus recovery from waste activated sludge in Denmark and further elaborates on the potential availability or scarcity issue of phosphorus today and 2050. Life cycle assessment is used to assess the possibility of phosphorus recovery with little or no environmental impacts compared to the conventional mining. The phosphorus recovery method assessed in this study consists of drying process, and thermal gasification of the waste activated sludge followed by extraction of phosphorus from the ashes. Our results indicate that the environmental impacts of phosphorus recovery in an energy efficient process are comparable to the environmental effects from the re-use of waste activated sludge applied directly on farmland. Moreover, our findings conclude that the general recommendation according to the waste hierarchy, where re-use of the waste sludge on farmland is preferable to material and energy recovery, is wrong in this case. Especially when phosphorus is a critical resource due to its life threatening necessity, lack of substitution options and potential future supply risk originating due to the high level of global supply concentration. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Phosphorus Doping Effect in a Zinc Oxide Channel Layer to Improve the Performance of Oxide Thin-Film Transistors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Han, Dong-Suk; Moon, Yeon-Keon; Lee, Sih; Kim, Kyung-Taek; Moon, Dae-Yong; Lee, Sang-Ho; Kim, Woong-Sun; Park, Jong-Wan

    2012-09-01

    In this study, we fabricated phosphorus-doped zinc oxide-based thin-film transistors (TFTs) using direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering at a relatively low temperature of 100°C. To improve the TFT device performance, including field-effect mobility and bias stress stability, phosphorus dopants were employed to suppress the generation of intrinsic defects in the ZnO-based semiconductor. The positive and negative bias stress stabilities were dramatically improved by introducing the phosphorus dopants, which could prevent turn-on voltage ( V ON) shift in the TFTs caused by charge trapping within the active channel layer. The study showed that phosphorus doping in ZnO was an effective method to control the electrical properties of the active channel layers and improve the bias stress stability of oxide-based TFTs.

  10. Structural equation model of total phosphorus loads in the Red River of the North Basin, USA and Canada

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ryberg, Karen R.

    2017-01-01

    Attribution of the causes of trends in nutrient loading is often limited to correlation, qualitative reasoning, or references to the work of others. This paper represents efforts to improve causal attribution of water-quality changes. The Red River of the North basin provides a regional test case because of international interest in the reduction of total phosphorus loads and the availability of long-term total phosphorus data and ancillary geospatial data with the potential to explain changes in water quality over time. The objectives of the study are to investigate structural equation modeling methods for application to water-quality problems and to test causal hypotheses related to the drivers of total phosphorus loads over the period 1970 to 2012. Multiple working hypotheses that explain total phosphorus loads and methods for estimating missing ancillary data were developed, and water-quality related challenges to structural equation modeling (including skewed data and scaling issues) were addressed. The model indicates that increased precipitation in season 1 (November–February) or season 2 (March–June) would increase total phosphorus loads in the basin. The effect of agricultural practices on total phosphorus loads was significant, although the effect is about one-third of the effect of season 1 precipitation. The structural equation model representing loads at six sites in the basin shows that climate and agricultural practices explain almost 60% of the annual total phosphorus load in the Red River of the North basin. The modeling process and the unexplained variance highlight the need for better ancillary long-term data for causal assessments.

  11. [Effects of selective cutting on soil phosphorus forms and availability in Korean pine broad-leaved forest in Xiaoxing'an Mountains of China.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xin; Gu, Hui Yan; Chen, Xiang Wei

    2018-02-01

    In order to clarify the effects of selective cutting on soil phosphorus availability in Korean pine broad-leaved forest, surface soil (0-10 cm) samples from original Korean pine broad-leaved forest and natural forests with mild, medium and intensive cutting disturbances were collected. The Sui modified Hedley phosphorus fractionation method was used to continuously extract soil samples and analyzed the differences and changes of soil phosphorus fractions from different experimental stands. The results showed that the soil total phosphorus content of Korean pine broad-leaved forest varied from 1.09 to 1.66 g·kg -1 , with the original stand and intensive cutting disturbance stand being the maximum and minimum one, respectively. The differences of soil total phosphorus content among cutting disturbance levels were significant. The Olsen phosphorus and phosphorus activation coefficients changed with an amplitude of 7.26-17.79 mg·kg -1 and 0.67%-1.07%, respectively. Both of them significantly decreased with the increase of selective cutting disturbance level. The concentrations of all P fractions except HCl-P o , i.e., H 2 O-P i , NaHCO 3 -P, NaOH-P, HCl-P i , Residual-P, decreased with increasing cutting disturbance levels compared with original forest. The correlation coefficient between H 2 O-P i and soil Olsen phosphorus was the highest (0.98), though it only accounted for 1.5%-2.2% of the total phosphorus. NaOH-P content contributed to more than 48.0% of the total phosphorus, acknowledged as the potential source of soil phosphorus. In conclusion, selective cutting disturbance could constrain phosphorus storage and soil phosphorus availabi-lity of the Korean pine broad-leaved forests by significantly reducing the content of soil inorganic phosphorus and NaOH-P o , and such trends were positively dependent on the intensity of selective cutting.

  12. Potential Application of Biohydrogen Production Liquid Waste as Phosphate Solubilizing Agent-A Study Using Soybean Plants.

    PubMed

    Sarma, Saurabh Jyoti; Brar, Satinder Kaur; LeBihan, Yann; Buelna, Gerardo

    2016-03-01

    With CO2 free emission and a gravimetric energy density higher than gasoline, diesel, biodiesel, and bioethanol, biohydrogen is a promising green renewable energy carrier. During fermentative hydrogen production, 60-70 % of the feedstock is converted to different by-products, dominated by organic acids. In the present investigation, a simple approach for value addition of hydrogen production liquid waste (HPLW) containing these compounds has been demonstrated. In soil, organic acids produced by phosphate solubilizing bacteria chelate the cations of insoluble inorganic phosphates (e.g., Ca3 (PO4)2) and make the phosphorus available to the plants. Organic acid-rich HPLW, therefore, has been evaluated as soil phosphate solubilizer. Application of HPLW as soil phosphate solubilizer was found to improve the phosphorus uptake of soybean plants by 2.18- to 2.74-folds. Additionally, 33-100 % increase in seed germination rate was also observed. Therefore, HPLW has the potential to be an alternative for phosphate solubilizing biofertilizers available in the market. Moreover, the strategy can be useful for phytoremediation of phosphorus-rich soil.

  13. Soil Phosphorus and the Ecology of Tropical Forests

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Turner, B. L.

    2016-12-01

    Phosphorus availability is commonly assumed to limit forest productivity on strongly weathered soils in the lowland tropics, but experimental evidence is scarce and equivocal. In this presentation I will explore the extent to which phosphorus influences the productivity and distribution of tree species in tropical forests. I will highlight the range of soils that occur in tropical forests and the associated variation in the amounts and forms of soil phosphorus. I will draw on data from a regional-scale network of forest dynamics plots in Panama to show that tree species distributions are determined primarily by dry season intensity and soil phosphorus availability. Finally, I will demonstrate that phosphorus limitation of tropical tree growth is widespread at the level of individual species, but is not observed at the community level in diverse forests due to species turnover across phosphorus gradients.

  14. Usefulness of Mehlich-3 test in the monitoring of phosphorus dispersion from Polish arable soils.

    PubMed

    Szara, Ewa; Sosulski, Tomasz; Szymańska, Magdalena; Szyszkowska, Katarzyna

    2018-04-19

    A considerable area of soils with low abundance of plant-available phosphorus and relatively low consumption of phosphorus fertilisers recorded in Poland over the last 20-25 years suggests that the dispersion of phosphates from arable soils in Poland can be low. The literature, however, provides reports on a considerable share of Polish agriculture in phosphorus pollution of Baltic Sea waters. The literature provides no data concerning phosphorus sorption parameters of arable soils in Poland. Due to this, the study involved the analysis of sorption properties: 1-point phosphorus sorption index (PSI) and degree of phosphorus saturation, based on molar ratio P, Al, and Fe determined by the Mehlich-3 method (DPS-1 M3  = P / (Al + Fe) and DPS-2 M3  = P / Al), 59 soils representing the main types of texture of soils in Poland, characterised by variable content of plant-available phosphorus by Egner-Riehm DL, organic carbon, and soil pH. The obtained results suggest that the soil texture has a lower effect on sorption properties (PSI) than the degree of acidification. Sorption parameters of soils increased with soil acidification as a result of an increase in the content of Al and Fe extracted by the Mehlich-3 extract in strongly acidified soils. An important finding of our study was evidencing that within the same class of abundance in plant-available phosphorus, the soils varied in the degree of phosphorus saturation and content of active phosphorus. This suggests the possibility of losses of phosphorus even from soils with low abundance of the component provided they are characterised by a high value of parameters DPS-1 M3 and DPS-2 M3 .

  15. [Phosphate solubilization of Aureobasidium pullulan F4 and its mechanism].

    PubMed

    Wang, Dan; Zhan, Jing; Sun, Qing-Ye

    2014-07-01

    The Aureobasidium pullulans F4 was isolated from the rhizosphere of Hippochaete ramosissimum in Tongguanshan mine wasteland in Tongling City, Anhui Province. Liquid culture was conducted with four kinds of phosphorus sources, calcium phosphate, aluminum phosphate, ferric phosphate and rock phosphate to determine the pH, dissolved phosphorus, phosphorus in the bacteria and organic acid in the solution. The results showed that the phosphate solubilization by A. pullulans F4 varied with phosphorus sources, which decreased in order of aluminum phosphate > ferric phosphate, calcium phosphate > rock phosphate. The amounts of dissolved phosphorus in the different treatments were all higher than 200 mg x L(-1). The pH of the medium dropped immediately in 48 h, and the aluminum phosphate and ferric phosphate treatments showed a greater decrease in pH than the calcium phosphate and rock phosphate treatments. The organic acid synthesized by A. pullulans F4 included oxalic acid, citric acid and tartaric acid, and oxalic acid, among which oxalic acid was the dominated component. The phosphate dissolving capacity of A. pullulans F4 showed no significant correlation with organic acid, but significantly correlated with the pH. The available phosphorus was significantly improved with the combined application of A. pullulans F4 and glucose, suggesting A. pullulans F4 was a potent candidate for remediation of copper mine wastelands.

  16. Phosphate solubilization and promotion of maize growth by Penicillium oxalicum P4 and Aspergillus niger P85 in a calcareous soil.

    PubMed

    Yin, Zhongwei; Shi, Fachao; Jiang, Hongmei; Roberts, Daniel P; Chen, Sanfeng; Fan, Bingquan

    2015-12-01

    Alternative tactics for improving phosphorus nutrition in crop production are needed in China and elsewhere, as the overapplication of phosphatic fertilizers can adversely impact agricultural sustainability. Penicillium oxalicum P4 and Aspergillus niger P85 were isolated from a calcareous soil in China that had been exposed to excessive application of phosphatic fertilizer for decades. Each isolate excreted a number of organic acids into, acidified, and solubilized phosphorus in a synthetic broth containing insoluble tricalcium phosphate or rock phosphate. Isolate P4, applied as a seed treatment, increased maize fresh mass per plant when rock phosphate was added to the calcareous soil in greenhouse pot studies. Isolate P85 did not increase maize fresh mass per plant but did significantly increase total phosphorus per plant when rock phosphate was added. Significant increases in 7 and 4 organic acids were detected in soil in association with isolates P4 and P85, respectively, relative to the soil-only control. The quantity and (or) number of organic acids produced by these isolates increased when rock phosphate was added to the soil. Both isolates also significantly increased available phosphorus in soil in the presence of added rock phosphate and effectively colonized the maize rhizosphere. Studies reported here indicate that isolate P4 is adapted to and capable of promoting maize growth in a calcareous soil. Plant-growth promotion by this isolate is likely due, at least in part, to increased phosphorus availability resulting from the excretion of organic acids into, and the resulting acidification of, this soil.

  17. [Spatial variability of surface soil nutrients in the landslide area of Beichuan County, South- west China, after 5 · 12 Wenchuan Earthquake].

    PubMed

    Mai, Ji-shan; Zhao, Ting-ning; Zheng, Jiang-kun; Shi, Chang-qing

    2015-12-01

    Based on grid sampling and laboratory analysis, spatial variability of surface soil nutrients was analyzed with GS⁺ and other statistics methods on the landslide area of Fenghuang Mountain, Leigu Town, Beichuan County. The results showed that except for high variability of available phosphorus, other soil nutrients exhibited moderate variability. The ratios of nugget to sill of the soil available phosphorus and soil organic carbon were 27.9% and 28.8%, respectively, showing moderate spatial correlation, while the ratios of nugget to sill of the total nitrogen (20.0%), total phosphorus (24.3%), total potassium (11.1%), available nitrogen (11.2%), and available potassium (22.7%) suggested strong spatial correlation. The total phosphorus had the maximum range (1232.7 m), followed by available nitrogen (541.27 m), total nitrogen (468.35 m), total potassium (136.0 m), available potassium (128.7 m), available phosphorus (116.6 m), and soil organic carbon (93.5 m). Soil nutrients had no significant variation with the increase of altitude, but gradually increased from the landslide area, the transition area, to the little-impacted area. The total and available phosphorus contents of the landslide area decreased by 10.3% and 79.7% compared to that of the little-impacted area, respectively. The soil nutrient contents in the transition area accounted for 31.1%-87.2% of that of the little-impacted area, with the nant reason for the spatial variability of surface soil nutrients.

  18. Effects of legume species introduction on vegetation and soil nutrient development on abandoned croplands in a semi-arid environment on the Loess Plateau, China.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Zi-Qiang; Yu, Kai-Liang; Epstein, Howard; Fang, Chao; Li, Jun-Ting; Liu, Qian-Qian; Liu, Xue-Wei; Gao, Wen-Juan; Li, Feng-Min

    2016-01-15

    Revegetation facilitated by legume species introduction has been used for soil erosion control on the Loess Plateau, China. However, it is still unclear how vegetation and soil resources develop during this restoration process, especially over the longer term. In this study, we investigated the changes of plant aboveground biomass, vegetation cover, species richness and density of all individuals, and soil total nitrogen, mineral nitrogen, total phosphorus and available phosphorus over 11 years from 2003 to 2013 in three treatments (natural revegetation, Medicago sativa L. introduction and Melilotus suaveolens L. introduction) on the semi-arid Loess Plateau. Medicago significantly increased aboveground biomass and vegetation cover, and soil total nitrogen and mineral nitrogen contents. The Medicago treatment had lower species richness and density of all individuals, lower soil moisture in the deep soil (i.e., 1.4-5m), and lower soil available phosphorus. Melilotus introduction significantly increased aboveground biomass in only the first two years, and it was not an effective approach to improve vegetation biomass and cover, and soil nutrients, especially in later stages of revegetation. Overall, our study suggests that M. sativa can be the preferred plant species for revegetation of degraded ecosystems on the Loess Plateau, although phosphorus fertilizer should be applied for the sustainability of the revegetation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. [The impact of human activities on the dynamics of phosphorus in the environment and its effect on public health].

    PubMed

    de Quevedo, Claudia Maria Gomes; Paganini, Wanderley da Silva

    2011-08-01

    Phosphorus is a nutrient with finite and non-renewable sources, the speed of exploitation of which is currently far higher than the rates of return to its natural cycle. It is already being predicted that available and known sources will soon be exhausted, with serious and irreversible economic, social and environmental impacts. In this context, this study sets out to present information about the dynamics of phosphorus in the environment, assessing the impacts caused by human activities and establishing what actions might contribute to preservation of the nutrient cycle. To contribute to enhanced understanding of the topic, the evolution of data on population density, the number of industries and the extension of cultivated areas in a river basin, was studied over 22 years in relation to concentrations of phosphorus in water and sediment. The Tietê River was used for the case study. The results revealed that the control of domestic effluent, especially the amount of sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) used in detergents and soap products, is of major importance for improving water quality, ensuring environmental protection and safeguarding public health.

  20. Influence of phosphorus availability on the community structure and physiology of cultured biofilms.

    PubMed

    Li, Shuangshuang; Wang, Chun; Qin, Hongjie; Li, Yinxia; Zheng, Jiaoli; Peng, Chengrong; Li, Dunhai

    2016-04-01

    Biofilms have important effects on nutrient cycling in aquatic ecosystems. However, publications about the community structure and functions under laboratory conditions are rare. This study focused on the developmental and physiological properties of cultured biofilms under various phosphorus concentrations performed in a closely controlled continuous flow incubator. The results showed that the biomass (Chl a) and photosynthesis of algae were inhibited under P-limitation conditions, while the phosphatase activity and P assimilation rate were promoted. The algal community structure of biofilms was more likely related to the colonization stage than with the phosphorus availability. Cyanobacteria were more competitive than other algae in biofilms, particularly when cultured under low P levels. A dominance shift occurred from non-filamentous algae in the early stage to filamentous algae in the mid and late stages under P concentrations of 0.01, 0.1 and 0.6 mg/L. However, the total N content, dry weight biomass and bacterial community structure of biofilms were unaffected by phosphorus availability. This may be attributed to the low respiration rate, high accumulation of extracellular polymeric substances and high alkaline phosphatase activity in biofilms when phosphorus availability was low. The bacterial community structure differed over time, while there was little difference between the four treatments, which indicated that it was mainly affected by the colonization stage of the biofilms rather than the phosphorus availability. Altogether, these results suggested that the development of biofilms was influenced by the phosphorus availability and/or the colonization stage and hence determined the role that biofilms play in the overlying water. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  1. Root developmental adaptation to phosphate starvation: better safe than sorry.

    PubMed

    Péret, Benjamin; Clément, Mathilde; Nussaume, Laurent; Desnos, Thierry

    2011-08-01

    Phosphorus is a crucial component of major organic molecules such as nucleic acids, ATP and membrane phospholipids. It is present in soils in the form of inorganic phosphate (Pi), which has low availability and poor mobility. To cope with Pi limitations, plants have evolved complex adaptive responses that include morphological and physiological modifications. This review describes how the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana adapts its root system architecture to phosphate deficiency through inhibition of primary root growth, increase in lateral root formation and growth and production of root hairs, which all promote topsoil foraging. A better understanding of plant adaptation to low phosphate will open the way to increased phosphorus use efficiency by crops. Such an improvement is needed in order to adjust how we manage limited phosphorus stocks and to reduce the disastrous environmental effects of phosphate fertilizers overuse. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Do soils loose phosphorus with dissolved organic matter?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaiser, K.; Brödlin, D.; Hagedorn, F.

    2014-12-01

    During ecosystem development and soil formation, primary mineral sources of phosphorus are becoming increasingly depleted. Inorganic phosphorus forms tend to be bound strongly to or within secondary minerals, thus, are hardly available to plants and are not leached from soil. What about organic forms of phosphorus? Since rarely studied, little is known on the composition, mobility, and bioavailability of dissolved organic phosphorus. There is some evidence that plant-derived compounds, such as phytate, bind strongly to minerals as well, while microbial compounds, such as nucleotides and nucleic acids, may represent more mobile fractions of soil phosphorus. In some weakly developed, shallow soils, leaching losses of phosphorus seem to be governed by mobile organic forms. Consequently, much of the phosphorus losses observed during initial stages of ecosystem development may be due to the leaching of dissolved organic matter. However, the potentially mobile microbial compounds are enzymatically hydrolysable. Forest ecosystems on developed soils already depleted in easily available inorganic phosphorus are characterized by rapid recycling of organic phosphors. That can reduce the production of soluble forms of organic phosphorus as well as increase the enzymatic hydrolysis and subsequent plant uptake of phosphorus bound within dissolved organic matter. This work aims at giving an outlook to the potential role of dissolved organic matter in the cycling of phosphorus within developing forest ecosystems, based on literature evidence and first results of ongoing research.

  3. The effect of microbial phytase on ileal phosphorus and amino acid digestibility in the broiler chicken.

    PubMed

    Rutherfurd, S M; Chung, T K; Moughan, P J

    2002-09-01

    1. The study aimed to assess the effect of a commercially available microbial phytase on phytate phosphorus and total phosphorus content at the terminal ileum as well as true ileal amino acid digestibility. 2. Five diets, each containing a different plant-based feedstuff, were supplemented with microbial phytase and fed, along with a non-supplemented corresponding diet, to 28-d-old broiler chickens, Chromic oxide was used as an indigestible marker. Ileal contents were collected and analysed, along with the diets, for total phosphorus, phytate phosphorus and amino acids. 3. Endogenous phosphorus determined at the terminal ileum was 272 +/- 108 mg/kg food dry matter (mean +/- SE). Endogenous ileal amino acid flows ranged from 58 +/- 10 mg/kg food dry matter for methionine to 568 +/- 47 mg/kg food dry matter for glutamic acid. 4. Supplementation with microbial phytase resulted in a significantly greater phytate P disappearance from the terminal ileum for rice bran (17% units), but not for soyabean meal, maize, wheat or rapeseed meal. Similarly total phosphorus digestibility was significantly (P < 0.05) higher when microbial phytase was added to the rice-bran-based diet but not for any of the other feedstuffs. 5. Amino acid digestibility was significantly greater in the presence of microbial phytase for all the amino acids examined in wheat, for several of the amino acids each in maize and rapeseed meal and for one amino acid in rice bran and soyabean meal. The average increase in amino acid digestibility for those amino acids affected, was 13, 6, 10, 7 and 12% units for wheat, maize, rapeseed meal, rice bran and soyabean meal, respectively. 6. It appears that microbial phytase improves phosphorus digestibility and amino acid digestibility for certain plant-based feedstuffs.

  4. Retention of phosphorus in highly weathered soils under a lowland Amazonian forest ecosystem

    Treesearch

    M. E. McGroddy; W. L. Silver; Jr. de Oliveira; W. Z. de Mello; M. Keller

    2008-01-01

    The low available phosphorus (P) pools typical of highly weathered tropical forest soils are thought to result from a combination of export of phosphorus via erosion and leaching as well as chemical reactions resulting in physically and chemically protected P compounds. Despite the low apparent P availability, these soils support some of the highest terrestrial net...

  5. Comparing phosphorus mobilization strategies using Aspergillus niger for the mineral dissolution of three phosphate rocks.

    PubMed

    Schneider, K D; van Straaten, P; de Orduña, R Mira; Glasauer, S; Trevors, J; Fallow, D; Smith, P S

    2010-01-01

    Phosphorus deficiencies are limiting crop production in agricultural soils worldwide. Locally available sources of raw phosphate rock (PR) are being recognized for their potential role in soil fertility improvement. Phosphorus bioavailability is essential for the efficiency of PRs and can be increased by acid treatments. The utilization of organic acid producing micro-organisms, notably Aspergillus niger, presents a sustainable alternative to the use of strong inorganic acids, but acid production of A. niger strongly depends on the mineral content of the growth media. This study compared the phosphorus mobilization efficiency of two biological treatments, namely addition of acidic cell-free supernatants from A. niger cultivations to PRs and the direct cultivation of A. niger with PRs. The results show that addition of PR to cultivations leads to significant differences in the profile of organic acids produced by A. niger. Additions of PR, especially igneous rocks containing high amounts of iron and manganese, lead to reduced citric acid concentrations. In spite of these differences, phosphorus mobilization was similar between treatments, suggesting that the simpler direct cultivation method was not inferior. In addition to citric acid, it is suggested that oxalic acid contributes to PR solubilization in direct cultivations with A. niger, which would benefit farmers in developing countries where conventional fertilizers are not adequately accessible.

  6. A cost-effectiveness analysis of water security and water quality: impacts of climate and land-use change on the River Thames system.

    PubMed

    Whitehead, P G; Crossman, J; Balana, B B; Futter, M N; Comber, S; Jin, L; Skuras, D; Wade, A J; Bowes, M J; Read, D S

    2013-11-13

    The catchment of the River Thames, the principal river system in southern England, provides the main water supply for London but is highly vulnerable to changes in climate, land use and population. The river is eutrophic with significant algal blooms with phosphorus assumed to be the primary chemical indicator of ecosystem health. In the Thames Basin, phosphorus is available from point sources such as wastewater treatment plants and from diffuse sources such as agriculture. In order to predict vulnerability to future change, the integrated catchments model for phosphorus (INCA-P) has been applied to the river basin and used to assess the cost-effectiveness of a range of mitigation and adaptation strategies. It is shown that scenarios of future climate and land-use change will exacerbate the water quality problems, but a range of mitigation measures can improve the situation. A cost-effectiveness study has been undertaken to compare the economic benefits of each mitigation measure and to assess the phosphorus reductions achieved. The most effective strategy is to reduce fertilizer use by 20% together with the treatment of effluent to a high standard. Such measures will reduce the instream phosphorus concentrations to close to the EU Water Framework Directive target for the Thames.

  7. The nucleosynthetic origins and chemical evolution of phosphorus in the early universe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frebel, Anna

    2013-10-01

    Relatively little is known about the chemical evolution of the element phosphorus, despite its relatively large abundance in the Sun and its importance for biological life. The goal of this archive proposal is to establish the chemical evolution trend of phosphorus, extending our knowledge from solar metallicity to stars with less than 1/1000th the solar metallicity.Previous studies have used weak near-infrared P I lines to establish phosphorus abundance trends from -1.0 < [Fe/H] < 0. We have identified a strong P I doublet in the UV at 2136 Angstroms, which is present in the spectra of 22 stars available in the HST archives. Our study will {1} improve on the limited observations of the abundance trend at high metallicity and extend it to metallicities lower by 2 dex and {2} determine whether [P/Fe] flattens out towards lower metallicities {like the alpha-elements Mg, Si, Ca, and Ti} or whether it continues to increase {like Co and Zn}. Our results will provide the first tight constraints on the nucleosynthesis of phosphorus and its production sites in the early Universe.We request one semester of funding to support a graduate student to lead the spectral analysis work, one month of summer salary, and miscellaneous travel and publication costs.

  8. Optimisation of Noosa BNR plant to improve performance and reduce operating costs.

    PubMed

    Thomas, M; Wright, P; Blackall, L; Urbain, V; Keller, J

    2003-01-01

    Noosa WWTP is publicly owned and privately operated by Australian Water Services. The process includes primary sedimentation, raw sludge fermentation, biological nutrient removal (BNR), sand filtration and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection. An innovative feature of the plant is the supplementary carbon dosing facility to avoid the use of metal salts (alum or ferric) for phosphorus removal. The average flow treated during 2000 was 9.0 ML/d. The annual 50 percentile effluent quality requirements for nutrients are total N < 5 mg/L and total P < 1 mg/L. The objectives of this project were to: determine the cause of variability in phosphorus removal; develop a strategy to control the variability in phosphorus removal; and minimise the operating cost of supplementary carbon dosing while achieving the effluent quality requirements. An investigation of chemical and microbiological parameters was implemented and it was concluded that there were several factors causing variability in phosphorus removal, rather than a single cause. The following four major causes were identified, and the control strategies that were adopted resulted in the plant achieving annual 50 percentile effluent total P = 0.37 mg/L and total N = 3.0 mg/L during 2001. First, phosphorus removal was limited by the available VFA supply due to consumption of VFA by other organisms competing with phosphate accumulating organisms (PAO), and due to diurnal variations in the sewage VFA and phosphate concentrations. Therefore, supplementary carbon dosing was essential to make allowance for competing reactions. Second, increasing the fermenter VFA yield via supplementary carbon dosing with molasses was found to be an effective and economic way of ensuring reliable phosphorus removal. Third, nitrate in the RAS resulted in consumption of VFA by denitrifying bacteria, particularly with process configurations where the RAS was recycled directly into the anaerobic zone. Incorporating a RAS denitrification zone into the process rectified this problem. Finally, glycogen accumulating organisms (GAO) were observed in BNR sludge samples, and consumption of VFA by GAO appeared to cause decreased phosphorus removal. Better phosphorus removal was obtained using VFA derived from the fermenter than dosing an equivalent amount of acetic acid. It was hypothesized that GAO have a competitive advantage to use acetate and PAO have a competitive advantage to use propionate, butyrate or some other soluble COD compound in the fermenter effluent. Contrary to popular belief, acetate may not be the optimum VFA for biological phosphorus removal. The competition between PAO and GAO for different VFA species under anaerobic conditions requires further investigation in order to control the growth of GAO and thereby improve reliability of biological phosphorus removal processes.

  9. Effect of exposure to sunlight and phosphorus-limitation on bacterial degradation of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in freshwater.

    PubMed

    Kragh, Theis; Søndergaard, Morten; Tranvik, Lars

    2008-05-01

    This study reports on the interacting effect of photochemical conditioning of dissolved organic matter and inorganic phosphorus on the metabolic activity of bacteria in freshwater. Batch cultures with lake-water bacteria and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) extracted from a humic boreal river were arranged in an experimental matrix of three levels of exposure to simulated sunlight and three levels of phosphorus concentration. We measured an increase in bacterial biomass, a decrease in DOC and bacterial respiration as CO(2) production and O(2) consumption over 450 h. These measurements were used to calculate bacterial growth efficiency (BGE). Bacterial degradation of DOC increased with increasing exposure to simulated sunlight and availability of phosphorus and no detectable growth occurred on DOC that was not pre-exposed to simulated sunlight. The outcome of photochemical degradation of DOC changed with increasing availability of phosphorus, resulting in an increase in BGE from about 5% to 30%. Thus, the availability of phosphorus has major implications for the quantitative transfer of carbon in microbial food webs.

  10. The availability of dissolved organic phosphorus compounds to marine phytoplankton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hua-Sheng, Hong; Hai-Li, Wang; Bang-Qin, Huang

    1995-06-01

    The availability of three dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) compounds as nutrient sources for experimental culture of three algae was studied. Results indicated that these compounds could be utilized by algae, and that dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) was first to be uptaken when various forms of phosphorus (DIP and DOP) co-existed. Dicrateria zhanjiangensis' uptake of sodium glycerophosphate was faster than that of D-ribose-5-phosphate. The increase of sodium glycerophosphate had little effect on the maximum uptake rate( V max) of Chlorella sp., but increased the semisaturation constant( K s) remarkably; the photosynthesis rates(PR) of Dicrateria zhanjiangensis and Chlorella sp. were rarely affected by using various forms of phosphorus in the culture experiments. The possible DOP pathways utilized by algae are discussed.

  11. Novel Alleles of Phosphorus-Starvation Tolerance 1 Gene (PSTOL1) from Oryza rufipogon Confers High Phosphorus Uptake Efficiency

    PubMed Central

    Neelam, Kumari; Thakur, Shiwali; Neha; Yadav, Inderjit S.; Kumar, Kishor; Dhaliwal, Salwinder S.; Singh, Kuldeep

    2017-01-01

    Limited phosphorus availability in the soil is one of the major constraints to the growth and productivity of rice across Asian, African and South American countries, where 50% of the rice is grown under rain-fed systems on poor and problematic soils. With an aim to determine novel alleles for enhanced phosphorus uptake efficiency in wild species germplasm of rice Oryza rufipogon, we investigated phosphorus uptake1 (Pup1) locus with 11 previously reported SSR markers and sequence characterized the phosphorus-starvation tolerance 1 (PSTOL1) gene. In the present study, we screened 182 accessions of O. rufipogon along with Vandana as a positive control with SSR markers. From the analysis, it was inferred that all of the O. rufipogon accessions undertaken in this study had an insertion of 90 kb region, including Pup1-K46, a diagnostic marker for PSTOL1, however, it was absent among O. sativa cv. PR114, PR121, and PR122. The complete PSTOL1 gene was also sequenced in 67 representative accessions of O. rufipogon and Vandana as a positive control. From comparative sequence analysis, 53 mutations (52 SNPs and 1 nonsense mutation) were found in the PSTOL1 coding region, of which 28 were missense mutations and 10 corresponded to changes in the amino acid polarity. These 53 mutations correspond to 17 haplotypes, of these 6 were shared and 11 were scored only once. A major shared haplotype was observed among 44 accessions of O. rufipogon along with Vandana and Kasalath. Out of 17 haplotypes, accessions representing 8 haplotypes were grown under the phosphorus-deficient conditions in hydroponics for 60 days. Significant differences were observed in the root length and weight among all the genotypes when grown under phosphorus deficiency conditions as compared to the phosphorus sufficient conditions. The O. rufipogon accession IRGC 106506 from Laos performed significantly better, with 2.5 times higher root weight and phosphorus content as compared to the positive control Vandana. In terms of phosphorus uptake efficiency, the O. rufipogon accessions IRGC 104639, 104712, and 105569 also showed nearly two times higher phosphorus content than Vandana. Thus, these O. rufipogon accessions could be used as the potential donor for improving phosphorus uptake efficiency of elite rice cultivars. PMID:28443109

  12. Novel Alleles of Phosphorus-Starvation Tolerance 1 Gene (PSTOL1) from Oryza rufipogon Confers High Phosphorus Uptake Efficiency.

    PubMed

    Neelam, Kumari; Thakur, Shiwali; Neha; Yadav, Inderjit S; Kumar, Kishor; Dhaliwal, Salwinder S; Singh, Kuldeep

    2017-01-01

    Limited phosphorus availability in the soil is one of the major constraints to the growth and productivity of rice across Asian, African and South American countries, where 50% of the rice is grown under rain-fed systems on poor and problematic soils. With an aim to determine novel alleles for enhanced phosphorus uptake efficiency in wild species germplasm of rice Oryza rufipogon , we investigated phosphorus uptake1 ( Pup1 ) locus with 11 previously reported SSR markers and sequence characterized the phosphorus-starvation tolerance 1 ( PSTOL1 ) gene. In the present study, we screened 182 accessions of O. rufipogon along with Vandana as a positive control with SSR markers. From the analysis, it was inferred that all of the O. rufipogon accessions undertaken in this study had an insertion of 90 kb region, including Pup1 -K46, a diagnostic marker for PSTOL1 , however, it was absent among O. sativa cv. PR114, PR121, and PR122. The complete PSTOL1 gene was also sequenced in 67 representative accessions of O. rufipogon and Vandana as a positive control. From comparative sequence analysis, 53 mutations (52 SNPs and 1 nonsense mutation) were found in the PSTOL1 coding region, of which 28 were missense mutations and 10 corresponded to changes in the amino acid polarity. These 53 mutations correspond to 17 haplotypes, of these 6 were shared and 11 were scored only once. A major shared haplotype was observed among 44 accessions of O. rufipogon along with Vandana and Kasalath. Out of 17 haplotypes, accessions representing 8 haplotypes were grown under the phosphorus-deficient conditions in hydroponics for 60 days. Significant differences were observed in the root length and weight among all the genotypes when grown under phosphorus deficiency conditions as compared to the phosphorus sufficient conditions. The O. rufipogon accession IRGC 106506 from Laos performed significantly better, with 2.5 times higher root weight and phosphorus content as compared to the positive control Vandana. In terms of phosphorus uptake efficiency, the O. rufipogon accessions IRGC 104639, 104712, and 105569 also showed nearly two times higher phosphorus content than Vandana. Thus, these O. rufipogon accessions could be used as the potential donor for improving phosphorus uptake efficiency of elite rice cultivars.

  13. Using extension phosphorus uptake research to improve Idaho's nutrient management planning program

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Irrigated silage corn is the main crop used for phosphorus removal; however little is known about the actual amounts of phosphorus removed under southern Idaho growing conditions. The purpose of this study was to survey phosphorus removal by irrigated corn grown for silage in southern Idaho under va...

  14. Assessing risk of non-compliance of phosphorus standards for lakes in England and Wales

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duethmann, D.; Anthony, S.; Carvalho, L.; Spears, B.

    2009-04-01

    High population densities, use of inorganic fertilizer and intensive livestock agriculture have increased phosphorus loads to lakes, and accelerated eutrophication is a major pressure for many lakes. The EC Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires that good chemical and ecological quality is restored in all surface water bodies by 2015. Total phosphorus (TP) standards for lakes in England and Wales have been agreed recently, and our aim was to estimate what percentage of lakes in England and Wales is at risk of failing these standards. With measured lake phosphorus concentrations only being available for a small number of lakes, such an assessment had to be model based. The study also makes a source apportionment of phosphorus inputs into lakes. Phosphorus loads were estimated from a range of sources including agricultural loads, sewage effluents, septic tanks, diffuse urban sources, atmospheric deposition, groundwater and bank erosion. Lake phosphorus concentrations were predicted using the Vollenweider model, and the model framework was satisfactorily tested against available observed lake concentration data. Even though predictions for individual lakes remain uncertain, results for a population of lakes are considered as sufficiently robust. A scenario analysis was carried out to investigate to what extent reductions in phosphorus loads would increase the number of lakes achieving good ecological status in terms of TP standards. Applying the model to all lakes in England and Wales greater than 1 ha, it was calculated that under current conditions roughly two thirds of the lakes would fail the good ecological status with respect to phosphorus. According to our estimates, agricultural phosphorus loads represent the most frequent dominant source for the majority of catchments, but diffuse urban runoff also is important in many lakes. Sewage effluents are the most frequent dominant source for large lake catchments greater than 100 km². The evaluation in terms of total load can be misleading in terms of what sources need to be tackled by catchment management for most of the lakes. For example sewage effluents are responsible for the majority of the total load but are the dominant source in only a small number of larger lake catchments. If loads from all sources were halved this would potentially increase the number of complying lakes to two thirds but require substantial measures to reduce phosphorus inputs to lakes. For agriculture, required changes would have to go beyond improvements of agricultural practise, and need to include reducing the intensity of land use. The time required for many lakes to respond to reduced nutrient loading is likely to extend beyond the current timelines of the WFD due to internal loading and biological resistances.

  15. Geochemical and hydrologic controls on phosphorus transport in a sewage-contaminated sand and gravel aquifer near Ashumet Pond, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Walter, Donald A.; Rea, Brigid A.; Stollenwerk, Kenneth G.; Savoie, Jennifer G.

    1996-01-01

    Currently (1993), about 170 kg/yr of phosphorus discharges into Ashumet Pond on Cape Cod from a plume of sewage-contaminated ground water. Phosphorus in the plume is mobile in two distinct geochemical environments--an anoxic zone containing dissolved iron and a suboxic zone containing dissolved oxygen. Phosphorus mobility in the suboxic zone is due to saturation of available sorption sites. Phosphorus loading to Ashumet Pond may increase significantly after sewage disposal is stopped due to phosphorus desorption from sediment surfaces.

  16. Changes phosphorus associated to phosphatase activity because of application of carbon, nitrogen and manure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paredes, Cecilia; Gianfreda, Liliana; Mora, María de la Luz

    2015-04-01

    The Chilean Andisols are of great importance in the economy of southern Chile supporting the bulk of agricultural production. The major characteristics of Chilean volcanic soils are the high adsorption capacity of P with a concomitant low P availability to plants. Studies preliminary using dairy cattle dung suggest that we can improve P availability using organic P sources within the soil because of microorganism. Phosphorous solubilization by microorganisms is a complex phenomenon, which depends on many factors such as nutritional, physiological and growth condition of the culture. The principal mechanism for mineral phosphate solubilization is the production of organic acids where the enzyme phosphatases play a major role in the mineralization of organic phosphorous in soil. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in soil phosphorus fractions due to application the cattle dung, glucose, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). In this experiment we incubated soil samples with 300 g of cattle dung, 30 mg kg-1 of N and P and 1000 mg glucose kg-1. The soil samples were moistened to field capacity and incubated in plastic bags to room temperature by different time. The changes in P forms in soil were monitored through the Hedley fractionation procedure and phosphatase activity. Our preliminary results indicated that the application of cattle dung, glucose nitrogen and phosphorus, caused the increased phosphatase activity until to 7 days and then apparently return to normal values. Interestingly, we observed a rise in the inorganic P fraction extracted by NaHCO3 in the same period. In summary, the increase biological activity by carbon and nitrogen increase P availability. Acknowledgements: The authors thank Fondecyt 1141247 Project.

  17. Water quality, hydrology, and phosphorus loading to Little St. Germain Lake, Wisconsin, with special emphasis on the effects of winter aeration and ground-water inputs

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Robertson, Dale M.; Rose, William J.; Saad, David A.

    2005-01-01

    Several empirical water-quality models were used to simulate how the East and Upper East Bays of the lake should respond to reductions in phosphorus loading from Muskellunge Creek. Simulation results indicated that reductions in tributary loading could improve the water quality of the East and Upper East Bays. Improving the water quality of these bays would also improve the water quality of the South and Second South Bays because of the flow of water through the lake. However, even with phosphorus loading from Muskellunge Creek completely eliminated, most of the lake would remain borderline mesotrophic/eutrophic because of the contributions of phosphorus from ground water.

  18. [Soil Phosphorus Forms and Leaching Risk in a Typically Agricultural Catchment of Hefei Suburban].

    PubMed

    Fan, Hui-hui; Li, Ru-zhong; Pei, Ting-ting; Zhang, Rui-gang

    2016-01-15

    To investigate the soil phosphorus forms and leaching risk in a typically agricultural catchment of Ershibu River in Hefei Suburban, Chaohu Lake basin, 132 surface soil samples were collected from the catchment area. The spatial distribution of total phosphorus (TP) and bio-available phosphorus (Bio-P), and the spatial variability of soil available phosphorus (Olsen-P) and easy desorption phosphorus (CaCl2-P) were analyzed using the Kriging technology of AreGIS after speciation analysis of soil phosphorus. Moreover, the enrichment level of soil phosphorus was studied, and the phosphorus leaching risk was evaluated through determining the leaching threshold value of soil phosphorus. The results showed that the samples with high contents of TP and Bio-P mainly located in the upstream of the left tributary and on the right side of local area where two tributaries converged. The enrichment rates of soil phosphorus forms were arranged as follows: Ca-P (15.01) > OP (4.16) > TP (3. 42) > IP (2.94) > Ex-P (2.76) > Fe/Al-P (2.43) > Olsen-P (2.34). The critical value of Olsen-P leaching was 18.388 mg x kg(-1), and the leaching samples with values higher than the threshold value accounted for 16.6% of total samples. Generally, the high-risk areas mainly occurred in the upstream of the left tributary, the middle of the right tributary and the local area of the downstream of the area where two tributaries converged.

  19. A Loblolly Pine Management Guide: When and Where to Apply Fertilizer

    Treesearch

    Carol G. Wells; Lee Allen

    1985-01-01

    Growth rates in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stands can often be increased markedly by applying phosphorus, nitrogen, or nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers. On phosphorus-deficient Lowe Coastal Plain sites, the growth improvement from phosphorus fertilization of loblolly pine often amounts to an increase in site index (age 25) of 15 feet.Nitrogen and nitrogen plus...

  20. Soil phosphorus heterogeneity promotes tree species diversity and phylogenetic clustering in a tropical seasonal rainforest.

    PubMed

    Xu, Wumei; Ci, Xiuqin; Song, Caiyun; He, Tianhua; Zhang, Wenfu; Li, Qiaoming; Li, Jie

    2016-12-01

    The niche theory predicts that environmental heterogeneity and species diversity are positively correlated in tropical forests, whereas the neutral theory suggests that stochastic processes are more important in determining species diversity. This study sought to investigate the effects of soil nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) heterogeneity on tree species diversity in the Xishuangbanna tropical seasonal rainforest in southwestern China. Thirty-nine plots of 400 m 2 (20 × 20 m) were randomly located in the Xishuangbanna tropical seasonal rainforest. Within each plot, soil nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) availability and heterogeneity, tree species diversity, and community phylogenetic structure were measured. Soil phosphorus heterogeneity and tree species diversity in each plot were positively correlated, while phosphorus availability and tree species diversity were not. The trees in plots with low soil phosphorus heterogeneity were phylogenetically overdispersed, while the phylogenetic structure of trees within the plots became clustered as heterogeneity increased. Neither nitrogen availability nor its heterogeneity was correlated to tree species diversity or the phylogenetic structure of trees within the plots. The interspecific competition in the forest plots with low soil phosphorus heterogeneity could lead to an overdispersed community. However, as heterogeneity increase, more closely related species may be able to coexist together and lead to a clustered community. Our results indicate that soil phosphorus heterogeneity significantly affects tree diversity in the Xishuangbanna tropical seasonal rainforest, suggesting that deterministic processes are dominant in this tropical forest assembly.

  1. Root Cortical Senescence Improves Growth under Suboptimal Availability of N, P, and K1[OPEN

    PubMed Central

    Schneider, Hannah M.

    2017-01-01

    Root cortical senescence (RCS) in Triticeae reduces nutrient uptake, nutrient content, respiration, and radial hydraulic conductance of root tissue. We used the functional-structural model SimRoot to evaluate the functional implications of RCS in barley (Hordeum vulgare) under suboptimal nitrate, phosphorus, and potassium availability. The utility of RCS was evaluated using sensitivity analyses in contrasting nutrient regimes. At flowering (80 d), RCS increased simulated plant growth by up to 52%, 73%, and 41% in nitrate-, phosphorus-, and potassium-limiting conditions, respectively. Plants with RCS had reduced nutrient requirement of root tissue for optimal plant growth, reduced total cumulative cortical respiration, and increased total carbon reserves. Nutrient reallocation during RCS had a greater effect on simulated plant growth than reduced respiration or nutrient uptake. Under low nutrient availability, RCS had greater benefit in plants with fewer tillers. RCS had greater benefit in phenotypes with fewer lateral roots at low nitrate availability, but the opposite was true in low phosphorus or potassium availability. Additionally, RCS was quantified in field-grown barley in different nitrogen regimes. Field and virtual soil coring simulation results demonstrated that living cortical volume per root length (an indicator of RCS) decreased with depth in younger plants, while roots of older plants had very little living cortical volume per root length. RCS may be an adaptive trait for nutrient acquisition by reallocating nutrients from senescing tissue and secondarily by reducing root respiration. These simulated results suggest that RCS merits investigation as a breeding target for enhanced soil resource acquisition and edaphic stress tolerance. PMID:28667049

  2. Soil phosphorus availability differences between sprinkler and furrow irrigation

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Water flowing in irrigation furrows detaches and transports soil particles and subsequently nutrients such as phosphorus. To reduce the risk of erosion and offsite phosphorus transport, producers in south-central Idaho have been converting from furrow to sprinkler irrigation. We completed research...

  3. Socio-Hydrological Approach to the Evaluation of Global Fertilizer Substitution by Sustainable Struvite Precipitants from Wastewater

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kok, Dirk-Jan Daniel; Pande, Saket; Renata Cordeiro Ortigara, Angela; Savenije, Hubert; Uhlenbrook, Stefan

    2018-02-01

    Despite Africa controlling the vast majority of the global phosphate it also faces the greatest food shortages - partially due to a lack of access to the fertilizer market. A more accessible source of phosphorus comes from wastewater flows, which is currently lost through the discharge to open surface waters. Analysing the potential phosphorus production of urban and livestock wastewater in meeting partial agricultural demand for phosphorus can improve food security, reduce consumption of unrenewable phosphorus, reduce pollution, and aid the transitioning to a circular economy. In this study, a global overview is provided where a selection of P-production and P-consumption sites have been determined using global spatial data. Distances, investment costs and associated carbon footprints are then considered in modelling a simple, alternative trade network of struvite phosphorus flows. The network reveals potential for increasing the phosphorus security through phosphorus recycling in particularly the South Africa, Lake Victoria and Nigeria regions. Given Africa's rapid urbanization, phosphorus recovery from wastewater will prove an important step in creating sustainable communities, protecting the environment while improving food security, and so contributing to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

  4. Utilizing Wetlands for Phosphorus Reduction in Great Lakes Watersheds: A Review of Available Literature Examining Soil Properties and Phosphorus Removal Efficiency

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-10-01

    phosphorus inputs in a variety of agricultural and urban settings. However, maximizing the efficiency and benefits of wetlands for phosphorus reduction...39 Appendix B: Citations Related To P In Agricultural Landscapes...priority areas exhibiting high P export rates associated with agricultural and other land use practices (Figure 2). The GLRI Action Plan recommended

  5. Agronomic threshold of soil available phosphorus in grey desert soils in Xinjiang, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, B.; Liu, H.; Hao, X. Y.; Wang, X. H.; Sun, J. S.; Li, J. M.; Ma, Y. B.

    2016-08-01

    Based on 23 years of data, yields of maize, wheat and cotton were modelled under different fertilizer management practices and at different levels of available phosphorus (Olsen-P) in soil. Three types of threshold models were used, namely linear-linear (LL), linear- plateau (LP), and Mitscherlich type exponential (Exp). The agronomic thresholds of available phosphorus were 25.4 mgkg-1 for cotton, 14.8 mgkg-1 for wheat, 13.1 mgkg-1 for maize and 25.4 mgkg-1 for the grey desert soil regions of Xinjiang in China as a whole.

  6. [Effects of the frequency and intensity of nitrogen addition on soil pH, the contents of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in temperate steppe in Inner Mongolia, China.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Ji Dong; Shi, Rong Jiu; Zhao, Feng; Han, Si Qin; Zhang, Ying

    2016-08-01

    A four-year simulated nitrogen (N) deposition experiment involving nine N gradients and two N deposition frequencies (N was added either twice yearly or monthly) was conducted in Inner Mongolian grassland, to examine the effects of frequency and intensity of N addition on pH and the contents of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in soil. The results indicated that the soil pH and total phosphorus content, regardless of the N addition frequency, gradually decreased with the increase of N addition intensity. By contrast, the contents of soil available nitrogen and available phosphorus showed an increasing trend, while no significant variation in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content was observed, and the contents of soil total carbon and total nitrogen had no change. Compared with the monthly N addition, the twice-a-year N addition substantially overestimated the effects of N deposition on decreasing the soil pH and increasing the available phosphorus content, but underestimated the effects of N deposition on increasing the soil available nitrogen content, and the significant difference was found in 0-5 cm soil layer.

  7. 78 FR 44444 - Mancozeb; Pesticide Tolerances

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-07-24

    ... regulation establishes tolerances for residues of mancozeb in or on walnuts and tangerines. United Phosphorus... pesticide petition (PP 1F7935) by United Phosphorus, Inc., 630 Freedom Business Center, King of Prussia, PA... summary of the petition prepared by United Phosphorus, the registrant, which is available in the docket...

  8. Incorporating phosphorus cycling into global modeling efforts: a worthwhile, tractable endeavor

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Reed, Sasha C.; Yang, Xiaojuan; Thornton, Peter E.

    2015-06-25

    Myriad field, laboratory, and modeling studies show that nutrient availability plays a fundamental role in regulating CO 2 exchange between the Earth's biosphere and atmosphere, and in determining how carbon pools and fluxes respond to climatic change. Accordingly, global models that incorporate coupled climate-carbon cycle feedbacks made a significant advance with the introduction of a prognostic nitrogen cycle. Here we propose that incorporating phosphorus cycling represents an important next step in coupled climate-carbon cycling model development, particularly for lowland tropical forests where phosphorus availability is often presumed to limit primary production. We highlight challenges to including phosphorus in modeling effortsmore » and provide suggestions for how to move forward.« less

  9. Incorporating phosphorus cycling into global modeling efforts: a worthwhile, tractable endeavor

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Reed, Sasha C.; Yang, Xiaojuan; Thornton, Peter E.

    2015-01-01

    Myriad field, laboratory, and modeling studies show that nutrient availability plays a fundamental role in regulating CO2 exchange between the Earth's biosphere and atmosphere, and in determining how carbon pools and fluxes respond to climatic change. Accordingly, global models that incorporate coupled climate–carbon cycle feedbacks made a significant advance with the introduction of a prognostic nitrogen cycle. Here we propose that incorporating phosphorus cycling represents an important next step in coupled climate–carbon cycling model development, particularly for lowland tropical forests where phosphorus availability is often presumed to limit primary production. We highlight challenges to including phosphorus in modeling efforts and provide suggestions for how to move forward.

  10. Development of a Phosphorus-Eutrophication Management Strategy for Vermont: Evaluations Available Phosphorus Loads.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-11-01

    1980). " J . V. DePinto, T . C. Young, J . S. Bonner, and P. W. Rodgers, "Microbial Recycling of Phytoplankton Phosphorus," Canadian Journal of...algal growth, 97 9 3 S. C. Chapra, H. D. Wicke, T . M. Heidtke, "Effectiveness of Treatment to Meet Phosphorus Objectives in the Great Lakes," J . Water...Conference on Management Strategies for Phosphorus in the Environment (Selper Ltd., London, 1985.) 1 0 4 G. F. Lee, et al. (1980). 105 T . C. Young and J . V

  11. Interactive effects of disturbance and nitrogen availability on phosphorus dynamics of southern Appalachian forests

    Treesearch

    Corinne E. Block; Jennifer D. Knoepp; Jennifer M. Fraterrigo

    2013-01-01

    Understanding the main and interactive effects of chronically altered resource availability and disturbance on phosphorus (P) availability is increasingly important in light of the rapid pace at which human activities are altering these processes and potentially introducing P limitation. We measured P pools and fluxes in eighteen mixed forest stands at three elevations...

  12. Apparent phosphorus availabilities of selected traditional and alternative feedstuffs for channel catfish

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A digestibility trial with channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus was conducted to determine apparent availability coefficients (AACs) of phosphorus for selected common feedstuffs: soybean meal, cottonseed meal, wheat middlings, corn gluten feed (CGF), and corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DD...

  13. Thermochemical treatment of sewage sludge ash with sodium salt additives for phosphorus fertilizer production--Analysis of underlying chemical reactions.

    PubMed

    Stemann, Jan; Peplinski, Burkhard; Adam, Christian

    2015-11-01

    Stocks of high grade phosphate rock are becoming scarce, and there is growing concern about potentially harmful impurities in conventional phosphorus fertilizers. Sewage sludge ash is a promising secondary phosphorus source. However, to remove heavy metals and convert the phosphorus contained in sewage sludge ash into mineral phases available to plants, an after-treatment is required. Laboratory-scale calcination experiments of sewage sludge ash blended with sodium salts using dried sewage sludge as a reducing agent were carried out at 1000°C. Thus, the Ca3(PO4)2 or whitlockite component of raw sewage sludge ash, which is not readily plant available, was converted to CaNaPO4 (buchwaldite). Consequently, nearly complete phosphorus solubility in ammonium citrate (a well-established indicator for plant availability) was achieved. Moreover, it was shown that Na2CO3 may be replaced by moderately priced Na2SO4. However, molar ratios of Na/P>2 were required to achieve >80% phosphorus solubility. Such over-stoichiometric Na consumption is largely caused by side reactions with the SiO2 component of the sewage sludge ash - an explanation for which clear evidence is provided for the first time. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Phosphorus diffusion gettering process of multicrystalline silicon using a sacrificial porous silicon layer

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    The aims of this work are to getter undesirable impurities from low-cost multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) wafers and then enhance their electronic properties. We used an efficient process which consists of applying phosphorus diffusion into a sacrificial porous silicon (PS) layer in which the gettered impurities have been trapped after the heat treatment. As we have expected, after removing the phosphorus-rich PS layer, the electrical properties of the mc-Si wafers were significantly improved. The PS layers, realized on both sides of the mc-Si substrates, were formed by the stain-etching technique. The phosphorus treatment was achieved using a liquid POCl3-based source on both sides of the mc-Si wafers. The realized phosphorus/PS/Si/PS/phosphorus structures were annealed at a temperature ranging between 700°C and 950°C under a controlled O2 atmosphere, which allows phosphorus to diffuse throughout the PS layers and to getter eventual metal impurities towards the phosphorus-doped PS layer. The effect of this gettering procedure was investigated by means of internal quantum efficiency and the dark current–voltage (I-V) characteristics. The minority carrier lifetime measurements were made using a WTC-120 photoconductance lifetime tester. The serial resistance and the shunt resistance carried out from the dark I-V curves confirm this gettering-related solar cell improvement. It has been shown that the photovoltaic parameters of the gettered silicon solar cells were improved with regard to the ungettered one, which proves the beneficial effect of this gettering process on the conversion efficiency of the multicrystalline silicon solar cells. PMID:22846070

  15. Isolation and characterization of phosphofungi, and screening of their plant growth-promoting activities.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xiaohui; Wang, Changdong; Sui, Junkang; Liu, Zhaoyang; Li, Qian; Ji, Chao; Song, Xin; Hu, Yurong; Wang, Changqian; Sa, Rongbo; Zhang, Jiamiao; Du, Jianfeng; Liu, Xunli

    2018-04-20

    Rhizospheric microorganisms can increase phosphorus availability in the soil. In this regard, the ability of phosphofungi to dissolve insoluble phosphorus compounds is greater than that of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria. The aim of the current study was to identify efficient phosphofungi that could be developed as commercial microbial agents. Among several phosphate-solubilizing fungal isolates screened, strain CS-1 showed the highest phosphorus-solubilization ability. Based on phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region sequence, it was identified as Aspergillus niger. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed that the mechanism of phosphorus solubilization by CS-1 involved the synthesis and secretion of organic acids, mainly oxalic, tartaric, and citric acids. Furthermore, strain CS-1 exhibited other growth-promoting abilities, including efficient potassium release and degradation of crop straw cellulose. These properties help to returning crop residues to the soil, thereby increasing nutrient availability and sustaining organic matter concentration therein. A pot experiment revealed that CS-1 apparently increased the assessed biometric parameters of wheat seedlings, implying the potential of this strain to be developed as a commercial microbial agent. We used Illumina MiSeq sequencing to investigate the microbial community composition in the rhizosphere of uninoculated wheat plants and wheat plants inoculated with the CS-1 strain to obtain insight into the effect of the CS-1 strain inoculation. The data clearly demonstrated that CS-1 significantly reduced the content of pathogenic fungi, including Gibberella, Fusarium, Monographella, Bipolaris, and Volutella, which cause soil-borne diseases in various crops. Strain CS-1 may hence be developed into a microbial agent for plant growth improvement.

  16. Changes imposed by pyrolysis, thermal gasification and incineration on composition and phosphorus fertilizer quality of municipal sewage sludge.

    PubMed

    Thomsen, Tobias Pape; Sárossy, Zsuzsa; Ahrenfeldt, Jesper; Henriksen, Ulrik B; Frandsen, Flemming J; Müller-Stöver, Dorette Sophie

    2017-08-01

    Fertilizer quality of ash and char from incineration, gasification and pyrolysis of a single municipal sewage sludge sample were investigated by comparing composition and phosphorus (P) plant availability. A process for post oxidation of gasification ash and pyrolysis char was developed and the oxidized materials were investigated as well. Sequential extraction with full elemental balances of the extracted pools as well as scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to investigate the mechanisms driving the observed differences in composition and P plant availability in a short-term soil incubation study. The compositional changes related mainly to differences in the proximate composition as well as to the release of especially nitrogen, sulfur, cadmium and to some extent, phosphorus (P). The cadmium load per unit of P was reduced with 75-85% in gasification processes and 10-15% in pyrolysis whereas no reduction was observed in incineration processes. The influence on other heavy metals was less pronounced. The plant availability of P in the substrates varied from almost zero to almost 100% of the plant availability of P in the untreated sludge. Post-oxidized slow pyrolysis char was found to be the substrate with the highest P fertilizer value while ash from commercial fluid bed sludge incineration had the lowest P fertilizer quality. The high P fertilizer value in the best substrate is suggested to be a function of several different mechanisms including structural surface changes and improvements in the association of P to especially magnesium, calcium and aluminum. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Speciation And Distribution Of Phosphorus In A Fertilized Soil: A Synchrotron-Based Investigation

    EPA Science Inventory

    Phosphorus availability is often a limiting factor for crop production around the world. The efficiency of P fertilizers in calcareous soils is limited by reactions that decrease P availability; however, fluid fertilizers have recently been shown, in highly calcareous soils of s...

  18. Hyperphosphatemia in patients with ESRD: assessing the current evidence linking outcomes with treatment adherence

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    In recent years, the imbalance in phosphate homeostasis in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has been the subject of much research. It appears that, while hyperphosphatemia may be a tangible indicator of deteriorating kidney function, lack of phosphate homeostasis may also be associated with the increased risk of cardiovascular events and mortality that has become a hallmark of ESRD. The need to maintain phosphorus concentrations within a recommended range is reflected in evidence-based guidelines. However, these do not reflect serum phosphorus concentrations achieved by most patients in clinical practice. Given this discrepancy, it is important to consider ways in which dietary restriction of phosphorus intake and, in particular, use of phosphate binders in patients with ESRD can be made more effective. Poor adherence is common in patients with ESRD and has been associated with inadequate control of serum phosphorus concentrations. Studies indicate that, among other factors, major reasons for poor adherence to phosphate binder therapy include high pill burden and patients’ lack of understanding of their condition and its treatment. This review examines available evidence, seeking to understand fully the reasons underlying poor adherence in patients with ESRD and consider possible strategies for improving adherence in clinical practice. PMID:23865421

  19. 77 FR 44151 - Titanium Dioxide; Exemption From the Requirement of a Tolerance

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-27

    ... napropamide, used in or on growing crops. United Phosphorus, Inc. submitted a petition to EPA under the... Phosphorus, Inc., 630 Freedom Business Center, Suite 402, King of Prussia, PA 19406. The petition requested... referenced a summary of the petition prepared by United Phosphorus, Inc., the petitioner, which is available...

  20. 75 FR 20592 - Notice of Availability of Draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-20

    ... control is necessary based on wasteload allocations in the Lower Charles River Phosphorus TMDL (``the TMDL... management plan and a phosphorus reduction plan, as the mechanisms to achieve the required pollutant... Consistent with the wasteload allocation of the Lower Charles River Phosphorus TMDL, Part IV and Appendix D...

  1. Phosphorus, a key to life on the primitive earth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Griffith, E. J.; Ponnamperuma, C.; Gabel, N. W.

    1977-01-01

    The phosphorus of the primitive earth was present as phosphates. It is strongly probable that a portion of the phosphate was present as condensed phosphates. The primitive earth was highly deficient in the total available phosphorus until a sufficient quantity of phosphorus weathered from the igneous rocks in which it was entrapped. Approximately three billion years were required for the seas to become saturated. Until this time passed the seas acted as a giant sink for phosphorus, diluting it to the extent that all forms of life were deprived of the vital nutrient. When the seas became saturated, the rate of turnover of the phosphorus increased rapidly. As the seas pulsated, they left the excess precipitate phosphorus as sedimentary rock in locally rich deposits on which life could thrive.

  2. Effects of poultry manure on phosphorus availability to perennial ryegrass

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Soil phosphorus (P) exists in numerous forms that differ in plant availability. High-P organic fertilizers, including poultry manure (PM), can alter the balance of these soil P forms and may affect plant nutrient status. To investigate the effects of PM on soil P distribution and plant utilization...

  3. Phoshatase activities and their effects on phosphorus availability in soils amended with livestock manures

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The application of livestock manures can impact factors related to phosphorus (P) cycling and concentrations of plant-available P in soils. Specific manure physicochemical properties differ due to livestock species and management practices, which may result in differences in parameters related to so...

  4. Water quality, hydrology, and simulated response to changes in phosphorus loading of Mercer Lake, Iron County, Wisconsin, with special emphasis on the effects of wastewater discharges

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Robertson, Dale M.; Garn, Herbert S.; Rose, William J.; Juckem, Paul F.; Reneau, Paul C.

    2012-01-01

    Mercer Lake is a relatively shallow drainage lake in north-central Wisconsin. The area near the lake has gone through many changes over the past century, including urbanization and industrial development. To try to improve the water quality of the lake, actions have been taken, such as removal of the lumber mill and diversion of all effluent from the sewage treatment plant away from the lake; however, it is uncertain how these actions have affected water quality. Mercer Lake area residents and authorities would like to continue to try to improve the water quality of the lake; however, they would like to place their efforts in the actions that will have the most beneficial effects. To provide a better understanding of the factors affecting the water quality of Mercer Lake, a detailed study of the lake and its watershed was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in collaboration with the Mercer Lake Association. The purposes of the study were to describe the water quality of the lake and the composition of its sediments; quantify the sources of water and phosphorus loading to the lake, including sources associated with wastewater discharges; and evaluate the effects of past and future changes in phosphorus inputs on the water quality of the lake using eutrophication models (models that simulate changes in phosphorus and algae concentrations and water clarity in the lake). Based on analyses of sediment cores and monitoring data collected from the lake, the water quality of Mercer Lake appears to have degraded as a result of the activities in its watershed over the past 100 years. The water quality appears to have improved, however, since a sewage treatment plant was constructed in 1965 and its effluent was routed away from the lake in 1995. Since 2000, when a more consistent monitoring program began, the water quality of the lake appears to have changed very little. During the two monitoring years (MY) 2008-09, the average summer near-surface concentration of total phosphorus was 0.023 mg/L, indicating the lake is borderline mesotrophic-eutrophic, or has moderate to high concentrations of phosphorus, whereas the average summer chlorophyll a concentration was 3.3 mg/L and water clarity, as measured with a Secchi depth, was 10.4 ft, both indicating mesotrophic conditions or that the lake has a moderate amount of algae and water clarity. Although actions have been taken to eliminate the wastewater discharges, the bottom sediment still has slightly elevated concentrations of several pollutants from wastewater discharges, lumber operations, and roadway drainage, and a few naturally occurring metals (such as iron). None of the concentrations, however, were high enough above the defined thresholds to be of concern. Based on nitrogen to phosphorus ratios, the productivity (algal growth) in Mercer Lake should typically be limited by phosphorus; therefore, understanding the phosphorus input to the lake is important when management efforts to improve or prevent degradation of the lake water quality are considered. Total inputs of phosphorus to Mercer Lake were directly estimated for MY 2008-09 at about 340 lb/yr and for a recent year with more typical hydrology at about 475 lb/yr. During these years, the largest sources of phosphorus were from Little Turtle Inlet, which contributed about 45 percent, and the drainage area near the lake containing the adjacent urban and residential developments, which contributed about 24 percent. Prior to 1965, when there was no sewage treatment plant and septic systems and other untreated systems contributed nutrients to the watershed, phosphorus loadings were estimated to be about 71 percent higher than during around 2009. In 1965, a sewage treatment plant was built, but its effluent was released in the downstream end of the lake. Depending on various assumptions on how much effluent was retained in the lake, phosphorus inputs from wastewater may have ranged from 0 to 342 lb. Future highway and stormwater improvements have been identified in the Mercer Infrastructure Improvement Project, and if they are done with the proposed best management practices, then phosphorus inputs to the lake may decrease by about 40 lb. Eutrophication models [Canfield and Bachman model (1981) and Carlson Trophic State Index equations (1977)] were used to predict how the water quality of Mercer Lake should respond to changes in phosphorus loading. A relatively linear response was found between phosphorus loading and phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations in the lake, with changes in phosphorus concentrations being slightly less (about 80 percent) and changes in chlorophyll a concentrations being slightly more (about 120 percent) than the changes in phosphorus loadings to the lake. Water clarity, indicated by Secchi depths, responded more to decreases in phosphorus loading than to increases in loading. Results from the eutrophication models indicated that the lake should have been negatively affected by the wastewater discharges. Prior to 1965, when there was no sewage treatment plant effluent and inputs from the septic systems and other untreated systems were thought to be high, the lake should have been eutrophic; near the surface, average phosphorus concentrations were almost 0.035 mg/L, chlorophyll a concentrations were about 7 μg/L, and Secchi depths were about 6 ft, which agreed with the shallower Secchi depths during this time estimated from the sediment-core analysis. The models indicated that between 1965 and 1995, when the lake retained some of the effluent from the new sewage treatment plant, water quality should have been between the conditions estimated prior to 1965 and what was expected during typical hydrologic conditions around MY 2008-09. The models also indicated that if the future Mercer Infrastructure Improvement Project is conducted with the best management practices as proposed, the water quality in the lake could improve slightly from that measured during 2006-10. Because of the small amount of phosphorus that is presently input into Mercer Lake any additional phosphorus added to the lake could degrade water quality; therefore, management actions can usefully focus on minimizing future phosphorus inputs. Phosphorus released from the sediments of a degraded lake often delays its response to decreases in external phosphorus loading, especially in shallow, frequently mixed systems. Mercer Lake, however, remains stratified throughout most of the summer, and phosphorus released from the sediments represents only about 6 percent, or a small fraction, of the total phosphorus load to the lake. Therefore, the phosphorus trapped in the sediments should minimally affect the long-term water quality of the lake and should not delay the response in its productivity to future changes in nutrient loading from its watershed.

  5. Phosphorous availability influences the dissolution of apatite by soil fungi

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosling, A.; Suttle, K. B.; Johansson, E.; van Hees, P. W.; Banfield, J. F.

    2007-12-01

    We conducted mineral dissolution experiments using fungi isolated from a grassland soil in northern California to determine the response of fungi to different levels of phosphorus availability and to identify pathways of apatite dissolution by fungal exudates. Fluorapatite dissolution experiments were performed either with fungi present or under abiotic conditions using cell-free liquid media conditioned by fungal growth at different phosphorus and calcium availabilities. Among biogeochemically active soil fungal isolates apatite dissolution was either active in response to phosphorus limiting growth conditions or passive as a result of mycelial growth. Zygomycete isolates in the order of Mucorales acidify their growth media substrate in the presence of phosphorus, mainly through production of oxalic acid. Cell-free exudates induced fluorapatite dissolution at a rate of 10 -0.9 ± 0.14 and 10 -1.2 ± 0.22 mmol P/m2/s. The Ascomycete isolate, in the family Trichocomaceae, induced fluorapatite dissolution at a rate of 10 - 1.1 ± 0.05 mmol P/m2/s by lowering the pH of the media under phosphorus-limited conditions, without producing significant amounts of low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs). Oxalate strongly etches fluorapatite along channels parallel to [001], forming needle like features, while exudates from Trichocomaceae induced surface rounding. We conclude that while LMWOAs are well-studied weathering agents these does not appear to be produced by fungi in response to phosphorus limiting growth conditions.

  6. Risk evaluation of available phosphorus loss in agricultural land based on remote sensing and GIS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ding, Xiaodong; Zhou, Bin; Xu, Junfeng; Liu, Ting; Xie, Bin

    2010-09-01

    The surplus of phosphorus leads to water eutrophication. Huge input of fertilizers in agricultural activities enriches nutrition in soil. The superfluous nutrient moves easily to riparian water by rainfall and surface runoff; leads to water eutrophication of riparian wetlands and downstream water; and consequently affects ecological balance. Thus it is significant to investigate the risk of phosphorus loss in agricultural land, to identify high concentration areas and guide the management of nutrition loss. This study was implemented mainly in the area of agricultural use in southern Western Australia, where a three-year period preliminary monitoring of water quality showed that the concentration of different forms of phosphorus in water had far exceeded the standard. Due to the large scale surface runoff caused by occasional storms in Western Australia, soil erosion was selected as the main driving factor for the loss of phosphorus. Remote sensing and ground truth data were used to reflect the seasonal changes of plants. The spatial distribution of available phosphorus was then predicted and combined with the evaluation matrix to evaluate the loss risk of phosphorus. This evaluation was based on quantitative rather than qualitative data to make better precision. It could help making decision support for monitoring water quality of rivers and riparian wetlands.

  7. Dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) and its potential role for ecosystem nutrition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brödlin, Dominik; Hagedorn, Frank; Kaiser, Klaus

    2016-04-01

    During ecosystem development and soil formation, primary mineral sources of phosphorus are becoming increasingly depleted. Inorganic phosphorus forms tend to be bound strongly to or within secondary minerals, thus, are hardly available to plants and are not leached from soil. What about organic forms of phosphorus? Since rarely studied, little is known about the fluxes of dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) forms and their role in the P cycle. However, there is evidence that DOP is composed of some plant-derived organic phosphorus compounds, such as phytate, which are less mobile and prone to be sorbed to mineral surfaces, whereas microbial-derived compounds like nucleic acids and simple phospho-monoester may represent more mobile forms of soil phosphorus. In our study, we estimated fluxes, composition, and bioavailability of DOP along a gradient in phosphorus availability at five sites on silicate bedrock across Germany (Bad Brückenau, Conventwald, Vessertal, Mitterfels and Lüss) and at a calcareous site in Switzerland (Schänis). Soil solution was collected at 0 down to 60 to 150 cm soil depth at different intervals. Since most solutions had very low P concentrations (<0.05 mg total dissolved P/L), soil solutions had to be concentrated by freeze-drying for the enzymatic characterization of DOP. In order to test the potential bioavailability, we used an enzyme assay distinguishing between phytate-like P (phytate), diester-like P (nucleic acids), monoester-like P (glucose-6-phosphate), and pyrophosphate of bulk molybdate unreactive phosphorus (MUP). First results from the enzymatic assay indicated that monoester-like P and diester-like P were the most prominent form of the hydrolysable DOP constituents. In leachates from the organic layer, there was a high enzymatic activity for monoester-like P, indicating high recycling efficiency and rapid hydrolysis of labile DOP constituents. DOP was the dominating P form in soil solution at some of the sites, with a greater contribution to total dissolved P in winter than in summer. Concentrations of DOP decreased along the phosphorus availability gradient from less to the more developed forest ecosystems.

  8. Effect of Phytase on Apparent Total Tract Digestibility of Phosphorus in Corn-Soybean Meal Diets Fed to 100 kg Pigs

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Five experiments were conducted to investigate the ability of different sources of phytase supplemented to the diet at graded levels to improve apparent P digestibility in finishing pigs. A corn-soybean meal basal diet containing 0.50% Ca and 0.32% P (0.06% available P) was used in all experiments a...

  9. [Effects of interaction between vermicompost and probiotics on soil nronerty, yield and quality of tomato].

    PubMed

    Shen, Fei; Zhu, Tong-bin; Teng, Ming-jiao; Chen, Yue; Liu, Man-qiang; Hu, Feng; Li, Hui-xin

    2016-02-01

    In this study, we investigated the effects of two strains of probiotic bacteria (Bacillus megaterium BM and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens BA) combined with chemical fertilizers and vermicompost on the soil property, the yield and quality of tomato. The results showed that under the same nutrient level, vermicompost significantly increased the yield, soluble sugar and protein contents of fruit, the soil pH and available phosphorus when compared with chemical fertilizers. Vermicompost combined with probiotics not only increased the tomato yield, soluble sugar, protein and vitamin C contents, sugar/acid ratio of fruit, and reduced the organic acid and nitrate nitrogen contents of fruit, also increased the soil pH and nitrate nitrogen content, and reduced soil electric conductivity when compared with vermicompost treatment. This improved efficiency was better than that by chemical fertilizers combined with probiotics. For BA and BM applied with chemical fertilizers or vermicompost, both stains had no significant effect on tomato quality. When co-applied with vermicompost, BA and BM showed significant difference in tomato yield. High soil available phosphorus content was determined when BM was combined with chemical fertilizers, while high soil available potassium content was obtained when BA was combined with vermicompost. Our results suggested that probiotics and vermicompost could be used as alternatives of chemical fertilizers in tomato production and soil fertility improvement.

  10. [Effects of cotton straw returning on soil organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potas-sium contents in soil aggregates].

    PubMed

    Wang, Shuang Lei; Liu, Yan Hui; Song, Xian Liang; Wei, Shao Bin; Li, Jin Pu; Nie, Jun Jun; Qin, Du Lin; Sun, Xue Zhen

    2016-12-01

    To clarify the effects of cotton straw returning on the composition and contents of nu-trients in different particle sizes of aggregates, two treatments with or without cotton straw returning were tested in continuous three years. After three years straw treatments, we collected undisturbed soil within 0-5, 5-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm soil layers, and to measure the composition, soil organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents in different particle sizes of aggregates classified using dry sieving. Returning cotton straw into the field significantly increased particle contents of 2-5 mm and >5 mm aggregates in 0-5 cm soil layer, while the content of <0.25 mm micro-aggregates was decreased. Cotton straw returning significantly improved soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and potassium contents by 19.2%, 14.2% and 17.3%, respectively, compared to no returning control. In 5-10 cm soil layer, cotton straw returning increased the contents of 2-5 mm and >5 mm aggregates, reduced the content of <0.25 mm micro-aggregate, but significantly increased contents of soil organic carbon, available nitrogen and potassium by 19.6%, 12.6% and 23.4%, compared to no straw returning control. In 10-20 cm soil layer, cotton straw returning significantly reduced the content of <0.25 mm micro-aggregates, and significantly enhanced soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and potassium contents by 8.4%, 10.9% and 11.5%, compared to the control. However, in 20-30 cm soil layer, cotton straw returning only increased soil available potassium content by 12.0%, while there were no significant changes in particle size, organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus contents. We concluded that cotton straw returning could significantly improve the structure of surface soil by increasing the number of macro-aggregates, contents of organic carbon, available nitrogen and potassium in aggregates, while decreasing micro-aggregate content. The enhancement of the contribution of macro-aggregates to soil fertility by returning cotton straw could improve soil physical structure, fertility and then increase cotton yield.

  11. Metabolism of nonparticulate phosphorus in an acid bog lake

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Koenings, J. P.

    1977-01-01

    In North Gate Lake, an acid bog lake located on the northern Michigan-Wisconsin border, U.S.A., the algal nutrient inorganic phosphate (FRP) is not detectable by chemical means. Organic phosphorus (FUP) represents 100% of the detectable filterable phosphorus. The availability and cycling of this organic fraction are of considerable interest in regard to the primary productivity of this system. To clarify these relationships, the cycling of nonparticulate forms of phosphorus found in the epilimnion of this lake was studied.

  12. Identification of soybean purple acid phosphatase genes and their expression responses to phosphorus availability and symbiosis

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Background and Aims Purple acid phosphatases (PAPs) are members of the metallo-phosphoesterase family and have been known to play important roles in phosphorus (P) acquisition and recycling in plants. Low P availability is a major constraint to growth and production of soybean, Glycine max. Comparat...

  13. Thermal properties of wood reacted with a phosphorus pentoxide–amine system

    Treesearch

    Hong-Lin Lee; George C. Chen; Roger M. Rowell

    2004-01-01

    The objective of this research was to improve the fire-retardant properties of wood in one treatment using a phosphorus pentoxide–amine system. Phosphorus pentoxide and 16 amines including alkyl, halophenyl, and phenyl amines were compounded in N,N-dimethylformamide and the resulting solutions containing phosphoramides were reacted with wood. The characteristics of...

  14. Using the annual phosphorus loss estimator (APLE) model to evaluate the University of Maryland phosphorus management tool

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Maryland’s phosphorus site index (PSI) has been used to guide management decisions to minimize the potential for P loss from agricultural fields in Maryland since the adoption of the Water Quality Improvement Act of 1998. The index was recently revised and renamed the University of Maryland Phospho...

  15. A fungal root symbiont modifies plant resistance to an insect herbivore.

    PubMed

    Borowicz, Victoria A

    1997-11-01

    Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi are common root-colonizing symbionts that affect nutrient uptake by plants and can alter plant susceptibility to herbivores. I conducted a factorial experiment to test the hypotheses that colonization by VAM fungi (1) improves soybean (Glycine max) tolerance to grazing by folivorous Mexican bean beetle (Epilachna varivestis), and (2) indirectly affects herbivores by increasing host resistance. Soybean seedlings were inoculated with the VAM fungus Glomus etunicatum or VAM-free filtrate and fertilized with high-[P] or low-[P] fertilizer. After plants had grown for 7 weeks first-instar beetle larvae were placed on bagged leaves. Growth of soybean was little affected by grazing larvae, and no effects of treatments on tolerance of soybeans to herbivores were evident. Colonization by VAM fungus doubled the size of phosphorus-stressed plants but these plants were still half the size of plants given adequate phosphorus. High-[P] fertilizer increased levels of phosphorus and soluble carbohydrates, and decreased levels of soluble proteins in leaves of grazed plants. Colonization of grazed plants by VAM fungus had no significant effect on plant soluble carbohydrates, but increased concentration of phosphorus and decreased levels of proteins in phosphorus-stressed plants to concentrations similar to those of plants given adequate phosphorus. Mexican bean beetle mass at pupation, pupation rate, and survival to eclosion were greatest for beetles reared on phosphorus-stressed, VAM-colonized plants, refuting the hypothesis that VAM colonization improves host plant resistance. VAM colonization indirectly affected performance of Mexician bean beetle larvae by improving growth and nutrition of the host plant.

  16. Influences of seasons, N/P ratios and chemical compounds on phosphorus removal performance in algal pond combined with constructed wetlands.

    PubMed

    Zhimiao, Zhao; Xinshan, Song; Yanping, Xiao; Yufeng, Zhao; Zhijie, Gong; Fanda, Lin; Yi, Ding; Wei, Wang; Tianling, Qin

    2016-12-15

    Nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) are main contaminants and P removal was restrained by several factors: season, N/P, and chemical compounds (CCs) in water ecosystems. In this paper, two algal ponds combined with constructed wetlands were built to increase the removal performance. Different hydraulic retention time (HRT), different N/P and chemical compounds were chosen to investigate the influences of the above factors on the contaminant removal performance. The optimum phosphorus removal rate was 69.74% under the nitrogen removal of 92.85% in influent containing PO 4 3- after 3-day HRT in algal pond combined with constructed wetlands. The investigation results indicated that these factors improved the nutrient removal efficiencies. Seasonal influence on the removal performance can be avoided by choosing the optimal HRT length of 3days. The higher N/P at 60 can improve the phosphorus removal and the lower N/P at 15 showed the stronger synergistic effect between phosphorus and nitrogen removals. Compared with PO 3 - and P 2 O 7 4- in influent, PO 4 3- affected phosphorus removal more significantly. The better linear fitting between organic phosphorus removal and nitrogen removal in influent contained P 2 O 7 4- was found. Algae can absorb nutrients for growth, and oxygen release, microbial activity intensification and microbial carbon replenishment induced by algae will improve the performance. The study suggested that the control of HRTs, N/Ps, CCs, and algae might be an effective way to improve wastewater treatment performance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. The biogeochemistry of phosphorus across an alpine topographic/snow gradient

    Treesearch

    M. I. Litaor; T. R. Seastedt; M. D. Walker; M. Carbone; A. Townsend

    2005-01-01

    Phosphorus (P) availability has generally been assumed to be the limiting or co-limiting factor for plant growth in alpine environments. To test this assumption, the biogeochemistry of phosphorus (P) along an alpine topographic/snow gradient located on Niwot Ridge, Colorado Front Range was studied in the context of P limitation for plant growth. We measured the various...

  18. 75 FR 22589 - Preliminary Listing of an Additional Water to Wisconsin's 2008 List of Waters Under Section 303(d...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-29

    ... to the presence of excessive nutrients, including phosphorus, elevated pH values, as well as the... Wisconsin does not have numeric criterian for phosphorus and WDNR did not believe that the available data..., and that the Bay was not impaired due to phosphorus. WDNR stated that it will continue to monitor...

  19. Duplicate and conquer: multiple homologs of phosphorus-starvation tolerance 1 enhance phosphorus acquisition and sorghum performance on low-P soils

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Low soil phosphorus (P) availability is a major constraint for crop production in tropical regions. The rice protein kinase, OsPSTOL1, was previously shown to enhance P acquisition and grain yield in rice under P deficiency. We investigated the role of homologs of OsPSTOL1 in sorghum performance und...

  20. The Heartland Region P-Index Conservation Innovation Grant: protecting water quality through improved phosphorus management

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Reducing phosphorus loss from agricultural land is important for improvement and protection of surface water quality. Agricultural models can be used to determine management impacts on P loss and therefore serve as a guide for recommending best management practices. However, the models must be comp...

  1. Phosphorus Sorption Capacity of Gray Forest Soil as Dependent on Fertilization System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rogova, O. B.; Kolobova, N. A.; Ivanov, A. L.

    2018-05-01

    In this paper, the results of the study of changes in the phosphorus sorption capacity of gray forest soils of Vladimir opolie under the impact of different fertilization systems are discussed. The quantitative parameters of the potential buffer capacity of soils for phosphorus (PBCP) and Langmuir sorption isotherms have been calculated. It is shown that the application of organic fertilizers results in a stronger decrease in PBCP than the application of mineral fertilizers. The portion of phosphorus of mineral compounds considerably increases, and the high content of available phosphates is maintained. In the variants with application of mineral phosphorus in combination with manure, the portions of organic and mineral phosphorus are at the level typical of unfertilized soils. The energy of phosphate bonds with the soil is minimal upon the application of a double rate of mineral phosphorus at the maximum capacity in relation to phosphate ions.

  2. Short-term variability in labile soil phosphorus is positively related to soil moisture in a humid tropical forest in Puerto Rico

    Treesearch

    Tana E. Wood; Danielle Matthews; Karen Vandecar; Deborah Lawrence

    2016-01-01

    Primary productivity in tropical forests is often considered limited by phosphorus (P) availability. Microbial activity is a key regulator of available P through organic matter decomposition (supply) as well as microbial immobilization (depletion). Environmental conditions, such as soil moisture and temperature can fluctuate...

  3. Quantifying and partitioning the soil phosphorus of seven Hawaiian soils as extracted by the Olsen and Truog methods

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Accurate quantification of available phosphorus (P) in tropical soils is important for fertilizer P recommendation. Two intrinsic P pools including weakly and tightly adsorbed P pools were recently proposed to quantify soil available P, and the weakly adsorbed P pool can be measured with the Olsen m...

  4. Availability of residual phosphorus from broiler litter ash and layer manure ash amended soil for Paspalum vaginatum uptake

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    It has been hypothesized by several scientists that poultry litter ash could be used as a slow releasing phosphorus fertilizer that will become available over time. To test this hypothesis, a greenhouse study was conducted using a broiler litter ash, layer manure ash and calcium phosphate to determ...

  5. Recovery of phosphorus compounds from thermally-processed wastes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Czechowska-Kosacka, A.; Pawłowski, L.; Niedbala, G.; Cel, W.

    2018-05-01

    Depletion of phosphorus deposits is one of the most serious global problems, which may soon lead to a crisis in food production. It is estimated that if the current living standard is maintained, the available reserves will be depleted in 130 years. Considering the principle of sustainable development, searching for alternative phosphorus sources is extremely important. The work presented the results of the research on the possibility of utilizing wastes as a source of phosphorus. The studies were conducted on poultry manure. The physicochemical properties of phosporus-rich wastes were determined as well. The fertilizing properties of ashes from poultry manure combustion – obtained from different systems, i.e. caged and barn production. The assimilability of phosphorus from the obtained ashes was determined. Potential applications of phosphorus-rich ashes were proposed as well.

  6. Contrasting responses of root morphology and root-exuded organic acids to low phosphorus availability in three important food crops with divergent root traits.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yan-Liang; Almvik, Marit; Clarke, Nicholas; Eich-Greatorex, Susanne; Øgaard, Anne Falk; Krogstad, Tore; Lambers, Hans; Clarke, Jihong Liu

    2015-08-17

    Phosphorus (P) is an important element for crop productivity and is widely applied in fertilizers. Most P fertilizers applied to land are sorbed onto soil particles, so research on improving plant uptake of less easily available P is important. In the current study, we investigated the responses in root morphology and root-exuded organic acids (OAs) to low available P (1 μM P) and sufficient P (50 μM P) in barley, canola and micropropagated seedlings of potato-three important food crops with divergent root traits, using a hydroponic plant growth system. We hypothesized that the dicots canola and tuber-producing potato and the monocot barley would respond differently under various P availabilities. WinRHIZO and liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry results suggested that under low P availability, canola developed longer roots and exhibited the fastest root exudation rate for citric acid. Barley showed a reduction in root length and root surface area and an increase in root-exuded malic acid under low-P conditions. Potato exuded relatively small amounts of OAs under low P, while there was a marked increase in root tips. Based on the results, we conclude that different crops show divergent morphological and physiological responses to low P availability, having evolved specific traits of root morphology and root exudation that enhance their P-uptake capacity under low-P conditions. These results could underpin future efforts to improve P uptake of the three crops that are of importance for future sustainable crop production. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company.

  7. Phosphorus acquisition by citrate- and phytase-exuding Nicotiana tabacum plant mixtures depends on soil phosphorus availability and root intermingling.

    PubMed

    Giles, Courtney D; Richardson, Alan E; Cade-Menun, Barbara J; Mezeli, Malika M; Brown, Lawrie K; Menezes-Blackburn, Daniel; Darch, Tegan; Blackwell, Martin Sa; Shand, Charles A; Stutter, Marc I; Wendler, Renate; Cooper, Patricia; Lumsdon, David G; Wearing, Catherine; Zhang, Hao; Haygarth, Philip M; George, Timothy S

    2018-03-02

    Citrate and phytase root exudates contribute to improved phosphorus (P) acquisition efficiency in Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) when both exudates are produced in a P deficient soil. To test the importance of root intermingling in the interaction of citrate and phytase exudates, Nicotiana tabacum plant-lines with constitutive expression of heterologous citrate (Cit) or fungal phytase (Phy) exudation traits were grown under two root treatments (roots separated or intermingled) and in two soils with contrasting soil P availability. Complementarity of plant mixtures varying in citrate efflux rate and mobility of the expressed phytase in soil was determined based on plant biomass and P accumulation. Soil P composition was evaluated using solution 31 P NMR spectroscopy. In the soil with limited available P, positive complementarity occurred in Cit+Phy mixtures with roots intermingled. Root separation eliminated positive interactions in mixtures expressing the less mobile phytase (Aspergillus niger PhyA) whereas positive complementarity persisted in mixtures that expressed the more mobile phytase (Peniophora lycii PhyA). Soils from Cit+Phy mixtures contained less inorganic P and more organic P compared to monocultures. Exudate-specific strategies for the acquisition of soil P were most effective in P-limited soil and depended on citrate efflux rate and the relative mobility of the expressed phytase in soil. Plant growth and soil P utilization in plant systems with complementary exudation strategies are expected to be greatest where exudates persist in soil and are expressed synchronously in space and time. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  8. New perspectives for the design of sustainable bioprocesses for phosphorus recovery from waste.

    PubMed

    Tarayre, Cédric; De Clercq, Lies; Charlier, Raphaëlle; Michels, Evi; Meers, Erik; Camargo-Valero, Miller; Delvigne, Frank

    2016-04-01

    Phosphate rock has long been used for the production of phosphorus based chemicals. However, considering the depletion of the reservoirs and the decrease of the quality of phosphate rocks, a potential market is now emerging for the recovery of phosphate from waste and its reuse for different applications. Notably, phosphate recovery from wastewater could be included in a circular economy approach. This review focuses on the use of microbial systems for phosphorus accumulation and recovery, by considering the actual range of analytical techniques available for the monitoring of phosphorus accumulating organisms, as well as the actual biochemical and metabolic engineering toolbox available for the optimization of bioprocesses. In this context, knowledge gathered from process, system and synthetic biology could potentially lead to innovative process design. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Incorporating phosphorus cycling into global modeling efforts: a worthwhile, tractable endeavor.

    PubMed

    Reed, Sasha C; Yang, Xiaojuan; Thornton, Peter E

    2015-10-01

    324 I. 324 II. 325 III. 326 IV. 327 328 References 328 SUMMARY: Myriad field, laboratory, and modeling studies show that nutrient availability plays a fundamental role in regulating CO2 exchange between the Earth's biosphere and atmosphere, and in determining how carbon pools and fluxes respond to climatic change. Accordingly, global models that incorporate coupled climate-carbon cycle feedbacks made a significant advance with the introduction of a prognostic nitrogen cycle. Here we propose that incorporating phosphorus cycling represents an important next step in coupled climate-carbon cycling model development, particularly for lowland tropical forests where phosphorus availability is often presumed to limit primary production. We highlight challenges to including phosphorus in modeling efforts and provide suggestions for how to move forward. No claim to original US government works New Phytologist © 2015 New Phytologist Trust.

  10. The phosphorus status of andisols as influenced by nanoparticles of volcanic ash and rock phosphate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Devnita, Rina; Joy, Benny; Arifin, Mahfud; Setiawan, Ade; Rosniawaty, Santi; Meidina, Felia Shella

    2018-02-01

    Andisols need to be ameliorated to improve the phosphorus status. The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of nanoparticles of volcanic ash and rock phosphate as ameliorants in Andisols to P-retention, available P and potential P in Andisols. The research used a complete randomized experimental design in factorial with two factors. The first factor was nanoparticle of volcanic ash (a) and the second factor was rock phosphate (p). Both ameliorants consist of four doses on soil weight percentage (0%, 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.5%). The combined treatments were replicated three times. The soil and treatments were mixed and incubated for 4 months. Soil samples were taken after one month and four months of incubation to be analyzed the P-retention, available P and potential P. The results showed that there are interactions between the volcanic ash and rock phosphate on available P and potential P after one month of incubation. However, there were no interactions occurring between the volcanic ash and rock phosphate on P-retention after one and four months of incubation and no interactions on available P and potential P after four months. The best combined treatments in increasing available P and potential P after one month was obtained in 2.5% of volcanic ash and 5% of rock phosphate that increased available P to 405.75 ppm. The 2.5% of volcanic ash and 7.5% of rock phosphate increased potential P to 2190.26 mg/100 g. Independently, 7.5% of volcanic ash and rock phosphate decreased P-retention to 71.49% after one month and 89.74% after four months. Higher effect on the application of nanoparticle of volcanic ash and rock phosphate to the phosphorus status of Andisols recieved after one month of incubation is compared with four months of incubation.

  11. Phosphorus loading to McGrath and Ellis ponds, Kennebec County, Maine

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nichols, Wallace J.; Sowles, J.W.; Lobao, J.J.

    1984-01-01

    McGrath and Ellis Ponds in south-central Maine have been identified as having nuisance algae blooms. In 1978, a cooperative study between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Maine Department Environmental Protection was begun to evaluate areas in which restoration effort would best improve water quality of the ponds. Streamflow and phosphorus data were collected from 28 tributaries to the ponds, April 1 through September 30, 1978 and 1979. Phosphorus yields from each tributary watershed were compared to determine their relative importance to the phosphorus budgets of the ponds. Three tributaries to the ponds were estimated to contribute 44 percent of the phosphorus load, yet drain only 22 percent of the watershed. Phosphorus input to the ponds likely would be most easily reduced by instituting phosphorus control practices in parts of the basin drained by the three tributaries. (USGS)

  12. Enhanced capacity of chemically bonded phosphorus/carbon composite as an anode material for potassium-ion batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Xuan; Zhao, Wei; Wang, Hong; Qi, Xiujun; Xing, Zheng; Zhuang, Quanchao; Ju, Zhicheng

    2018-02-01

    Potassium-ion batteries are attracting great attention as a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to the abundance and low price of potassium. Herein, the phosphorus/carbon composite, obtained by a simple ball-milling of 20 wt% commercial red phosphorus and 80 wt% graphite, is studied as a novel anode for potassium-ion batteries. Considering the high theoretical specific capacity of phosphorus and formation of stable phosphorus-carbon bond, which can alleviate the volume expansion efficiently, the phosphorus/carbon composite exhibits a high charge capacity of 323.5 mA h g-1 after 50 cycles at a current density of 50 mA g-1 with moderate rate capability and cycling stability. By the X-ray diffraction analysis, the alloying-dealloying mechanism of phosphorus is proposed to form a KP phase. Meanwhile, prepotassiation treatment is conducted to improve the low initial coulomb efficiency.

  13. Phosphorus-containing food additives and the accuracy of nutrient databases: implications for renal patients.

    PubMed

    Sullivan, Catherine M; Leon, Janeen B; Sehgal, Ashwini R

    2007-09-01

    Phosphorus-containing additives are increasingly being added to food products. We sought to determine the potential impact of these additives. We focused on chicken products as an example. We purchased a variety of chicken products, prepared them according to package directions, and performed laboratory analyses to determine their actual phosphorus content. We used ESHA Food Processor SQL Software (version 9.8, ESHA Research, Salem, OR) to determine the expected phosphorus content of each product. Of 38 chicken products, 35 (92%) had phosphorus-containing additives listed among their ingredients. For every category of chicken products containing additives, the actual phosphorus content was greater than the content expected from nutrient database. For example, actual phosphorus content exceeded expected phosphorus content by an average of 84 mg/100 g for breaded breast strips. There was also a great deal of variation within each category. For example, the difference between actual and expected phosphorus content ranged from 59-165 mg/100 g for breast patties. Two 100-g servings of additive-containing products contained, on average, 440 mg of phosphorus, or about half the total daily recommended intake for dialysis patients. Phosphorus-containing additives significantly increase the amount of phosphorus in chicken products. Available nutrient databases do not reflect this higher phosphorus content, and the variation between similar products makes it impossible for patients and dietitians to accurately estimate phosphorus content. We recommend that dialysis patients limit their intake of additive-containing products, and that the phosphorus content of food products be included on nutrition facts labels.

  14. PHOSPHORUS CONTAINING FOOD ADDITIVES AND THE ACCURACY OF NUTRIENT DATABASES: IMPLICATIONS FOR RENAL PATIENTS

    PubMed Central

    Sullivan, Catherine M.; Leon, Janeen B.; Sehgal, Ashwini R.

    2007-01-01

    Objective Phosphorus containing additives are increasingly added to food products. We sought to determine the potential impact of these additives. We focused on chicken products as an example. Methods We purchased a variety of chicken products, prepared them according to package directions, and performed laboratory analyses to determine their actual phosphorus content. We used ESHA Food Processor SQL Software to determine the expected phosphorus content of each product. Results Of 38 chicken products, 35 (92%) had phosphorus containing additives listed among their ingredients. For every category of chicken products containing additives, the actual phosphorus content was greater than the content expected from nutrient database. For example, actual phosphorus content exceeded expected phosphorus content by an average of 84 mg/100g for breaded breast strips. There was also a great deal of variation within each category. For example, the difference between actual and expected phosphorus content ranged from 59 to 165 mg/100g for breast patties. Two 100 g servings of additive containing products contain an average of 440 mg of phosphorus, or about half the total daily recommended intake for dialysis patients. Conclusion Phosphorus containing additives significantly increase the amount of phosphorus in chicken products. Available nutrient databases do not reflect this higher phosphorus content, and the variation between similar products makes it impossible for patients and dietitians to accurately estimate phosphorus content. We recommend that dialysis patients limit their intake of additive containing products and that the phosphorus content of food products be included on nutrition facts labels. PMID:17720105

  15. Catalytic Hydrogenation of Carbon Dioxide with Ammonia-Borane by Pincer-type Phosphorus Compound: A Theoretical Prediction.

    PubMed

    Zeng, Guixiang; Maeda, Satoshi; Taketsugu, Tetsuya; Sakaki, Shigeyoshi

    2016-10-01

    Theoretically designed pincer-type phosphorus compound is found to be active for the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) with ammonia-borane. DFT, ONIOM(CCSD(T):MP2), and CCSD(T) computational results demonstrated that the reaction occurs through the phosphorus-ligand cooperative catalysis function, which provides an unprecedented protocol for metal-free CO 2 conversion. The phosphorus compounds with the NNN ligand are more active than those with the ONO ligand. The conjugate and planar ligand considerably improves the efficiency of the catalyst.

  16. Patient education for phosphorus management in chronic kidney disease

    PubMed Central

    Kalantar-Zadeh, Kamyar

    2013-01-01

    Objectives: This review explores the challenges and solutions in educating patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to lower serum phosphorus while avoiding protein insufficiency and hypercalcemia. Methods: A literature search including terms “hyperphosphatemia,” “patient education,” “food fatigue,” “hypercalcemia,” and “phosphorus–protein ratio” was undertaken using PubMed. Results: Hyperphosphatemia is a strong predictor of mortality in advanced CKD and is remediated via diet, phosphorus binders, and dialysis. Dietary counseling should encourage the consumption of foods with the least amount of inorganic or absorbable phosphorus, low phosphorus-to-protein ratios, and adequate protein content, and discourage excessive calcium intake in high-risk patients. Emerging educational initiatives include food labeling using a “traffic light” scheme, motivational interviewing techniques, and the Phosphate Education Program – whereby patients no longer have to memorize the phosphorus content of each individual food component, but only a “phosphorus unit” value for a limited number of food groups. Phosphorus binders are associated with a clear survival advantage in CKD patients, overcome the limitations associated with dietary phosphorus restriction, and permit a more flexible approach to achieving normalization of phosphorus levels. Conclusion: Patient education on phosphorus and calcium management can improve concordance and adherence and empower patients to collaborate actively for optimal control of mineral metabolism. PMID:23667310

  17. Assessing the Health Impact of Phosphorus in the Food Supply: Issues and Considerations123

    PubMed Central

    Calvo, Mona S.; Moshfegh, Alanna J.; Tucker, Katherine L.

    2014-01-01

    The Western dietary pattern of intake common to many Americans is high in fat, refined carbohydrates, sodium, and phosphorus, all of which are associated with processed food consumption and higher risk of life-threatening chronic diseases. In this review, we focus on the available information on current phosphorus intake with this Western dietary pattern, and new knowledge of how the disruption of phosphorus homeostasis can occur when intake of phosphorus far exceeds nutrient needs and calcium intake is limited. Elevation of extracellular phosphorus, even when phosphorus intake is seemingly modest, but excessive relative to need and calcium intake, may disrupt the endocrine regulation of phosphorus balance in healthy individuals, as it is known to do in renal disease. This elevation in serum phosphate, whether episodic or chronically sustained, may trigger the secretion of regulatory hormones, whose actions can damage tissue, leading to the development of cardiovascular disease, renal impairment, and bone loss. Therefore, we assessed the health impact of excess phosphorus intake in the context of specific issues that reflect changes over time in the U.S. food supply and patterns of intake. Important issues include food processing and food preferences, the need to evaluate phosphorus intake in relation to calcium intake and phosphorus bioavailability, the accuracy of various approaches used to assess phosphorus intake, and the difficulties encountered in evaluating the relations of phosphorus intake to chronic disease markers or incident disease. PMID:24425729

  18. Phosphorus oxide gate dielectric for black phosphorus field effect transistors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dickerson, W.; Tayari, V.; Fakih, I.; Korinek, A.; Caporali, M.; Serrano-Ruiz, M.; Peruzzini, M.; Heun, S.; Botton, G. A.; Szkopek, T.

    2018-04-01

    The environmental stability of the layered semiconductor black phosphorus (bP) remains a challenge. Passivation of the bP surface with phosphorus oxide, POx, grown by a reactive ion etch with oxygen plasma is known to improve photoluminescence efficiency of exfoliated bP flakes. We apply phosphorus oxide passivation in the fabrication of bP field effect transistors using a gate stack consisting of a POx layer grown by reactive ion etching followed by atomic layer deposition of Al2O3. We observe room temperature top-gate mobilities of 115 cm2 V-1 s-1 in ambient conditions, which we attribute to the low defect density of the bP/POx interface.

  19. [Phosphorus removal characteristics by aerobic granules in normal molasses wastewater after anaerobic treatment].

    PubMed

    Wang, Shuo; Yu, Shui-Li; Shi, Wen-Xin; Bao, Rui-Ling; Yi, Xue-Song; Li, Jian-Zheng

    2012-04-01

    COD decreased obviously in normal molasses wastewater after anaerobic treatment, however, concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus were still higher in the effluent which seriously damaged the ecological balance. In this study, aerobic granules cultivated in sequencing batch airlift reactor (SBAR) were carried out for treating the effluent; phosphorus removal processes and characteristics were discussed as well. The mean diameter of aerobic granules cultivated by multiple carbon sources (acetate, propionate and butyrate) was 1.7 mm. The average phosphorus removal efficiency was 90.9% and the level of phosphorus in effluent was only 1.3 mg x L(-1); TP released per COD consumed was 0.571 and the specific rate of TP released was 5.73 mg x (g x h)(-1). NO3(-) -N usage of phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs) improved during denitrifying process because the concentration of propionate and butyrate increased in multiple carbon sources which means the phosphorus uptake efficiency increased when per NO3(-) -N consumed. Phosphorus content represented a stronger correlation with magnesium, calcium and ferrum contents in aerobic granules and their extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), the phosphorus adsorption by EPS could enhance phosphorus removal. 61.9% of phosphorus accumulating organisms were denitrifying phosphorus accumulating organisms in aerobic granules and TP uptake per NO3(-) -N consumed was 1.14 which was higher than that of aerobic granules only cultivated by acetate.

  20. Optimization of urban wastewater treatment plants process with low C/N ratio

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zheng, L.; Xu, G. M.; Chen, J.; Chen, B.; Lv, Z.; Yang, Y. A.

    2016-08-01

    In southern China, the inflow of water to wastewater treatment plants has a lower concentration of organic matter. This causes treatment plants to face issues in the denitrification and phosphorus removal processes such as deficient carbon sources, high energy consumption, and unstable nitrogen removal. To resolve these issues, we propose the reconstruction of the internal reflux port, improvement of the internal reflux ratio to 200%, the addition of carbon source to anoxic zone, and the addition of phosphorus removal agents in secondary settling tank. The results of study show significantly improved efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus removal, which ensures the stability of subsequent supply of reused water.

  1. The phosphorus cost of agricultural intensification in the tropics.

    PubMed

    Roy, Eric D; Richards, Peter D; Martinelli, Luiz A; Coletta, Luciana Della; Lins, Silvia Rafaela Machado; Vazquez, Felipe Ferraz; Willig, Edwin; Spera, Stephanie A; VanWey, Leah K; Porder, Stephen

    2016-04-18

    Agricultural intensification in the tropics is one way to meet rising global food demand in coming decades(1,2). Although this strategy can potentially spare land from conversion to agriculture(3), it relies on large material inputs. Here we quantify one such material cost, the phosphorus fertilizer required to intensify global crop production atop phosphorus-fixing soils and achieve yields similar to productive temperate agriculture. Phosphorus-fixing soils occur mainly in the tropics, and render added phosphorus less available to crops(4,5). We estimate that intensification of the 8-12% of global croplands overlying phosphorus-fixing soils in 2005 would require 1-4 Tg P yr(-1) to overcome phosphorus fixation, equivalent to 8-25% of global inorganic phosphorus fertilizer consumption that year. This imposed phosphorus 'tax' is in addition to phosphorus added to soils and subsequently harvested in crops, and doubles (2-7 Tg P yr(-1)) for scenarios of cropland extent in 2050(6). Our estimates are informed by local-, state- and national-scale investigations in Brazil, where, more than any other tropical country, low-yielding agriculture has been replaced by intensive production. In the 11 major Brazilian agricultural states, the surplus of added inorganic fertilizer phosphorus retained by soils post harvest is strongly correlated with the fraction of cropland overlying phosphorus-fixing soils (r(2) = 0.84, p < 0.001). Our interviews with 49 farmers in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, which produces 8% of the world's soybeans mostly on phosphorus-fixing soils, suggest this phosphorus surplus is required even after three decades of high phosphorus inputs. Our findings in Brazil highlight the need for better understanding of long-term soil phosphorus fixation elsewhere in the tropics. Strategies beyond liming, which is currently widespread in Brazil, are needed to reduce phosphorus retention by phosphorus-fixing soils to better manage the Earth's finite phosphate rock supplies and move towards more sustainable agricultural production.

  2. Understanding of polyhydroxybutyrate production under carbon and phosphorus-limited growth conditions in non-axenic continuous culture.

    PubMed

    Cavaillé, Laëtitia; Albuquerque, Maria; Grousseau, Estelle; Lepeuple, Anne-Sophie; Uribelarrea, Jean-Louis; Hernandez-Raquet, Guillermina; Paul, Etienne

    2016-02-01

    In a waste into resource strategy, a selection of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)-accumulating organisms from activated sludge was achieved in an open continuous culture under acetic acid and phosphorus limitation. Once the microbial population was selected at a dilution rate (D), an increase in phosphorus limitation degree was applied in order to study the intracellular phosphorus plasticity of selected bacteria and the resulting capacity to produce PHB. Whatever D, all selected populations were able to produce PHB. At a D, the phosphorus availability determined the phosphorus-cell content which in turn fixed the amount of cell. All the remaining carbon was thus directed toward PHB. By decreasing D, microorganisms adapted more easily to higher phosphorus limitation leading to higher PHB content. A one-stage continuous reactor operated at D=0.023h(-)(1) gave reliable high PHB productivity with PHB content up to 80%. A two-stage reactor could ensure better productivity while allowing tuning product quality. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Determinants of total and available phosphorus in forested Alfisols and Ultisols of the Ozark Highlands, USA

    Treesearch

    Gurbir Singh; Keith W. Goyne; John M. Kabrick

    2015-01-01

    Phosphorus is an important nutrient limiting forest growth in many parts of world, and soil P forms and concentrations may be associated with a host of soil and environmental attributes in a complex soil landscape. The objective of this study was to identify key environmental and soil properties influencing total and available soil P concentrations in a mixed oak (

  4. Evaluation of a novel oxidation ditch system for biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal from domestic sewage.

    PubMed

    Chen, X; Fujiwara, T; Ohtoshi, K; Inamori, S; Nakamachi, K; Tsuno, H

    2010-01-01

    A novel oxidation ditch system using anaerobic tanks and innovative dual dissolved oxygen (DO) control technology is proposed for biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal from domestic sewage. A continuous bench-scale experiment running for more than 300 days was performed to evaluate the system. Monitoring and controlling the airflow and recirculation flow rate independently using DO values at two points along the ditch permitted maintenance of aerobic and anoxic zone ratios of around 0.30 and 0.50, respectively. The ability to optimize aerobic and anoxic zone ratios using the dual DO control technology meant that a total nitrogen removal efficiency of 83.2-92.9% could be maintained. This remarkable nitrogen removal performance minimized the nitrate recycle to anaerobic tanks inhibiting the phosphorus release. Hence, the total phosphorus removal efficiency was also improved and ranged within 72.6-88.0%. These results demonstrated that stabilization of the aerobic and anoxic zone ratio by dual DO control technology not only resulted in a marked improvement of nitrogen removal, but it also enhanced phosphorus removal.

  5. Phosphorus Control in DRI-EAF Steelmaking: Thermodynamics, Effect of Alumina, and Process Modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tayeb, Mohammed A.

    Flexibility in raw materials, the lower natural gas prices, and the increased use of nonconventional Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) steelmaking using up to 100% Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) have prompted a renewed interest in better control of phosphorus. Iron ore and DRI have higher phosphorus and silica compared to scrap. Although significant work has been done on understanding the partitioning of phosphorus between slag and metal for slags with chemistries relevant to those used in the Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF), there is little reported work on slag chemistries corresponding to that in the EAF when DRI is used (EAF-DRI). In the current research, phosphorus equilibria between molten Fe-P alloys and CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-P 2O5-FeO-MgOsaturated slag system were investigated. An equilibrium correlation for phosphorus partition as a function of slag composition and temperature has been developed and resulted in better predictions compared with those proposed by earlier workers. As well, it is suitable for both BOF and EAF slags and includes coefficients for silica and alumina, unlike previous correlations. Low amounts of Al2O3 are present in EAF and BOF slags, but no appreciable work has been carried out to study the effect of alumina on the phosphorus partition. When DRI is used, the Al2O 3 contents can also be much higher. The data from this work indicates that there is significant reduction in Lp as the alumina fraction in the slag increases. The observed effect of alumina is attributed to its acidity, which contributes to the reduction of the phosphorus capacity of the slag by lowering the activities of iron oxide and calcium oxide. This in turn lowers the activity of oxygen and oxygen ions needed for phosphorus partition to the slag phase. Alumina in such situation is believed to elongate the silicate slag structure by forming [AlO45-]-tetrahedra. However, it is apparent that for higher alumina, lower silica slags the behavior of alumina changes and dephosphorization would improve. Alumina becomes less acidic acting as a diluting agent and probably forming [AlO6 9-]-octahedra according to which alumina is hypothesized to behave amphoterically. While understanding the equilibrium and kinetics of the phosphorus reaction is important in order to improve the ability to remove phosphorus from the melt, practical use of this understanding in industry is limited. Modeling the phosphorus reaction in steelmaking, however, would result in a better and easier use of conceptual understanding by operators and engineers in plants. This work describes dynamic process models for phosphorus and sulfur reactions when using DRI, scrap, and pig iron in EAF steelmaking. The present models are based on the assumption that thermodynamic equilibrium is locally established at the steel-slag interface, the bulk liquid steel and slag remain homogeneous throughout the reaction, and the rate is predominantly controlled by the mass transfer of phosphorus in the metal and slag boundary layers. The models, which consist of a series of rate and mass balance equations, were converted into a Python code and are capable of predicting trajectories of steel and slag phosphorus and sulfur levels as well as slag chemistry and slag liquid and solid phases. The effect of operating variables on the final phosphorus and sulfur contents, for instance the effect of DRI and pig iron P and S concentrations, oxygen use, temperature, melting rates, and flux addition were tested. The results imply that dephosphorization could be improved by maintaining lower bath temperatures for period of time. Additionally, dephosphorization and desulfurization were improved by higher flux addition.

  6. A brief history of phosphorus: from the philosopher's stone to nutrient recovery and reuse.

    PubMed

    Ashley, K; Cordell, D; Mavinic, D

    2011-08-01

    The element phosphorus has no substitute in sustaining all life and food production on our planet. Yet today's phosphorus use patterns have resulted in both a global environmental epidemic of eutrophication and led to a situation where the future availability of the world's main sources of phosphorus is uncertain. This paper examines the important history of human interference with the phosphorus cycle from initial discovery to present, highlighting key interrelated events and consequences of the Industrial Revolution, Sanitation Revolution and Green Revolution. Whilst these events led to profound advances in technology, public health and food production, they have fundamentally broken the global phosphorus cycle. It is clear a 'Fourth Revolution' is required to resolve this dilemma and ensure humanity can continue to feed itself into the future while protecting environmental and human health. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. [Effects of tobacco garlic crop rotation and intercropping on tobacco yield and rhizosphere soil phosphorus fractions].

    PubMed

    Tang, Biao; Zhang, Xi-zhou; Yang, Xian-bin

    2015-07-01

    A field plot experiment was conducted to investigate the tobacco yield and different forms of soil phosphorus under tobacco garlic crop rotation and intercropping patterns. The results showed that compared with tobacco monoculture, the tobacco yield and proportion of middle/high class of tobacco leaves to total leaves were significantly increased in tobacco garlic crop rotation and intercropping, and the rhizosphere soil available phosphorus contents were 1.3 and 1.7 times as high as that of tobacco monoculture at mature stage of lower leaf. For the inorganic phosphorus in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil in different treatments, the contents of O-P and Fe-P were the highest, followed by Ca2-P and Al-P, and Ca8-P and Ca10-P were the lowest. Compared with tobacco monoculture and tobacco garlic crop intercropping, the Ca2-P concentration in rhizosphere soil under tobacco garlic crop rotation at mature stage of upper leaf, the Ca8-P concentration at mature stage of lower leaf, and the Ca10-P concentration at mature stage of middle leaf were lowest. The Al-P concentrations under tobacco garlic crop rotation and intercropping were 1.6 and 1.9 times, and 1.2 and 1.9 times as much as that under tobacco monoculture in rhizosphere soil at mature stages of lower leaf and middle leaf, respectively. The O-P concentrations in rhizosphere soil under tobacco garlic crop rotation and intercropping were significantly lower than that under tobacco monoculture. Compared with tobacco garlic crop intercropping, the tobacco garlic crop rotation could better improve tobacco yield and the proportion of high and middle class leaf by activating O-P, Ca10-P and resistant organic phosphorus in soil.

  8. Review on the preparation and modified technologies of microencapsulated red phosphorus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Chen; Du, Shiguo; Yan, Jun

    2017-10-01

    Coated by a compact shell structure, pristine red phosphorus transforms into microcapsule red phosphorus (MCRP) with lower PH3 emission and improved compatibility with polymer matrix. Diverse kinds of microcapsule red phosphorus are classified by shell material, i.e.organic shell material MCRP, inorganic shell material MCRP and composite shell material MCRP. Furthermore, the modified technology to make up deficiencies of MCRP is also introduced in the lecture. Aiming at the existing microencapsulation craft, a more harmless and high-efficiency process should be presented, and ultrafine MCRP is also urgent to be prepared.

  9. Potassium nutrition of ectomycorrhizal Pinus pinaster: overexpression of the Hebeloma cylindrosporum HcTrk1 transporter affects the translocation of both K(+) and phosphorus in the host plant.

    PubMed

    Garcia, Kevin; Delteil, Amandine; Conéjéro, Geneviève; Becquer, Adeline; Plassard, Claude; Sentenac, Hervé; Zimmermann, Sabine

    2014-02-01

    Mycorrhizal associations are known to improve the hydro-mineral nutrition of their host plants. However, the importance of mycorrhizal symbiosis for plant potassium nutrition has so far been poorly studied. We therefore investigated the impact of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Hebeloma cylindrosporum on the potassium nutrition of Pinus pinaster and examined the involvement of the fungal potassium transporter HcTrk1. HcTrk1 transcripts and proteins were localized in ectomycorrhizas using in situ hybridization and EGFP translational fusion constructs. Importantly, an overexpression strategy was performed on a H. cylindrosporum endogenous gene in order to dissect the role of this transporter. The potassium nutrition of mycorrhizal pine plants was significantly improved under potassium-limiting conditions. Fungal strains overexpressing HcTrk1 reduced the translocation of potassium and phosphorus from the roots to the shoots of inoculated plants in mycorrhizal experiments. Furthermore, expression of HcTrk1 and the phosphate transporter HcPT1.1 were reciprocally linked to the external inorganic phosphate and potassium availability. The development of these approaches provides a deeper insight into the role of ectomycorrhizal symbiosis on host plant K(+) nutrition and in particular, the K(+) transporter HcTrk1. The work augments our knowledge of the link between potassium and phosphorus nutrition via the mycorrhizal pathway. © 2013 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2013 New Phytologist Trust.

  10. Associations of Socioeconomic Status and Processed Food Intake with Serum Phosphorus in Community-Living Adults: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

    PubMed Central

    Gutiérrez, Orlando M.; Katz, Ronit; Peralta, Carmen A.; de Boer, Ian H.; Siscovick, David; Wolf, Myles; Roux, Ana Diez; Kestenbaum, Bryan; Nettleton, Jennifer A.; Ix, Joachim H.

    2011-01-01

    Objective Higher serum phosphorus concentrations are associated with cardiovascular disease events and mortality. Low socioeconomic status is linked with higher serum phosphorus, but the reasons are unclear. Poor individuals disproportionately consume inexpensive processed foods commonly enriched with phosphorus-based food preservatives. Accordingly, we hypothesized that excess intake of these foods accounts for a relationship between lower socioeconomic status and higher serum phosphorus. Design Cross-sectional analysis. Setting and Participants We examined a random cohort of 2,664 participants with available phosphorus measurements in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, a community-based sample of individuals free of clinically apparent cardiovascular disease from across the United States. Predictor Variables Socioeconomic status, the intake of foods commonly enriched with phosphorus additives (processed meats, sodas) and frequency of fast food consumption. Outcomes Fasting morning serum phosphorus concentrations. Results In unadjusted analyses, lower income and lower educational achievement categories were associated with modestly higher serum phosphorus (by 0.02 to 0.10 mg/dL, P < 0.05 for all). These associations were attenuated in models adjusted for demographic and clinical factors, almost entirely due to adjustment for female gender. There were no statistically significant associations of processed meat intake or frequency of fast-food consumption with serum phosphorus in multivariable-adjusted analyses. In contrast, each serving per day higher soda intake was associated with 0.02 mg/dl lower serum phosphorus (95% confidence interval, −0.04, −0.01). Conclusions Greater intake of foods commonly enriched with phosphorus additives was not associated with higher serum phosphorus in a community-living sample with largely preserved kidney function. These results suggest that excess intake of processed and fast foods may not impact fasting serum phosphorus concentrations among individuals without kidney disease. PMID:22217539

  11. Mapping watershed potential to contribute phosphorus from geologic materials to receiving streams, southeastern United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Terziotti, Silvia; Hoos, Anne B.; Harned, Douglas; Garcia, Ana Maria

    2010-01-01

    As part of the southeastern United States SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes) water-quality model implementation, the U.S. Geological Survey created a dataset to characterize the contribution of phosphorus to streams from weathering and erosion of surficial geologic materials. SPARROW provides estimates of total nitrogen and phosphorus loads in surface waters from point and nonpoint sources. The characterization of the contribution of phosphorus from geologic materials is important to help separate the effects of natural or background sources of phosphorus from anthropogenic sources of phosphorus, such as municipal wastewater or agricultural practices. The potential of a watershed to contribute phosphorus from naturally occurring geologic materials to streams was characterized by using geochemical data from bed-sediment samples collected from first-order streams in relatively undisturbed watersheds as part of the multiyear U.S. Geological Survey National Geochemical Survey. The spatial pattern of bed-sediment phosphorus concentration is offered as a tool to represent the best available information at the regional scale. One issue may weaken the use of bed-sediment phosphorus concentration as a surrogate for the potential for geologic materials in the watershed to contribute to instream levels of phosphorus-an unknown part of the variability in bed-sediment phosphorus concentration may be due to the rates of net deposition and processing of phosphorus in the streambed rather than to variability in the potential of the watershed's geologic materials to contribute phosphorus to the stream. Two additional datasets were created to represent the potential of a watershed to contribute phosphorus from geologic materials disturbed by mining activities from active mines and inactive mines.

  12. [Evaluation of soil quality under different land use types in Naban River watershed, Yunnan Province of Southwest China].

    PubMed

    Xie, Jin; Li, Zhao-Li; Li, Yong-Mei; Guo, Fang-Fang

    2011-12-01

    Eighty-six topsoil (0-20 cm) samples were collected from 8 land use types (natural forest land, maize field, tea garden, paddy field, rubber plantation, flax field, banana plantation, and sugarcane field) in the Naban River Watershed National Nature Reserve and its surrounding areas, and the soil physical and chemical properties were analyzed, aimed to study the effects of land use type on the soil quality by the method of soil quality index (SQI). Comparing with natural forest land, all the cultivated lands had somewhat decreased soil organic matter content and higher soil bulk density, and the soil bulk density was significantly higher in tea garden, paddy field, rubber plantation, and banana plantation. In cultivated lands, fertilization and reclamation made the soil available potassium and phosphorus contents maintained at a higher level, probably due to the input of mineral potassium and phosphorus and the decomposition of soil organic matter. The SQI of the 8 land use types was in the order of flax field (0.595) > natural forest land (0.532) > maize field (0.516) > banana plantation (0.485) tea garden (0.480) sugarcane field (0.463) > paddy field (0.416) > rubber plantation (0.362). The soils in higher altitude production demonstration areas (1614 +/-115 m) had significant higher SQI, compared to the soils in lower altitude buffer areas (908 +/- 98 m) and junction areas (926 +/- 131 m). Among the 8 land use types, the rubber plantation in lower altitude areas had the lowest SQI, due to the lower soil organic matter and available potassium and phosphorus contents and the highest soil bulk density. Application of organic manure or intercropping with leguminous plants could be an available practice to improve the soil quality of the rubber plantation.

  13. Evaluation of a method for comparing phosphorus loads from barnyards and croplands in Otter Creek Watershed, Wisconsin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wierl, Judy A.; Giddings, Elise M.P.; Bannerman, Roger T.

    1998-01-01

    Control of phosphorus from rural nonpoint sources is a major focus of current efforts to improve and protect water resources in Wisconsin and is recommended in almost every priority watershed plan prepared for the State's Nonpoint Source (NFS) Program. Barnyards and crop- lands usually are identified as the primary rural sources of phosphorus. Numerous questions have arisen about which of these two sources to control and about the method currently being used by the NFS program to compare phosphorus loads from barnyards and croplands. To evaluate the method, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, used phosphorus-load and sediment-load data from streams and phosphorus concentrations in soils from the Otter Creek Watershed (located in the Sheboygan River Basin: fig. 1) in conjunction with two computer-based models. 

  14. Phosphorus Fertilizer Rate, Soil P Availability, and Long-Term Growth Response in a Loblolly Pine Plantation on a Weathered Ultisol

    Treesearch

    D. Andrew Scott; Christine M. Bliss

    2012-01-01

    Phosphorus is widely deficient throughout the southern pine region of the United States. Growth responses to P fertilization are generally long-lasting in a wide range of soil types, but little is known about fertilization rates and long-term P cycling and availability. In 1982, exceptionally high P fertilization rates (0, 81, 162, and 324 kg P ha-1...

  15. [Study on nutrient and salinity in soil covered with different vegetations in Shuangtaizi estuarine wetlands].

    PubMed

    Song, Xiao-Lin; Lü, Xian-Guo; Zhang, Zhong-Sheng; Chen, Zhi-Ke; Liu, Zheng-Mao

    2011-09-01

    Nutrient elements and salinity in soil covered by different vegetations including Phragmites australis (Clay.) Trin., Typha orientalis Presl., Puccinellia distans Parl, and Suaeda salsa in Shuangtaizi estuarine wetlands were investigated to study their distribution characteristics and to reveal the nutrient element variation during the vegetation succession processes. Results indicated that total potassium, total phosphorus and salinity were different significantly in soil between different plant communities while available phosphorus, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, available potassium, total sulfur, iron and soil organic carbon were different insignificantly. Correlation analysis suggested that soil organic carbon were related significantly to total nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, which implied that decomposition of plant litter might be the mail source of soil nitrogen and available nutrient. Salinity was significantly related to total phosphorus and iron in soil. In Shuangtaizi estuarine wetland soil, ratios of carbon to nitrogen (R(C/N)) was in the range of 12.21-26.33 and the average value was 18.21, which was higher than 12.0. It indicated that soil organic carbon in Shuangtaizi estuarine mainly came from land but not ocean and plants contributed the most of soil organic matters. There was no significant difference in R(C/N) between soil from the four plant communities (F = 1.890, p = 0.151). R(C/N) was related significantly to sol salinity (r = 0.346 3, p = 0.035 8) and was increasing with soil salinity.

  16. Soil moisture and biogeochemical factors influence the distribution of annual Bromus species

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Belnap, Jayne; Stark, John Thomas; Rau, Benjamin; Allen, Edith B.; Phillips, Sue

    2016-01-01

    Abiotic factors have a strong influence on where annual Bromus species are found. At the large regional scale, temperature and precipitation extremes determine the boundaries of Bromusoccurrence. At the more local scale, soil characteristics and climate influence distribution, cover, and performance. In hot, dry, summer-rainfall-dominated deserts (Sonoran, Chihuahuan), little or noBromus is found, likely due to timing or amount of soil moisture relative to Bromus phenology. In hot, winter-rainfall-dominated deserts (parts of the Mojave Desert), Bromus rubens is widespread and correlated with high phosphorus availability. It also responds positively to additions of nitrogen alone or with phosphorus. On the Colorado Plateau, with higher soil moisture availability, factors limiting Bromus tectorum populations vary with life stage: phosphorus and water limit germination, potassium and the potassium/magnesium ratio affect winter performance, and water and potassium/magnesium affect spring performance. Controlling nutrients also change with elevation. In cooler deserts with winter precipitation (Great Basin, Columbia Plateau) and thus even greater soil moisture availability, B. tectorum populations are controlled by nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium. Experimental nitrogen additions stimulate Bromus performance. The reason for different nutrients limiting in dissimilar climatic regions is not known, but it is likely that site conditions such as soil texture (as it affects water and nutrient availability), organic matter, and/or chemistry interact in a manner that regulates nutrient availability and limitations. Under future drier, hotter conditions,Bromus distribution is likely to change due to changes in the interaction between moisture and nutrient availability.

  17. Impaired intestinal immune barrier and physical barrier function by phosphorus deficiency: Regulation of TOR, NF-κB, MLCK, JNK and Nrf2 signalling in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) after infection with Aeromonas hydrophila.

    PubMed

    Chen, Kang; Zhou, Xiao-Qiu; Jiang, Wei-Dan; Wu, Pei; Liu, Yang; Jiang, Jun; Kuang, Sheng-Yao; Tang, Ling; Tang, Wu-Neng; Zhang, Yong-An; Feng, Lin

    2018-03-01

    In aquaculture, the occurrence of enteritis has increased and dietary nutrition is considered as one of the major strategies to solve this problem. In the present study, we assume that dietary phosphorus might enhance intestinal immune barrier and physical barrier function to reduce the occurrence of enteritis in fish. To test this assumption, a total of 540 grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) were investigated by feeding graded levels of available phosphorus (0.95-8.75 g/kg diet) and then infection with Aeromonas hydrophila. The results firstly showed that phosphorus deficiency decreased the ability to combat enteritis, which might be related to the impairment of intestinal immune barrier and physical barrier function. Compared with optimal phosphorus level, phosphorus deficiency decreased fish intestinal antimicrobial substances activities or contents and down-regulated antimicrobial peptides mRNA levels leading to the impairment of intestinal immune response. Phosphorus deficiency down-regulated fish intestinal anti-inflammatory cytokines mRNA levels and up-regulated the mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines [except IL-1β and IL-12p35 in distal intestine (DI) and IL-12p40] causing aggravated of intestinal inflammatory responses, which might be related to the signalling molecules target of rapamycin and nuclear factor kappa B. In addition, phosphorus deficiency disturbed fish intestinal tight junction function and induced cell apoptosis as well as oxidative damage leading to impaired of fish intestinal physical barrier function, which might be partially associated with the signalling molecules myosin light chain kinase, c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase and NF-E2-related factor 2, respectively. Finally, based on the ability to combat enteritis, dietary available phosphorus requirement for grass carp (254.56-898.23 g) was estimated to be 4.68 g/kg diet. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  18. Evaluating spatial interaction of soil property with non-point source pollution at watershed scale: the phosphorus indicator in Northeast China.

    PubMed

    Ouyang, Wei; Huang, Haobo; Hao, Fanghua; Shan, Yushu; Guo, Bobo

    2012-08-15

    To better understand the spatial dynamics of non-point source (NPS) phosphorus loading with soil property at watershed scale, integrated modeling and soil chemistry is crucial to ensure that the indicator is functioning properly and expressing the spatial interaction at two depths. Developments in distributed modeling have greatly enriched the availability of geospatial data analysis and assess the NPS pollution loading response to soil property over larger area. The 1.5 km-grid soil sampling at two depths was analyzed with eight parameters, which provided detailed spatial and vertical soil data under four main types of landuses. The impacts of landuse conversion and agricultural practice on soil property were firstly identified. Except for the slightly bigger total of potassium (TK) and cadmium (Cr), the other six parameters had larger content in 20-40 cm surface than the top 20 cm surface. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool was employed to simulate the loading of NPS phosphorus. Overlaying with the landuse distribution, it was found that the NPS phosphorus mainly comes from the subbasins dominated with upland and paddy rice. The linear correlations of eight soil parameters at two depths with NPS phosphorus loading in the subbasins of upland and paddy rice were compared, respectively. The correlations of available phosphorus (AP), total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN) and TK varied in two depths, and also can assess the loading. The soil with lower soil organic carbon (SOC) presented a significant higher risk for NPS phosphorus loading, especially in agricultural area. The Principal Component Analysis showed that the TP and zinc (Zn) in top soil and copper (Cu) and Cr in subsurface can work as indicators. The analysis suggested that the application of soil property indicators is useful for assessing NPS phosphorus loss, which is promising for water safety in agricultural area. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Intra- and inter-annual trends in phosphorus loads and comparison with nitrogen loads to Rehoboth Bay, Delaware (USA)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Volk, J.A.; Scudlark, J.R.; Savidge, K.B.; Andres, A.S.; Stenger, R.J.; Ullman, W.J.

    2012-01-01

    Monthly phosphorus loads from uplands, atmospheric deposition, and wastewater to Rehoboth Bay (Delaware) were determined from October 1998 to April 2002 to evaluate the relative importance of these three sources of P to the Bay. Loads from a representative subwatershed were determined and used in an areal extrapolation to estimate the upland load from the entire watershed. Soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and dissolved organic P (DOP) are the predominant forms of P in baseflow and P loads from the watershed are highest during the summer months. Particulate phosphorus (PP) becomes more significant in stormflow and during periods with more frequent or larger storms. Atmospheric deposition of P is only a minor source of P to Rehoboth Bay. During the period of 1998-2002, wastewater was the dominant external source of P to Rehoboth Bay, often exceeding all other P sources combined. Since 2002, however, due to technical improvements to the sole wastewater plant discharging directly to the Bay, the wastewater contribution of P has been significantly reduced and upland waters are now the principal source of P on an annualized basis. Based on comparison of N and P loads, primary productivity and biomass carrying capacity in Rehoboth Bay should be limited by P availability. However, due to the contrasting spatial and temporal patterns of N and P loading and perhaps internal cycling within the ecosystem, spatial and temporal variations in N and P-limitation within Rehoboth Bay are likely. ?? 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

  20. On the use of 31P NMR for the quantification of hydrosoluble phosphorus-containing compounds in coral host tissues and cultured zooxanthellae.

    PubMed

    Godinot, Claire; Gaysinski, Marc; Thomas, Olivier P; Ferrier-Pagès, Christine; Grover, Renaud

    2016-02-23

    (31)P Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) was assessed to investigate the phosphorus-containing compounds present in the tissues of the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata as well as of cultured zooxanthellae (CZ). Results showed that phosphorus-containing compounds observed in CZ were mainly phosphate and phosphate esters. Phosphate accounted for 19 ± 2% of the total phosphorus compounds observed in CZ maintained under low P-levels (0.02 μM). Adding 5 mM of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (KH2PO4) to the CZ culture medium led to a 3.1-fold increase in intracellular phosphate, while adding 5 mM of dissolved organic phosphorus led to a reduction in the concentration of phosphorus compounds, including a 2.5-fold intracellular phosphate decrease. In sharp contrast to zooxanthellae, the host mainly contained phosphonates, and to a lesser extent, phosphate esters and phosphate. Two-months of host starvation decreased the phosphate content by 2.4 fold, while bleaching of fed corals did not modify this content. Based on (31)P NMR analyses, this study highlights the importance of phosphonates in the composition of coral host tissues, and illustrates the impact of phosphorus availability on the phosphorus composition of host tissues and CZ, both through feeding of the host and inorganic phosphorus enrichment of the CZ.

  1. On the use of 31P NMR for the quantification of hydrosoluble phosphorus-containing compounds in coral host tissues and cultured zooxanthellae

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Godinot, Claire; Gaysinski, Marc; Thomas, Olivier P.; Ferrier-Pagès, Christine; Grover, Renaud

    2016-02-01

    31P Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) was assessed to investigate the phosphorus-containing compounds present in the tissues of the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata as well as of cultured zooxanthellae (CZ). Results showed that phosphorus-containing compounds observed in CZ were mainly phosphate and phosphate esters. Phosphate accounted for 19 ± 2% of the total phosphorus compounds observed in CZ maintained under low P-levels (0.02 μM). Adding 5 mM of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (KH2PO4) to the CZ culture medium led to a 3.1-fold increase in intracellular phosphate, while adding 5 mM of dissolved organic phosphorus led to a reduction in the concentration of phosphorus compounds, including a 2.5-fold intracellular phosphate decrease. In sharp contrast to zooxanthellae, the host mainly contained phosphonates, and to a lesser extent, phosphate esters and phosphate. Two-months of host starvation decreased the phosphate content by 2.4 fold, while bleaching of fed corals did not modify this content. Based on 31P NMR analyses, this study highlights the importance of phosphonates in the composition of coral host tissues, and illustrates the impact of phosphorus availability on the phosphorus composition of host tissues and CZ, both through feeding of the host and inorganic phosphorus enrichment of the CZ.

  2. On the use of 31P NMR for the quantification of hydrosoluble phosphorus-containing compounds in coral host tissues and cultured zooxanthellae

    PubMed Central

    Godinot, Claire; Gaysinski, Marc; Thomas, Olivier P.; Ferrier-Pagès, Christine; Grover, Renaud

    2016-01-01

    31P Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) was assessed to investigate the phosphorus-containing compounds present in the tissues of the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata as well as of cultured zooxanthellae (CZ). Results showed that phosphorus-containing compounds observed in CZ were mainly phosphate and phosphate esters. Phosphate accounted for 19 ± 2% of the total phosphorus compounds observed in CZ maintained under low P-levels (0.02 μM). Adding 5 mM of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (KH2PO4) to the CZ culture medium led to a 3.1-fold increase in intracellular phosphate, while adding 5 mM of dissolved organic phosphorus led to a reduction in the concentration of phosphorus compounds, including a 2.5-fold intracellular phosphate decrease. In sharp contrast to zooxanthellae, the host mainly contained phosphonates, and to a lesser extent, phosphate esters and phosphate. Two-months of host starvation decreased the phosphate content by 2.4 fold, while bleaching of fed corals did not modify this content. Based on 31P NMR analyses, this study highlights the importance of phosphonates in the composition of coral host tissues, and illustrates the impact of phosphorus availability on the phosphorus composition of host tissues and CZ, both through feeding of the host and inorganic phosphorus enrichment of the CZ. PMID:26902733

  3. Influence of phosphorus on the tensile stress strain curves in copper

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sandström, Rolf

    2016-03-01

    Copper canisters are planned to be used for final disposal of spent nuclear fuel in Sweden. The canisters will be exposed to slow plastic straining over extensive periods of time. To be able to predict the mechanical properties a range of basic models have previously been developed for copper with and without phosphorus (Cu-OFP, Cu-OF). Already with the small amount of phosphorus added in the canisters (60 wt. ppm) dramatic improvements in the measured creep strength and the creep ductility are found. The basic models are further developed in the present paper. The influence of phosphorus on slow strain rate tests is analysed. It is shown that the main effect of phosphorus is that it prevents brittle rupture, which is modelled by taking creep cavitation into account.

  4. Distributed and dynamic modelling of hydrology, phosphorus and ecology in the Hampshire Avon and Blashford Lakes: evaluating alternative strategies to meet WFD standards.

    PubMed

    Whitehead, P G; Jin, L; Crossman, J; Comber, S; Johnes, P J; Daldorph, P; Flynn, N; Collins, A L; Butterfield, D; Mistry, R; Bardon, R; Pope, L; Willows, R

    2014-05-15

    The issues of diffuse and point source phosphorus (P) pollution in the Hampshire Avon and Blashford Lakes are explored using a catchment model of the river system. A multibranch, process based, dynamic water quality model (INCA-P) has been applied to the whole river system to simulate water fluxes, total phosphorus (TP) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations and ecology. The model has been used to assess impacts of both agricultural runoff and point sources from waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) on water quality. The results show that agriculture contributes approximately 40% of the phosphorus load and point sources the other 60% of the load in this catchment. A set of scenarios have been investigated to assess the impacts of alternative phosphorus reduction strategies and it is shown that a combined strategy of agricultural phosphorus reduction through either fertiliser reductions or better phosphorus management together with improved treatment at WWTPs would reduce the SRP concentrations in the river to acceptable levels to meet the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) requirements. A seasonal strategy for WWTP phosphorus reductions would achieve significant benefits at reduced cost. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Response of Sugarcane in a Red Ultisol to Phosphorus Rates, Phosphorus Sources, and Filter Cake

    PubMed Central

    Prado, Renato de Mello; Campos, Cid Naudi Silva; Rosatto Moda, Leandro; de Lima Vasconcelos, Ricardo; Pizauro Júnior, João Martins

    2015-01-01

    We evaluated the effect of phosphorus application rates from various sources and in the presence or absence of filter cake on soil phosphorus, plant phosphorus, changes in acid phosphatase activity, and sugarcane productivity grown in Eutrophic Red Ultisol. Three P sources were used (triple superphosphate, Araxa rock phosphate, and Bayovar rock phosphate) and four application rates (0, 90, 180, and 360 kg ha−1 of P2O5) in the presence or absence of filter cake (7.5 t ha−1, dry basis). The soil P, the accumulated plant P, the leaf acid phosphatase activity and straw, the stalk productivity, the concentration of soluble solids in the juice (Brix), the juice sucrose content (Pol), and the purity were the parameters evaluated. We found that P applications increased levels of soil, leaf, and juice phosphorus and led to higher phosphorus accumulation and greater stalk and straw productivity. These levels were highest in the presence of filter cake. Acid phosphatase activity decreased with increasing plant phosphorus concentration. Phosphate fertilization did not show effect on sugarcane technological quality. We concluded that P application, regardless of source, improved phosphorus nutrition and increased productivity in sugarcane and, when associated with filter cake, reduced the need for mineral fertilizer. PMID:26078993

  6. Phosphorus content in three physical fractions of typical Chernozem

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kotelnikova, Anna; Egorova, Zoya; Sushkov, Nikolai; Matveeva, Natalia; Fastovets, Ilya; Rogova, Olga; Volkov, Dmitriy

    2017-04-01

    The widespread use of fertilizers makes it necessary to study not only the content but also the forms of occurrence of nutrients in soil, as well as the phase in which nutrients are transferred. These characteristics determine the availability of chemical elements for plants, but remain insufficiently studied. In this work we attempted to gain insight into the distribution of organo-mineral fractions in agriculturally used Chernozem from Voronezh (Russia) and the distribution of phosphorus - one of the most important nutrient elements - in this type of soil. We compared the distributions of phosphorus in physical fractions of the soil in 3 experimental groups: the control group (without fertilizers), the group fertilized with 1 dose of NPK, and the group fertilized with 2 doses of NPK. The soil was sampled during the period of treatment with fertilizers and during the period of aftereffect (4 years after the last application of fertilizers). In order to analyze organo-mineral fractions, we used size-density fractionation to separate the soil samples into three physical fractions: clay-associated fraction with particle size < 1μm (CF), light fraction with particle density < 2.0 g cm-3 (LF), and residual fraction > 2.0 g cm-3 (RF). Total phosphorus content (TPC) in the fractions was determined with Agilent 5100 ICP-AES spectrometer. To compare groups, simultaneous confidence intervals were computed from pooled variance estimators in ANOVA, and Fisher's LSD test was used. We showed that during the period of treatment with fertilizers LF increased proportionally to the dose of fertilizers, and a simultaneous reduction in RF was observed. During the period of aftereffect, the content of these fractions tended to the control value. The increase of LF may indicate increasing availability of nutrients, since this fraction is likely to participate in biological cycles. The analysis of TPC in fractions suggested that during the period of treatment with fertilizers most of phosphorus accumulates in CF. In the group with double dose of fertilizers TPC in CF was more than 1.5 times higher than in the control, while for LF the increase in TPC was not significant, and RF TPC was practically the same as in the control. Association of phosphorus predominantly with CF suggests that phosphorus was mainly adsorbed to the surface of clay particles rather than to organic components. Therefore, despite the increase in CF TPC as a consequence of treatment with fertilizers, the increase in availability of phosphorus is questionable. In the aftereffect period no significant differences in TPC were found. In conclusion, we showed that availability of fertilizers may be dependent on fractional composition of soil. Under our experimental conditions, phosphorus tended to bind predominantly to clay particles. However, in the aftereffect period, fractionation of TPC was similar to the control, indicating the need to further investigate the fate of phosphorus in soils.

  7. Hydrology and phosphorus transport simulation in a lowland polder by a coupled modeling system.

    PubMed

    Yan, Renhua; Huang, Jiacong; Li, Lingling; Gao, Junfeng

    2017-08-01

    Modeling the rain-runoff processes and phosphorus transport processes in lowland polders is critical in finding reasonable measures to alleviate the eutrophication problem of downstream rivers and lakes. This study develops a lowland Polder Hydrology and Phosphorus modeling System (PHPS) by coupling the WALRUS-paddy model and an improved phosphorus module of a Phosphorus Dynamic model for lowland Polder systems (PDP). It considers some important hydrological characteristics, such as groundwater-unsaturated zone coupling, groundwater-surface water feedback, human-controlled irrigation and discharge, and detailed physical and biochemical cycles of phosphorus in surface water. The application of the model in the Jianwei polder shows that the simulated phosphorus matches well with the measured values. The high precision of this model combined with its low input data requirement and efficient computation make it practical and easy to the water resources management of Chinese polders. Parameter sensitivity analysis demonstrates that K uptake , c Q2 , c W1 , and c Q1 exert a significant effect on the modeled results, whereas K resuspensionMax , K settling , and K mineralization have little effect on the modeled total phosphorus. Among the three types of uncertainties (i.e., parameter, initial condition, and forcing uncertainties), forcing uncertainty produces the strongest effect on the simulated phosphorus. Based on the analysis result of annual phosphorus balance when considering the high import from irrigation and fertilization, lowland polder is capable of retaining phosphorus and reducing phosphorus export to surrounding aquatic ecosystems because of their special hydrological regulation regime. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Effect of radiation processing on in vitro protein digestibility and availability of calcium, phosphorus and iron of peanut

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hassan, Amro B.; Diab, Eiman E.; Mahmoud, Nagat S.; Elagib, Randa A. A.; Rushdi, Mohamed A. H.; Osman, Gammaa A. M.

    2013-10-01

    The effect of gamma irradiation of two peanut cultivars (Sodari and Madani) on protein content, in vitro protein digestibility and availability of calcium, phosphorus and iron was determined. Seeds were treated with gamma irradiation at dose levels of 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 kGy. Total protein in seeds was not changed significantly by irradiation. However, the in vitro protein digestibility was decreased for both cultivars. In addition, the irradiation also caused an increment on the available calcium, phosphorus and iron for both cultivars. Moreover, radiation processing caused an increment on tannin content of the seeds especially at the dose 2 kGy for both cultivars. Regarding these results, irradiation treatment of peanut up to 2 kGy can be used as an effective alternative method to chemical treatments for insect disinfestation and microbial disinfection.

  9. Phosphorus sorption-desorption and effects of temperature, pH and salinity on phosphorus sorption in marsh soils from coastal wetlands with different flooding conditions.

    PubMed

    Bai, Junhong; Ye, Xiaofei; Jia, Jia; Zhang, Guangliang; Zhao, Qingqing; Cui, Baoshan; Liu, Xinhui

    2017-12-01

    Wetland soils act as a sink or source of phosphorus (P) to the overlaying water due to phosphorus sorption-desorption processes. Litter information is available on sorption and desorption behaviors of phosphorus in coastal wetlands with different flooding conditions. Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate phosphorus sorption-desorption processes, fractions of adsorbed phosphorus, and the effects of salinity, pH and temperature on phosphorus sorption on soils in tidal-flooding wetlands (TW), freshwater-flooding wetlands (FW) and seasonal-flooding wetlands (SW) in the Yellow River Delta. Our results showed that the freshly adsorbed phosphorus dominantly exists in Occluded-P and Fe/AlP and their percentages increased with increasing phosphorus adsorbed. Phosphorus sorption isotherms could be better described by the modified Langmuir model than by the modified Freundlich model. A binomial equation could be properly used to describe the effects of salinity, pH, and temperature on phosphorus sorption. Phosphorus sorption generally increased with increasing salinity, pH, and temperature at lower ranges, while decreased in excess of some threshold values. The maximum phosphorus sorption capacity (Q max ) was larger for FW soils (256 mg/kg) compared with TW (218 mg/kg) and SW soils (235 mg/kg) (p < 0.05). The percentage of phosphorus desorption (P des ) in the FW soils (7.5-63.5%) was much lower than those in TW (27.7-124.9%) and SW soils (19.2-108.5%). The initial soil organic matter, pH and the exchangeable Al, Fe and Cd contents were important factors influencing P sorption and desorption. The findings of this study indicate that freshwater restoration can contribute to controlling the eutrophication status of water bodies through increasing P sorption. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Review of Phosphorus Control Measures in the United States and Their Effects on Water Quality

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Litke, David W.

    1999-01-01

    Historical information on phosphorus loadings to the environment and the effect on water quality are summarized in this report, which was produced as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Phosphorus is a water-quality constituent of concern because it is often the limiting nutrient responsible for accelerated eutrophication in water bodies. Phosphorus inputs to the environment have increased since 1950 as the use of phosphate fertilizer, manure, and phosphate laundry detergent increased; however, the manufacture of phosphate detergent for household laundry was ended voluntarily in about 1994 after many States had established phosphate detergent bans. Total phosphorus concentrations in raw wastewater effluent contained about 3 milligrams per liter of total phosphorus during the 1940's, increased to about 11 milligrams per liter at the height of phosphate detergent use (1970), and have currently declined to about 5 milligrams per liter. However, in some cases, tertiary wastewater treatment still is needed to effectively improve water quality of streams. Downward trends in phosphorus concentrations since 1970 have been identified in many streams, but median total phosphorus concentrations still exceed the recommended limit of 0.1 milligram per liter across much of the Nation. Data from the NAWQA Program are representative of a variety of phosphorus-control measures, and, therefore, may be used to evaluate the effects of various control strategies. Current areas of concern include: evaluation of the effects of increased manure loadings of phosphorus on soil phosphorus and, subsequently, on ground water and subsurface runoff; determination of point-source and nonpoint-source components of phosphorus loads by geographic modeling and hydrologic separation techniques; and development of methods or indices to evaluate nutrient impairment in streams and rivers to serve as a basis for developing phosphorus criteria or standards.

  11. Effect of two microbial phytases on mineral availability and retention and bone mineral density in low-phosphorus diets for broilers.

    PubMed

    Chung, T K; Rutherfurd, S M; Thomas, D V; Moughan, P J

    2013-06-01

    1. The efficacy of supplementation of a low-phosphorus (low-P) maize-soyabean meal diet for broiler chickens with two different microbial (fungal and bacterial) phytases was examined. 2. Broiler chickens received a low-P maize-soyabean meal diet containing either no phytase or one of the two phytases included at one and two times the manufacturer's recommended inclusion level for 21 d. 3. Titanium dioxide was included in the diets as an indigestible marker. Excreta were collected quantitatively from d 18 to 21, and at the end of the study the birds were killed and ileal digesta and leg bone samples collected. 4. No differences were observed for body weight gain and feed intake or apparent metabolisable energy (AME) among all dietary treatment groups. 5. Dietary phytase supplementation improved the apparent retention of Ca, Na and Cu and ileal phytate P absorption from 32% to 44% across inclusion levels. 6. Bone mineral density (BMD) was improved for both phytases across inclusion levels by, on average, 9% for the tibia and 13% for the femur. 7. Dietary phytase supplementation of the low-P diet improved apparent ileal digestibility of serine, glycine, valine, isoleucine, tyrosine, histidine, lysine and arginine. 8. When the results from the present study were combined with the results from other similar published studies and analysed statistically, factors such as dietary P and Ca concentration, as well as bird breed and age, rather than the type or activity of microbial phytase, had the greatest impact on the extent to which dietary supplementation improved P and Ca retention. 9. More work is required to explain the interrelationships between the multiple factors influencing the efficacy of phytase on the availability of dietary minerals.

  12. Large improvement of phosphorus incorporation efficiency in n-type chemical vapor deposition of diamond

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ohtani, Ryota; Yamamoto, Takashi; Janssens, Stoffel D.

    2014-12-08

    Microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition is a promising way to generate n-type, e.g., phosphorus-doped, diamond layers for the fabrication of electronic components, which can operate at extreme conditions. However, a deeper understanding of the doping process is lacking and low phosphorus incorporation efficiencies are generally observed. In this work, it is shown that systematically changing the internal design of a non-commercial chemical vapor deposition chamber, used to grow diamond layers, leads to a large increase of the phosphorus doping efficiency in diamond, produced in this device, without compromising its electronic properties. Compared to the initial reactor design, the dopingmore » efficiency is about 100 times higher, reaching 10%, and for a very broad doping range, the doping efficiency remains highly constant. It is hypothesized that redesigning the deposition chamber generates a higher flow of active phosphorus species towards the substrate, thereby increasing phosphorus incorporation in diamond and reducing deposition of phosphorus species at reactor walls, which additionally reduces undesirable memory effects.« less

  13. Sources, fate, and transport of nitrogen and phosphorus in the Chesapeake Bay watershed-An empirical model

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ator, Scott W.; Brakebill, John W.; Blomquist, Joel D.

    2011-01-01

    Nutrient fate and transport through the Chesapeake Bay watershed to the bay reflect the diferent physical and chemical properties of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. Groundwater is an important pathway for nitrogen transport (as nitrate), and TN flux is greatest in areas with greater groundwater flow and in areas of the Piedmont underlain by carbonate rocks. TN flux decreases with increasing vegetative growth (likely indicative of plant uptake) and soil available water capacity (likely indicative of reducing conditions). Phosphorus transport to streams, conversely, is greatest in areas most likely to generate overland runoff and related erosion, including those with less permeable and more erodible soils and greater precipitation. Phosphorus transport also is greater in the Coastal Plain than in other areas, possibly due to saturation of soils with historical phosphorus applications. Both nitrogen and phosphorus are lost within watershed impoundments (lakes, ponds, or reservoirs), and nitrogen is also lost significantly along flowing reaches, particularly in small streams and in larger streams in warmer areas.

  14. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry-based approach to precision management of bioavailable phosphorus in soil environments

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Declining nutrient use efficiency in crop production has been a global priority to preserve high agricultural productivity with finite non-renewable nutrient resources, in particular phosphorus (P). Rapid spectroscopic methods increase measurement density of soil nutrients, and the availability of ...

  15. Recovery of proteins and phosphorus from manure

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The recovery of phosphorus and proteins from manure could be advantageous to both offset costs and to improve and lessen the environmental impacts of manure storage and treatment. Phosphorous in manure can contaminate rivers, lakes, and bays through runoff, if applied onto a cropland excessively. Th...

  16. Recovery of amino acids and phosphorus from manure

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Background & Objectives: The recovery of phosphorus and proteins from manure could be advantageous to both offset costs and to improve and lessen the environmental impacts of manure. Phosphorous in manure can contaminate rivers, lakes, and bays through runoff, if applied onto a cropland excessively....

  17. Characterization of low phosphorus insensitive Mutants Reveals a Crosstalk between Low Phosphorus-Induced Determinate Root Development and the Activation of Genes Involved in the Adaptation of Arabidopsis to Phosphorus Deficiency1

    PubMed Central

    Sánchez-Calderón, Lenin; López-Bucio, José; Chacón-López, Alejandra; Gutiérrez-Ortega, Abel; Hernández-Abreu, Esmeralda; Herrera-Estrella, Luis

    2006-01-01

    Low phosphorus (P) availability is one of the most limiting factors for plant productivity in many natural and agricultural ecosystems. Plants display a wide range of adaptive responses to cope with low P stress, which generally serve to enhance P availability in the soil and to increase its uptake by roots. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), primary root growth inhibition and increased lateral root formation have been reported to occur in response to P limitation. To gain knowledge of the genetic mechanisms that regulate root architectural responses to P availability, we designed a screen for identifying Arabidopsis mutants that fail to arrest primary root growth when grown under low P conditions. Eleven low phosphorus insensitive (lpi) mutants that define at least four different complementation groups involved in primary root growth responses to P availability were identified. The lpi mutants do not show the typical determinate developmental program induced by P stress in the primary root. Other root developmental aspects of the low P rescue system, including increased root hair elongation and anthocyanin accumulation, remained unaltered in lpi mutants. In addition to the insensitivity of primary root growth inhibition, when subjected to P deprivation, lpi mutants show a reduced induction in the expression of several genes involved in the P starvation rescue system (PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTER 1 and 2, PURPLE ACID PHOSPHATASE 1, ACID PHOSPHATASE 5, and INDUCED BY PHOSPHATE STARVATION 1). Our results provide genetic support for the role of P as an important signal for postembryonic root development and root meristem maintenance and show a crosstalk in developmental and biochemical responses to P deprivation. PMID:16443695

  18. Nitrate and pesticides in surficial aquifers and trophic state and phosphorus sources for selected lakes, eastern Otter Tail County, west-central Minnesota, 1993-96

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ruhl, J.F.

    1997-01-01

    Phosphorus at depth in Little Pine and Big Pine Lakes was mostly orthophosphate. During the fall turnover of the lakes, this orthophosphate may have circulated to near the lake surface and became an available nutrient for phytoplankton during the following growing season. The internal phosphorus load to Little Pine Lake may have been important because about three-fourths of the lake probably became stratified and anoxic in the hypolimnion. The internal phosphorus load to Big Pine Lake may not have been important because only a small portion of the lake became stratified and anoxic at depth.

  19. Effects of exogenous phytase and xylanase, individually or in combination, and pelleting on nutrient digestibility, available energy content of wheat and performance of growing pigs fed wheat-based diets

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Y. Y.; Fan, Y. F.; Cao, Y. H.; Guo, P. P.; Dong, B.; Ma, Y. X.

    2017-01-01

    Objective Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of adding exogenous phytase and xylanase, individually or in combination, as well as pelleting on nutrient digestibility, available energy content of wheat and the performance of growing pigs fed wheat-based diets. Methods In Experiment 1, forty-eight barrows with an initial body weight of 35.9±0.6 kg were randomly assigned to a 2×4 factorial experiment with the main effects being feed form (pellet vs meal) and enzyme supplementation (none, 10,000 U/kg phytase, 4,000 U/kg xylanase or 10,000 U/kg phytase plus 4,000 U/kg xylanase). The basal diet contained 97.8% wheat. Pigs were placed in metabolic cages for a 7-d adaptation period followed by a 5-d total collection of feces and urine. Nutrient digestibility and available energy content were determined. Experiment 2 was conducted to evaluate the effects of pelleting and enzymes on performance of wheat for growing pigs. In this experiment, 180 growing pigs (35.2±9.0 kg BW) were allocated to 1 of 6 treatments according to a 2×3 factorial treatment arrangement with the main effects being feed form (meal vs pellet) and enzyme supplementation (0, 2,500 or 5,000 U/kg xylanase). Results In Experiment 1, there were no interactions between feed form and enzyme supplementation. Pelleting reduced the digestibility of acid detergent fiber (ADF) by 6.4 percentage units (p<0.01), increased the digestibility of energy by 0.6 percentage units (p<0.05), and tended to improve the digestibility of crude protein by 0.5 percentage units (p = 0.07) compared with diets in mash form. The addition of phytase improved the digestibility of phosphorus (p<0.01) and calcium (p<0.01) by 6.9 and 7.6 percentage units respectively compared with control group. Adding xylanase tended to increase the digestibility of crude protein by 1.0 percentage units (p = 0.09) and increased the digestibility of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) (p<0.01) compared with control group. Supplementation of the xylanase-phytase combination improved the digestibility of phosphorus (p<0.01) but impaired NDF digestibility (p<0.05) compared with adding xylanase alone. In Experiment 2, adding xylanase increased average daily gain (p<0.01) and linearly improved the feed:gain ratio (p<0.01) compared with control group. Conclusion Pelleting improved energy digestibility but decreased ADF digestibility. Adding xylanase increased crude protein digestibility and pig performance. Phytase increased the apparent total tract digestibility of phosphorus and calcium. The combination of phytase-xylanase supplementation impaired the effects of xylanase on NDF digestibility. PMID:27004820

  20. Effects of exogenous phytase and xylanase, individually or in combination, and pelleting on nutrient digestibility, available energy content of wheat and performance of growing pigs fed wheat-based diets.

    PubMed

    Yang, Y Y; Fan, Y F; Cao, Y H; Guo, P P; Dong, B; Ma, Y X

    2017-01-01

    Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of adding exogenous phytase and xylanase, individually or in combination, as well as pelleting on nutrient digestibility, available energy content of wheat and the performance of growing pigs fed wheat-based diets. In Experiment 1, forty-eight barrows with an initial body weight of 35.9±0.6 kg were randomly assigned to a 2×4 factorial experiment with the main effects being feed form (pellet vs meal) and enzyme supplementation (none, 10,000 U/kg phytase, 4,000 U/kg xylanase or 10,000 U/kg phytase plus 4,000 U/kg xylanase). The basal diet contained 97.8% wheat. Pigs were placed in metabolic cages for a 7-d adaptation period followed by a 5-d total collection of feces and urine. Nutrient digestibility and available energy content were determined. Experiment 2 was conducted to evaluate the effects of pelleting and enzymes on performance of wheat for growing pigs. In this experiment, 180 growing pigs (35.2±9.0 kg BW) were allocated to 1 of 6 treatments according to a 2×3 factorial treatment arrangement with the main effects being feed form (meal vs pellet) and enzyme supplementation (0, 2,500 or 5,000 U/kg xylanase). In Experiment 1, there were no interactions between feed form and enzyme supplementation. Pelleting reduced the digestibility of acid detergent fiber (ADF) by 6.4 percentage units (p<0.01), increased the digestibility of energy by 0.6 percentage units (p<0.05), and tended to improve the digestibility of crude protein by 0.5 percentage units (p = 0.07) compared with diets in mash form. The addition of phytase improved the digestibility of phosphorus (p<0.01) and calcium (p<0.01) by 6.9 and 7.6 percentage units respectively compared with control group. Adding xylanase tended to increase the digestibility of crude protein by 1.0 percentage units (p = 0.09) and increased the digestibility of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) (p<0.01) compared with control group. Supplementation of the xylanase-phytase combination improved the digestibility of phosphorus (p<0.01) but impaired NDF digestibility (p<0.05) compared with adding xylanase alone. In Experiment 2, adding xylanase increased average daily gain (p<0.01) and linearly improved the feed:gain ratio (p<0.01) compared with control group. Pelleting improved energy digestibility but decreased ADF digestibility. Adding xylanase increased crude protein digestibility and pig performance. Phytase increased the apparent total tract digestibility of phosphorus and calcium. The combination of phytase-xylanase supplementation impaired the effects of xylanase on NDF digestibility.

  1. Platelet adhesion on phosphorus-incorporated tetrahedral amorphous carbon films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Aiping; Zhu, Jiaqi; Liu, Meng; Dai, Zhifei; Han, Xiao; Han, Jiecai

    2008-11-01

    The haemocompatibility of phosphorus-incorporated tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C:P) films, synthesized by filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique with PH 3 as the dopant source, was assessed by in vitro platelet adhesion tests. Results based on scanning electron microscopy and contact angle measurements reveal that phosphorus incorporation improves the wettability and blood compatibility of ta-C film. Our studies may provide a novel approach for the design and synthesis of doped ta-C films to repel platelet adhesion and reduce thrombosis risk.

  2. Associations of socioeconomic status and processed food intake with serum phosphorus concentration in community-living adults: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

    PubMed

    Gutiérrez, Orlando M; Katz, Ronit; Peralta, Carmen A; de Boer, Ian H; Siscovick, David; Wolf, Myles; Diez Roux, Ana; Kestenbaum, Bryan; Nettleton, Jennifer A; Ix, Joachim H

    2012-09-01

    Higher serum phosphorus concentrations are associated with cardiovascular disease events and mortality. Low socioeconomic status is linked with higher serum phosphorus concentration, but the reasons are unclear. Poor individuals disproportionately consume inexpensive processed foods commonly enriched with phosphorus-based food preservatives. Accordingly, we hypothesized that excess intake of these foods accounts for a relationship between lower socioeconomic status and higher serum phosphorus concentration. Cross-sectional analysis. We examined a random cohort of 2,664 participants with available phosphorus measurements in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, a community-based sample of individuals free of clinically apparent cardiovascular disease from across the United States. Socioeconomic status, the intake of foods commonly enriched with phosphorus-based food additives (processed meats, sodas), and frequency of fast-food consumption. Fasting morning serum phosphorus concentrations. In unadjusted analyses, lower income and lower educational achievement categories were associated with modestly higher serum phosphorus concentration (by 0.02 to 0.10 mg/dL, P < .05 for all). These associations were attenuated in models adjusted for demographic and clinical factors, almost entirely due to adjustment for female gender. In multivariable-adjusted analyses, there were no statistically significant associations of processed meat intake or frequency of fast-food consumption with serum phosphorus. In contrast, each serving per day higher soda intake was associated with 0.02 mg/dL lower serum phosphorus concentration (95% confidence interval, -0.04, -0.01). Greater intake of foods commonly enriched with phosphorus additives was not associated with higher serum phosphorus concentration in a community-living sample with largely preserved kidney function. These results suggest that excess intake of processed and fast foods may not impact fasting serum phosphorus concentrations among individuals without kidney disease. Copyright © 2012 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Effects of reduced return activated sludge flows and volume on anaerobic zone performance for a septic wastewater biological phosphorus removal system.

    PubMed

    Magro, Daniel; Elias, Steven L; Randall, Andrew Amis

    2005-01-01

    Enhanced biological phosphorous removal (EBPR) performance was found to be adequate with reduced return-activated sludge (RAS) flows (50% of available RAS) to the anaerobic tank and smaller-than-typical anaerobic zone volume (1.08 hours hydraulic retention time [HRT]). Three identical parallel biological nutrient removal pilot plants were fed with strong, highly fermented (160 mg/L volatile fatty acids [VFAs]), domestic and industrial wastewater from a full-scale wastewater treatment facility. The pilot plants were operated at 100, 50, 40, and 25% RAS (percent of available RAS) flows to the anaerobic tank, with the remaining RAS to the anoxic tank. In addition, varying anaerobic HRT (1.08 and 1.5 hours) and increased hydraulic loading (35% increase) were examined. The study was divided into four phases, and the effect of these process variations on EBPR were studied by having one different variable between two identical systems. The most significant conclusion was that returning part of the RAS to the anaerobic zone did not decrease EBPR performance; instead, it changed the location of phosphorous release and uptake. Bringing less RAS to the anaerobic and more to the anoxic tank decreased anaerobic phosphorus release and increased anoxic phosphorus release (or decreased anoxic phosphorus uptake). Equally important is that, with VFA-rich influent wastewater, excessive anaerobic volume was shown to hurt overall phosphorus removal, even when it resulted in increased anaerobic phosphorus release.

  4. Effect of food additives on hyperphosphatemia among patients with end-stage renal disease: a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Sullivan, Catherine; Sayre, Srilekha S; Leon, Janeen B; Machekano, Rhoderick; Love, Thomas E; Porter, David; Marbury, Marquisha; Sehgal, Ashwini R

    2009-02-11

    High dietary phosphorus intake has deleterious consequences for renal patients and is possibly harmful for the general public as well. To prevent hyperphosphatemia, patients with end-stage renal disease limit their intake of foods that are naturally high in phosphorus. However, phosphorus-containing additives are increasingly being added to processed and fast foods. The effect of such additives on serum phosphorus levels is unclear. To determine the effect of limiting the intake of phosphorus-containing food additives on serum phosphorus levels among patients with end-stage renal disease. Cluster randomized controlled trial at 14 long-term hemodialysis facilities in northeast Ohio. Two hundred seventy-nine patients with elevated baseline serum phosphorus levels (>5.5 mg/dL) were recruited between May and October 2007. Two shifts at each of 12 large facilities and 1 shift at each of 2 small facilities were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. Intervention participants (n=145) received education on avoiding foods with phosphorus additives when purchasing groceries or visiting fast food restaurants. Control participants (n=134) continued to receive usual care. Change in serum phosphorus level after 3 months. At baseline, there was no significant difference in serum phosphorus levels between the 2 groups. After 3 months, the decline in serum phosphorus levels was 0.6 mg/dL larger among intervention vs control participants (95% confidence interval, -1.0 to -0.1 mg/dL). Intervention participants also had statistically significant increases in reading ingredient lists (P<.001) and nutrition facts labels (P = .04) but no significant increase in food knowledge scores (P = .13). Educating end-stage renal disease patients to avoid phosphorus-containing food additives resulted in modest improvements in hyperphosphatemia. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00583570.

  5. [Effects of irrigation using dairy effluent on grain yield, phosphorus utilization and distribu- tion in soil profile in winter wheat-summer maize rotation system].

    PubMed

    Du, Hui-ying; Feng, Jie; Guo, Hai-gang; Wang, Feng; Zhang, Ke-qiang

    2015-08-01

    Field experiments of winter wheat-summer maize rotation were conducted in North China Plain irrigation area to explore the effects of wheat season irrigation with dairy effluent on grain yield, phosphorus uptake, accumulative phosphorus usage efficiency and phosphorus accumulation in soil. The results showed that the irrigation with dairy effluent significantly improved the yields of winter wheat and summer maize. With the increasing of P2O5 carried by dairy effluent into soil, winter wheat yield increased at first and then decreased. When the P2O5 increased 137 kg · hm(-2), winter wheat yield increased to the maximum (7646.4 kg · hm(-2)) and the phosphorus utilization rate was the highest (24.8%). But excessive phosphorus decreased the winter wheat yield and phosphorus utilization efficiency. Summer maize yield and phosphorus uptake increased with the increase of P2O5 carried by dairy effluent. The summer maize yield increased by 2222.4-2628.6 kg · hm(-2) and the phosphorus uptake increased by 13.9-21.1 kg · hm(-2) in contrast to the control (CK). Under conventional phosphorus fertilization at 88 kg · hm(-2), and the summer maize yield increased by 2235.0 kg · hm(-2) compared with CK. As the time of irrigation with dairy effluent increasing, the grain yield increased more significantly. The cumulative phosphorus utilization in this rotation system increased year by year. After six seasons of crop harvest, the cumulative phosphorus utilization rate increased into 40.0%-47.7%. Under the experimental condition, two times of irrigation with the dairy effluents in the winter wheat-summer maize rotation system was the best operating mode.

  6. Multisite Evaluation of APEX for Water Quality: I. Best Professional Judgment Parameterization.

    PubMed

    Baffaut, Claire; Nelson, Nathan O; Lory, John A; Senaviratne, G M M M Anomaa; Bhandari, Ammar B; Udawatta, Ranjith P; Sweeney, Daniel W; Helmers, Matt J; Van Liew, Mike W; Mallarino, Antonio P; Wortmann, Charles S

    2017-11-01

    The Agricultural Policy Environmental eXtender (APEX) model is capable of estimating edge-of-field water, nutrient, and sediment transport and is used to assess the environmental impacts of management practices. The current practice is to fully calibrate the model for each site simulation, a task that requires resources and data not always available. The objective of this study was to compare model performance for flow, sediment, and phosphorus transport under two parameterization schemes: a best professional judgment (BPJ) parameterization based on readily available data and a fully calibrated parameterization based on site-specific soil, weather, event flow, and water quality data. The analysis was conducted using 12 datasets at four locations representing poorly drained soils and row-crop production under different tillage systems. Model performance was based on the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), the coefficient of determination () and the regression slope between simulated and measured annualized loads across all site years. Although the BPJ model performance for flow was acceptable (NSE = 0.7) at the annual time step, calibration improved it (NSE = 0.9). Acceptable simulation of sediment and total phosphorus transport (NSE = 0.5 and 0.9, respectively) was obtained only after full calibration at each site. Given the unacceptable performance of the BPJ approach, uncalibrated use of APEX for planning or management purposes may be misleading. Model calibration with water quality data prior to using APEX for simulating sediment and total phosphorus loss is essential. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  7. Evaluating the efficiency of carbon utilisation via bioenergetics between biological aerobic and denitrifying phosphorus removal systems

    PubMed Central

    Jin, Zhan; He, Yin; Xu, Xuan; Zheng, Xiang-yong

    2017-01-01

    There are two biological systems available for removing phosphorus from waste water, conventional phosphorus removal (CPR) and denitrifying phosphorus removal (DPR) systems, and each is characterized by the type of sludge used in the process. In this study, we compared the characteristics associated with the efficiency of carbon utilization between CPR and DPR sludge using acetate as a carbon source. For DPR sludge, the heat emitted during the phosphorus release and phosphorus uptake processes were 45.79 kJ/mol e- and 84.09 kJ/mol e-, respectively. These values were about 2 fold higher than the corresponding values obtained for CPR sludge, suggesting that much of the energy obtained from the carbon source was emitted as heat. Further study revealed a smaller microbial mass within the DPR sludge compared to CPR sludge, as shown by a lower sludge yield coefficient (0.05 gVSS/g COD versus 0.36 gVSS/g COD), a result that was due to the lower energy capturing efficiency of DPR sludge according to bioenergetic analysis. Although the efficiency of anoxic phosphorus removal was only 39% the efficiency of aerobic phosphorus removal, the consumption of carbon by DPR sludge was reduced by 27.8% compared to CPR sludge through the coupling of denitrification with dephosphatation. PMID:29065157

  8. Validating soil phosphorus routines in the SWAT model

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Phosphorus transfer from agricultural soils to surface waters is an important environmental issue. Commonly used models like SWAT have not always been updated to reflect improved understanding of soil P transformations and transfer to runoff. Our objective was to validate the ability of the P routin...

  9. Phosphorus concentrations in sequentially fractionated soil samples as affected by digestion methods

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Sequential fractionation has been used for several decades for improving our understanding on the effects of agricultural practices and management on the lability and bioavailability of phosphorus in soil, manure, and other soil amendments. Nevertheless, there have been no reports on how manipulatio...

  10. Phosphorus cycles of forest and upland grassland ecosystems and some effects of land management practices.

    PubMed

    Harrison, A F

    The distribution of phosphorus capital and net annual transfers of phosphorus between the major components of two unfertilized phosphorus-deficient UK ecosystems, an oak--ash woodland in the Lake District and an Agrostis-Festuca grassland in Snowdonia (both on acid brown-earth soils), have been estimted in terms of kg P ha--1. In both ecosystems less than 3% of the phosphorus, totalling 1890 kg P ha--1 and 3040 kg P ha--1 for the woodland and grassland, respectively, is contained in the living biomass and half that is below ground level. Nearly all the phosphorus is in the soil matrix. Although the biomass phosphorus is mostly in the vegetation, the soil fauna and vegetation is slower (25%) than in the grassland vegetatation (208%). More than 85% of the net annual vegetation uptake of phosphorus from the soil is returned to the soil, mainly in organic debris, which in the grassland ecosystem is more than twice as rich in phosphorus (0.125% P) as in the woodland ecosystem (0.053% P). These concentrations are related to the rates of turnover (input/P content) of phosphorus in the litter layer on the soil surface; it is faster in the grassland (460%) than in the woodland (144%). In both cycles plant uptake of phosphorus largely depends on the release of phosphorus through decomposition of the organic matter returned to soil. In both the woodland and the grassland, the amount of cycling phosphorus is potentially reduced by its immobilization in tree and sheep production and in undecomposed organic matter accumulating in soil. It is assumed that the reductions are counterbalanced by the replenishment of cycling phosphorus by (i) some mineralization of organically bound phosphorus in the mineral soil, (ii) the income in rainfall and aerosols not being effectively lost in soil drainage waters and (iii) rock weathering. The effects of the growth of conifers and sheep grazing on the balance between decomposition and accumulation of organic matter returned to soil are considered in relation to the rate of phosphorus cycling and the pedogenetic changes in soil phosphorus condition leading to reduced fertility. Although controlled sheep grazing speeds up phosphorus cycling and may reverse the pedogenetic trend in favour of soil improvement, conifers may slow down phosphorus cycling and promote the pedogenetic trend towards infertility.

  11. Improving Crop Yield and Nutrient Use Efficiency via Biofertilization—A Global Meta-analysis

    PubMed Central

    Schütz, Lukas; Gattinger, Andreas; Meier, Matthias; Müller, Adrian; Boller, Thomas; Mäder, Paul; Mathimaran, Natarajan

    2018-01-01

    The application of microbial inoculants (biofertilizers) is a promising technology for future sustainable farming systems in view of rapidly decreasing phosphorus stocks and the need to more efficiently use available nitrogen (N). Various microbial taxa are currently used as biofertilizers, based on their capacity to access nutrients from fertilizers and soil stocks, to fix atmospheric nitrogen, to improve water uptake or to act as biocontrol agents. Despite the existence of a considerable knowledge on effects of specific taxa of biofertilizers, a comprehensive quantitative assessment of the performance of biofertilizers with different traits such as phosphorus solubilization and N fixation applied to various crops at a global scale is missing. We conducted a meta-analysis to quantify benefits of biofertilizers in terms of yield increase, nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency, based on 171 peer reviewed publications that met eligibility criteria. Major findings are: (i) the superiority of biofertilizer performance in dry climates over other climatic regions (yield response: dry climate +20.0 ± 1.7%, tropical climate +14.9 ± 1.2%, oceanic climate +10.0 ± 3.7%, continental climate +8.5 ± 2.4%); (ii) meta-regression analyses revealed that yield response due to biofertilizer application was generally small at low soil P levels; efficacy increased along higher soil P levels in the order arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), P solubilizers, and N fixers; (iii) meta-regressions showed that the success of inoculation with AMF was greater at low organic matter content and at neutral pH. Our comprehensive analysis provides a basis and guidance for proper choice and application of biofertilizers. PMID:29375594

  12. Improving Crop Yield and Nutrient Use Efficiency via Biofertilization-A Global Meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Schütz, Lukas; Gattinger, Andreas; Meier, Matthias; Müller, Adrian; Boller, Thomas; Mäder, Paul; Mathimaran, Natarajan

    2017-01-01

    The application of microbial inoculants (biofertilizers) is a promising technology for future sustainable farming systems in view of rapidly decreasing phosphorus stocks and the need to more efficiently use available nitrogen (N). Various microbial taxa are currently used as biofertilizers, based on their capacity to access nutrients from fertilizers and soil stocks, to fix atmospheric nitrogen, to improve water uptake or to act as biocontrol agents. Despite the existence of a considerable knowledge on effects of specific taxa of biofertilizers, a comprehensive quantitative assessment of the performance of biofertilizers with different traits such as phosphorus solubilization and N fixation applied to various crops at a global scale is missing. We conducted a meta-analysis to quantify benefits of biofertilizers in terms of yield increase, nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency, based on 171 peer reviewed publications that met eligibility criteria. Major findings are: (i) the superiority of biofertilizer performance in dry climates over other climatic regions (yield response: dry climate +20.0 ± 1.7%, tropical climate +14.9 ± 1.2%, oceanic climate +10.0 ± 3.7%, continental climate +8.5 ± 2.4%); (ii) meta-regression analyses revealed that yield response due to biofertilizer application was generally small at low soil P levels; efficacy increased along higher soil P levels in the order arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), P solubilizers, and N fixers; (iii) meta-regressions showed that the success of inoculation with AMF was greater at low organic matter content and at neutral pH. Our comprehensive analysis provides a basis and guidance for proper choice and application of biofertilizers.

  13. Periphyton: an important regulator in optimizing soil phosphorus bioavailability in paddy fields.

    PubMed

    Wu, Yonghong; Liu, Junzhuo; Lu, Haiying; Wu, Chenxi; Kerr, Philip

    2016-11-01

    Periphyton is ubiquitous in paddy field, but its importance in influencing the bioavailability of phosphorus (P) in paddy soil has been rarely recognized. A paddy field was simulated in a greenhouse to investigate how periphyton influences P bioavailability in paddy soil. Results showed that periphyton colonizing on paddy soil greatly reduced P content in paddy floodwater but increased P bioavailability of paddy soil. Specifically, all the contents of water-soluble P (WSP), readily desorbable P (RDP), algal-available P (AAP), and NaHCO 3 -extractable P (Olsen-P) in paddy soil increased to an extent compared to the control (without periphyton) after fertilization. In particular, Olsen-P was the most increased P species, up to 216 mg kg -1 after fertilization, accounting for nearly 60 % of total phosphorus (TP) in soil. The paddy periphyton captured P up to 1.4 mg g -1 with Ca-P as the dominant P fraction and can be a potential crop fertilizer. These findings indicated that the presence of periphyton in paddy field benefited in improving P bioavailability for crops. This study provides valuable insights into the roles of periphyton in P bioavailability and migration in a paddy ecosystem and technical support for P regulation.

  14. Effects of phase-feeding dietary phosphorus on survival, growth, and processing characteristics of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lellis, W.A.; Barrows, F.T.; Hardy, R.W.

    2004-01-01

    A factorial experiment involving eight diets and three feeding periods was conducted to determine the minimal level of dietary phosphorus required to maintain survival, growth, and processing characteristics of post-juvenile rainbow trout. Trout were reared to an average size of 200, 300, or 400 g using a commercial feed (1.20% P), then allotted by triplicate groups of nine fish to one of seven experimental diets containing logarithmic increments of dietary phosphorus (0.15%%, 0.21%, 0.30%, 0.42%, 0.60%, 0.85%, and 1.20% P) or a commercial trout feed (1.20% P). At an average weight of 550 g, fish were transported to a commercial processing plant, mechanically filleted, and evaluated for quality. Fish survival and weight gain increased quadratically with increased dietary phosphorus for fish started on treatment at 200 and 300 g, but were similar among all fish started at 400 g. Phosphorus retention decreased with increasing dietary phosphorus level, from approximately 88% in groups fed diets containing 0.21% phosphorus to between 23% and 32% in groups fed diets containing 0.85% phosphorus. Calculated phosphorus losses increased as dietary phosphorus levels increased, from a low of approximately 0.4 g phosphorus kg-1 fish weight gain to between 9.5 and 13 g phosphorus kg-1 fish weight gain at the highest dietary phosphorus level. Dietary phosphorus did not affect carcass moisture, protein, lipid, or ash, but carcass phosphorus increased with increased dietary phosphorus among fish started on treatment at 200 and 300 g. There were no differences among any treatment group in carcass dressing or finishing percentage, or visual or textural appeal. The results indicate that available phosphorus levels can be reduced in rainbow trout diets to 0.60% at 200 g, to 0.30% at 300 g, or to 0.15% at 400 g live weight without loss in production or product quality in fish harvested at 550 g. Using these phase-feeding strategies would reduce the amount of phosphorus fed to the fish over the production cycle by 25%, and the amount lost to the environment by 12.5% for fish starting at 300 or 400 g. ?? 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Viewing an educational video can improve phosphorus control in patients on hemodialysis: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Baldwin, David M

    2013-01-01

    The objective of this single-arm interventional pilot study was to determine whether viewing an educational video about phosphorous and phosphorous control by patients on hemodialysis was associated with improved phosphorous values and improvement in knowledge and attitudes about the topics presented. An educational video was shown to 150 patients at 16 dialysis centers. The change in serum phosphate levels before and after the viewing of an educational video was evaluated. Mean phosphorous levels for patients were lower in the month after viewing the educational video compared to their values over the three months before the video was shown (6.35 versus 6.82 g/dL). This difference was statistically significant on a per patient basis (-0.47 g/dL, p = 0.0006). Of these patients, all with phosphorus levels outside of the normal range (3.5 to 5.5 mg/dL) before viewing the video, 28.4% had phosphorus levels within the normal range within a month after viewing the video. Patients on hemodialysis who watched an educational video had improved phosphorous levels in the month after viewing the video when compared to phosphorus levels over the three months before the video was shown. The video intervention has the advantages of being simple, low-cost, and easy to implement, and is associated with improved phosphorous levels in patients undergoing hemodialysis. The video increased patient compliance with recommended self-care regimens.

  16. Analysis of a Single Hemodialysis on Phosphate Removal of the Internal Fistula Patients by Mathematical and Statistical Methods

    PubMed Central

    Yu, Qiyao; Bai, Yaling; Zhang, Junxia; Cui, Liwen; Zhang, Huiran; Xu, Jinsheng; Gao, Chao

    2013-01-01

    Chronic kidney disease related mineral and bone disease (CKD-MBD) is a worldwide challenge in hemodialysis patients. In china, the number of dialysis patients is growing but few data are available about their bone disorders. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of clinical factors on the serum phosphorus clearance in the 80 maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. Six clinical factors were identified for their association with the serum phosphorus clearance using the analysis of Spearman's single linear correlation, including predialysis serum phosphate level, CRR, membrane surface area of the dialyzer, effective blood flow rate, the blood chamber volume, and hematocrit. In an overall multivariate analysis, pre-P, CRR, membrane SA, and Qb were identified as independent risk factors associated with the serum phosphorus clearance. In conclusion, HD could effectively clear serum phosphorus. The analysis of CRR might help to estimate serum phosphorus reduction ratio. PMID:24454542

  17. Role of phosphate fertilizers in heavy metal uptake and detoxification of toxic metals.

    PubMed

    Gupta, D K; Chatterjee, S; Datta, S; Veer, V; Walther, C

    2014-08-01

    As a nonrenewable resource, phosphorus (P) is the second most important macronutrient for plant growth and nutrition. Demand of phosphorus application in the agricultural production is increasing fast throughout the globe. The bioavailability of phosphorus is distinctively low due to its slow diffusion and high fixation in soils which make phosphorus a key limiting factor for crop production. Applications of phosphorus-based fertilizers improve the soil fertility and agriculture yield but at the same time concerns over a number of factors that lead to environmental damage need to be addressed properly. Phosphate rock mining leads to reallocation and exposure of several heavy metals and radionuclides in crop fields and water bodies throughout the world. Proper management of phosphorus along with its fertilizers is required that may help the maximum utilization by plants and minimum run-off and wastage. Phosphorus solubilizing bacteria along with the root rhizosphere of plant integrated with root morphological and physiological adaptive strategies need to be explored further for utilization of this extremely valuable nonrenewable resource judiciously. The main objective of this review is to assess the role of phosphorus in fertilizers, their uptake along with other elements and signaling during P starvation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Influences of operational parameters on phosphorus removal in batch and continuous electrocoagulation process performance.

    PubMed

    Nguyen, Dinh Duc; Yoon, Yong Soo; Bui, Xuan Thanh; Kim, Sung Su; Chang, Soon Woong; Guo, Wenshan; Ngo, Huu Hao

    2017-11-01

    Performance of an electrocoagulation (EC) process in batch and continuous operating modes was thoroughly investigated and evaluated for enhancing wastewater phosphorus removal under various operating conditions, individually or combined with initial phosphorus concentration, wastewater conductivity, current density, and electrolysis times. The results revealed excellent phosphorus removal (72.7-100%) for both processes within 3-6 min of electrolysis, with relatively low energy requirements, i.e., less than 0.5 kWh/m 3 for treated wastewater. However, the removal efficiency of phosphorus in the continuous EC operation mode was better than that in batch mode within the scope of the study. Additionally, the rate and efficiency of phosphorus removal strongly depended on operational parameters, including wastewater conductivity, initial phosphorus concentration, current density, and electrolysis time. Based on experimental data, statistical model verification of the response surface methodology (RSM) (multiple factor optimization) was also established to provide further insights and accurately describe the interactive relationship between the process variables, thus optimizing the EC process performance. The EC process using iron electrodes is promising for improving wastewater phosphorus removal efficiency, and RSM can be a sustainable tool for predicting the performance of the EC process and explaining the influence of the process variables.

  19. Influence of phosphorus application and arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation on growth, foliar nitrogen mobilization, and phosphorus partitioning in cowpea plants.

    PubMed

    Taffouo, Victor Désiré; Ngwene, Benard; Akoa, Amougou; Franken, Philipp

    2014-07-01

    The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of phosphorus (P) application and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi (Funneliformis mosseae) on growth, foliar nitrogen mobilization, and phosphorus partitioning in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata cv. Vita-5) plants. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse in pots containing a mixture of vermiculite and sterilized quartz sand. Mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal cowpea plants were supplied with three levels of soluble P (0.1 (low P), 0.5 (medium P), or 1.0 mM (high P)).Cowpea plants supplied with low P fertilization showed significantly (p < 0.05) higher root colonization than those with medium and high P fertilization at both the vegetative and pod-filling stages. P uptake and growth parameters of cowpea plants were positively influenced by mycorrhizal inoculation only in the medium P fertilization treatment at the vegetative stage. Lack of these effects in the other treatments may be linked to either a very low P supply (in the low P treatment at the vegetative stage) or the availability of optimal levels of freely diffusible P in the substrate towards the pod-filling stage due to accumulation with time. The N concentration in leaves of all cowpea plants were lower at the pod-filling stage than at the vegetative stage, presumably as a result of N mobilization from vegetative organs to the developing pods. This was however not influenced by AM fungal inoculation and may be a consequence of the lack of an improved plant P acquisition by the fungus at the pod-filling stage.

  20. Low temperature circulating fluidized bed gasification and co-gasification of municipal sewage sludge. Part 2: Evaluation of ash materials as phosphorus fertilizer.

    PubMed

    Thomsen, Tobias Pape; Hauggaard-Nielsen, Henrik; Gøbel, Benny; Stoholm, Peder; Ahrenfeldt, Jesper; Henriksen, Ulrik B; Müller-Stöver, Dorette Sophie

    2017-08-01

    The study is part 2 of 2 in an investigation of gasification and co-gasification of municipal sewage sludge in low temperature gasifiers. In this work, solid residuals from thermal gasification and co-gasification of municipal sewage sludge were investigated for their potential use as fertilizer. Ashes from five different low temperature circulating fluidized bed (LT-CFB) gasification campaigns including two mono-sludge campaigns, two sludge/straw mixed fuels campaigns and a straw reference campaign were compared. Experiments were conducted on two different LT-CFBs with thermal capacities of 100kW and 6MW, respectively. The assessment included: (i) Elemental composition and recovery of key elements and heavy metals; (ii) content of total carbon (C) and total nitrogen (N); (iii) pH; (iv) water extractability of phosphorus after incubation in soil; and (v) plant phosphorus response measured in a pot experiment with the most promising ash material. Co-gasification of straw and sludge in LT-CFB gasifiers produced ashes with a high content of recalcitrant C, phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), a low content of heavy metals (especially cadmium) and an improved plant P availability compared to the mono-sludge ashes, thereby showing the best fertilizer qualities among all assessed materials. It was also found that bottom ashes from the char reactor contained even less heavy metals than cyclone ashes. It is concluded that LT-CFB gasification and co-gasification is a highly effective way to purify and sanitize sewage sludge for subsequent use in agricultural systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Nutrient management planners feedback on New York and Pennsylvania phosphorus indices

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    State Phosphorus Indices (PIs) are being evaluated across the US due to variability in P management recommendations and questions about the lack of water quality improvement in some watersheds. Nutrient management planners in New York (NY) and Pennsylvania (PA) were surveyed via two separate but rel...

  2. Utilization of microbes to improve crop production

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Phosphorus is one of the three macro nutrients that are essential for plant growth and development. Inorganic phosphorus (P), which can make up to 70% of the total P content in soils, can form complexes with calcium, aluminum, or iron that render the P unavailable for plant use. In these cases, min...

  3. Improving models for describing phosphorus cycling in agricultural soils

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The mobility of phosphorus in the environment is controlled to a large extent by its sorption to soil. Therefore, an important component of all P loss models is how the model describes the biogeochemical processes governing P sorption and desorption to soils. The most common approach to modeling P c...

  4. Design and construction of phosphorus removal structures for improving water quality

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Phosphorus (P) input to surface waters is considered the most limiting nutrient with regard to eutrophication. The result has been a negative impact on recreation, ecosystem diversity, drinking water treatment, and the associated economics of each. Depending on region, over 50% of P inputs to surfa...

  5. Effects of aluminium water treatment residuals, used as a soil amendment to control phosphorus mobility in agricultural soils.

    PubMed

    Ulén, Barbro; Etana, Ararso; Lindström, Bodil

    2012-01-01

    Phosphorus (P) leaching from agricultural soils is a serious environmental concern. Application of aluminium water treatment residuals (Al-WTRs) at a rate of 20 Mg ha(-1) to clay soils from central Sweden significantly increased mean topsoil P sorption index (PSI) from 4.6 to 5.5 μmol kg(-1) soil. Mean degree of P saturation in ammonium lactate extract (DPS-AL) significantly decreased from 17 to 13%, as did plant-available P (P-AL). Concentrations of dissolved reactive P (DRP) decreased by 10-85% in leaching water with Al-WTR treatments after exposure of topsoil lysimeters to simulated rain. Soil aggregate stability (AgS) for 15 test soils rarely improved. Three soils (clay loam, silty loam and loam sand) were tested in greenhouse pot experiments. Aluminium-WTR application of 15 or 30 ton ha(-1) to loam sand and a clay loam with P-AL values of 80-100 mg kg(-1) soil significantly increased growth of Italian ryegrass when fertilised with P but did not significantly affect growth of spring barley on any soil. Al-WTR should only be applied to soils with high P fertility where improved crop production is not required.

  6. Benthic phosphorus regeneration in the Potomac River Estuary

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Callender, E.

    1982-01-01

    The flux of dissolved reactive phosphate from Potomac riverine and estuarine sediments is controlled by processes occurring at the water-sediment interface and within surficial sediment. In situ benthic fluxes (0.1 to 2.0 mmoles m-2 day-1) are generally five to ten times higher than calculated diffusive fluxes (0.020 to 0.30 mmoles m-2 day-1). The discrepancy between the two flux estimates is greatest in the transition zone (river mile 50 to 70) and is attributd to macrofaunal irrigation. Both in situ and diffusive fluxes of dissolved reactive phosphate from Potomac tidal river sediments are low while those from anoxic lower estuarine sediments are high. The net accumulation rate of phosphorus in benthic sediment exhibits an inverse pattern. Thus a large fraction of phosphorus is retained by Potomac tidal river sediments, which contain a surficial oxidized layer and oligochaete worms tolerant of low oxygen conditions, and a large fraction of phosphorus is released from anoxic lower estuary sediments. Tidal river sediment pore waters are in equilibrium with amorphous Fe (OH)3 while lower estuary pore waters are significantly undersaturated with respect to this phase. Benthic regeneration of dissolved reactive phosphorus is sufficient to supply all the phosphorus requirements for net primary production in the lower tidal river and transition-zone waters of the Potomac River Estuary. Benthic regeneration supplies approximately 25% as much phosphorus as inputs from sewage treatment plants and 10% of all phosphorus inputs to the tidal Potomac River. When all available point source phosphorus data are put into a steady-state conservation of mass model and reasonable coefficients for uptake of dissolved phosphorus, remineralization of particulate phosphorus, and sedimentation of particulate phosphorus are used in the model, a reasonably accurate simulation of dissolved and particulate phosphorus in the water column is obtained for the summer of 1980. ?? 1982 Dr W. Junk Publishers.

  7. Deposition and properties of cobalt- and ruthenium-based ultra-thin films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Henderson, Lucas Benjamin

    Future copper interconnect systems will require replacement of the materials that currently comprise both the liner layer(s) and the capping layer. Ruthenium has previously been considered as a material that could function as a single material liner, however its poor ability to prevent copper diffusion makes it incompatible with liner requirements. A recently described chemical vapor deposition route to amorphous ruthenium-phosphorus alloy films could correct this problem by eliminating the grain boundaries found in pure ruthenium films. Bias-temperature stressing of capacitor structures using 5 nm ruthenium-phosphorus film as a barrier to copper diffusion and analysis of the times-to-failure at accelerated temperature and field conditions implies that ruthenium-phosphorus performs acceptably as a diffusion barrier for temperatures above 165°C. The future problems associated with the copper capping layer are primarily due to the poor adhesion between copper and the current Si-based capping layers. Cobalt, which adheres well to copper, has been widely proposed to replace the Si-based materials, but its ability to prevent copper diffusion must be improved if it is to be successfully implemented in the interconnect. Using a dual-source chemistry of dicobaltoctacarbonyl and trimethylphosphine at temperatures from 250-350°C, amorphous cobalt-phosphorus can be deposited by chemical vapor deposition. The films contain elemental cobalt and phosphorus, plus some carbon impurity, which is incorporated in the film as both graphitic and carbidic (bonded to cobalt) carbon. When deposited on copper, the adhesion between the two materials remains strong despite the presence of phosphorus and carbon at the interface, but the selectivity for growth on copper compared to silicon dioxide is poor and must be improved prior to consideration for application in interconnect systems. A single molecule precursor containing both cobalt and phosphorus atoms, tetrakis(trimethylphosphine)cobalt(0), yields cobalt-phosphorus films without any co-reactant. However, the molecule does not contain sufficient amounts of amorphizing agents to fully eliminate grain boundaries, and the resulting film is nanocrystalline.

  8. Improvement of mineral and bone metabolism markers is associated with better survival in haemodialysis patients: the COSMOS study.

    PubMed

    Fernández-Martín, José Luis; Martínez-Camblor, Pablo; Dionisi, María Paula; Floege, Jürgen; Ketteler, Markus; London, Gérard; Locatelli, Francesco; Gorriz, José Luis; Rutkowski, Boleslaw; Ferreira, Aníbal; Bos, Willem-Jan; Covic, Adrian; Rodríguez-García, Minerva; Sánchez, José Emilio; Rodríguez-Puyol, Diego; Cannata-Andia, Jorge B

    2015-09-01

    Abnormalities in serum phosphorus, calcium and parathyroid hormone (PTH) have been associated with poor survival in haemodialysis patients. This COSMOS (Current management Of Secondary hyperparathyroidism: a Multicentre Observational Study) analysis assesses the association of high and low serum phosphorus, calcium and PTH with a relative risk of mortality. Furthermore, the impact of changes in these parameters on the relative risk of mortality throughout the 3-year follow-up has been investigated. COSMOS is a 3-year, multicentre, open-cohort, prospective study carried out in 6797 adult chronic haemodialysis patients randomly selected from 20 European countries. Using Cox proportional hazard regression models and penalized splines analysis, it was found that both high and low serum phosphorus, calcium and PTH were associated with a higher risk of mortality. The serum values associated with the minimum relative risk of mortality were 4.4 mg/dL for serum phosphorus, 8.8 mg/dL for serum calcium and 398 pg/mL for serum PTH. The lowest mortality risk ranges obtained using as base the previous values were 3.6-5.2 mg/dL for serum phosphorus, 7.9-9.5 mg/dL for serum calcium and 168-674 pg/mL for serum PTH. Decreases in serum phosphorus and calcium and increases in serum PTH in patients with baseline values of >5.2 mg/dL (phosphorus), >9.5 mg/dL (calcium) and <168 pg/mL (PTH), respectively, were associated with improved survival. COSMOS provides evidence of the association of serum phosphorus, calcium and PTH and mortality, and suggests survival benefits of controlling chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder biochemical parameters in CKD5D patients. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA. All rights reserved.

  9. From existing in situ, high-resolution measurement technologies to lab-on-a-chip - the future of water quality monitoring?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wade, A. J.; Palmer-Felgate, E. J.; Halliday, S. J.; Skeffington, R. A.; Loewenthal, M.; Jarvie, H. P.; Bowes, M. J.; Greenway, G. M.; Haswell, S. J.; Bell, I. M.; Joly, E.; Fallatah, A.; Neal, C.; Williams, R. J.; Gozzard, E.; Newman, J. R.

    2012-05-01

    This paper introduces new insights into the hydrochemical functioning of lowland river-systems using field-based spectrophotometric and electrode technologies. The streamwater concentrations of nitrogen species and phosphorus fractions were measured at hourly intervals on a continuous basis at two contrasting sites on tributaries of the River Thames, one draining a rural catchment, the River Enborne, and one draining a more urban system, The Cut. The measurements complement those from an existing network of multi-parameter water quality sondes maintained across the Thames catchment and weekly monitoring based on grab samples. The results of the sub-daily monitoring show that streamwater phosphorus concentrations display highly complex, seemingly chaotic, dynamics under storm conditions dependent on the antecedent catchment wetness, and that diurnal phosphorus and nitrogen cycles occur under low flow conditions. The diurnal patterns highlight the dominance of sewage inputs in controlling the streamwater phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations at low flows, even at a distance of 7 km from the nearest sewage works in the rural, River Enborne, and that the time of sample collection is important when judging water quality against ecological thresholds or standards. An exhaustion of the supply of phosphorus from diffuse and septic tank sources during storm events was evident and load estimation was not improved by sub-daily monitoring beyond that achieved by daily sampling because of the eventual reduction in the phosphorus mass entering the stream during events. The dominance of respiration over photosynthesis in The Cut indicated a prevalence of heterotrophic algae, and the seasonal patterns in respiration and photosynthesis corresponded with those of temperature and light in this nutrient over-enriched stream. These results highlight the utility of sub-daily water quality measurements but the deployment of modified wet-chemistry technologies into the field was limited by mains electricity availability. A new approach is therefore needed to allow measurement of a wide range of analytes at a broader range of locations for the development of water quality web-sensor networks. The development and field deployment of a miniaturised "lab-on-a-chip" ion chromatograph is proposed and justified.

  10. County-level estimates of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer use in the United States, 1945 to 1985

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Alexander, Richard B.; Smith, Richard A.

    1990-01-01

    Estimates of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer use were made for counties in the United States for the period 1945 to 1985. County fertilizer use estimates were obtained through the disaggregation of state-level fertilizer use in proportion to the amount of state fertilized acreage reported to exist in counties. Numerical values of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer use by county are not presented in the text of this report because of the size of the data file, but are available in machine-readable form upon request. Graphical summaries of national, state, and county nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer use are presented to briefly describe the spatial and temporal variability that exist in the data.

  11. Chemically Bonded Phosphorus/Graphene Hybrid as a High Performance Anode for Sodium-Ion Batteries

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Song, Jiangxuan; Yu, Zhaoxin; Gordin, Mikhail

    2014-11-12

    Room temperature sodium-ion batteries are of great interest for high-energy-density energy storage systems because of low-cost, natural abundance of sodium. Here, we report a novel graphene nanosheets-wrapped phosphorus composite as an anode for high performance sodium-ion batteries though a facile ball-milling of red phosphorus and graphene nanosheets. Not only can the graphene nanosheets significantly improve the electrical conductivity, but they also serve as a buffer layer to accommodate the large volume change of phosphorus in the charge-discharge process. As a result, the graphene wrapped phosphorus composite anode delivers a high reversible capacity of 2077 mAh/g with excellent cycling stability (1700more » mAh/g after 60 cycles) and high Coulombic efficiency (>98%). This simple synthesis approach and unique nanostructure can potentially extend to other electrode materials with unstable solid electrolyte interphases in sodium-ion batteries.« less

  12. Effects of different combinations of “Baoshiling” on soil physical and chemical properties of Huangguogan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Y. H.; Wang, Z. H.; Xiong, B.; Qiu, X.; Liao, L.; Shun, G. C.; Huang, S. J.; Dong, Z. X.; Liu, X. Y.; Xi, L. J.

    2017-08-01

    The research is done on the Huangguogan (unique citrus breed in Sichuan, China). The experiment setted 27 groups of “Baoshiling” (self-study compound fertilizer) fertilization treatment to explore the “Baoshiling” different combinations on soil physical and chemical properties of Huangguogan. The results showed that all the combinations had improved the soil of Huangguogan orchard. The combination of A3B2C2 had the best effect. The best Fertilization management measures was “Baoshiling” bud flowering fertilizer 2kg, stable fruit fertilizer 2kg, strong fruit fertilizer 2kg. It could reduce the pH of soil and the bulk density of soil, increase the available nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium and urease activity.

  13. Effect of cross-linked chitosan iron (III) on vascular calcification in uremic rats.

    PubMed

    de Castro, Barbara Bruna Abreu; do Carmo, Wander Barros; de Albuquerque Suassuna, Paulo Giovani; Carminatti, Moises; Brito, Julia Bianchi; Dominguez, Wagner Vasques; de Oliveira, Ivone Braga; Jorgetti, Vanda; Custodio, Melani Ribeiro; Sanders-Pinheiro, Helady

    2018-05-01

    Cross-linked chitosan iron (III) is a chitin-derived polymer with a chelating effect on phosphorus, but it is untested in vascular calcification. We evaluated this compound's ability to reduce hyperphosphatemia and its effect on vascular calcification in uremic rats using an adenine-based, phosphorus-rich diet for seven weeks. We used a control group to characterize the uremia. Uremic rats were divided according the treatment into chronic kidney disease, CKD-Ch-Fe(III)CL (CKD-Ch), CKD-calcium carbonate, or CKD-sevelamer groups. We measured creatinine, phosphorus, calcium, alkaline phosphatase, phosphorus excretion fraction, parathyroid hormone, and fibroblast growth factor 23. Vascular calcification was assessed using the aortic calcium content, and a semi-quantitative analysis was performed using Von Kossa and hematoxylin-eosin staining. At week seven, rats in the chronic kidney disease group had higher creatinine, phosphorus, phosphorus excretion fraction, calcium, alkaline phosphatase, fibroblast growth factor 23, and aortic calcium content than those in the Control group. Treatments with cross-linked chitosan iron (III) and calcium carbonate prevented phosphorus increase (20%-30% reduction). The aortic calcium content was lowered by 88% and 85% in the CKD-Ch and CKD-sevelamer groups, respectively. The prevalence of vascular changes was higher in the chronic kidney disease and CKD-calcium carbonate (62.5%) groups than in the CKD-Ch group (37.5%). In conclusion, cross-linked chitosan iron (III) had a phosphorus chelating effect similar to calcium carbonate already available for clinical use, and prevented calcium accumulation in the aorta. Impact statement Vascular calcification (VC) is a common complication due to CKD-related bone and mineral disorder (BMD) and is characterized by deposition of calcium in vessels. Effective therapies are not yet available but new phosphorus chelators can prevent complications from CV. We tested the effect of chitosan, a new phosphorus chelator, on the VC of uremic animals. It has recently been proposed that chitosan treatment may be effective in the treatment of hyperphosphataemia. However, its action on vascular calcification has not been investigated yet. In this study, we demonstrated that chitosan reduced the calcium content in the aorta, suggesting that this may be a therapeutic approach in the treatment of hyperphosphatemia by preventing CV.

  14. Assessment of Available Phosphorus in the Lake Sediments Using an Innovative Composite Membrane

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Qinghui; Wang, Zijian; Wang, Donghong

    2010-11-01

    An innovative iron oxide embedded cellulose acetate membrane (FeO/CAM) was synthesized and used to study available phosphorus in Chinese lake sediments. The kinetics of available P release was investigated by FeO/CAM for different types of sediments ranging in Olsen-P from 19.1 to 170.6 mg/kg. The results showed that the average kd values (0.094 h-1) of the Taihu sediments were comparable to those of the soils with similar texture estimated by iron oxide impregnated filter paper (FeO paper) though they were generally lower than those of sandy soils. It is indicated that the FeO/CAM can be used as an infinite P sink to estimate available P (FeO-P). The concentrations of FeO-P were significantly correlated with those of extractable P forms, e.g. Olsen-P (R2 = 0.962, p<0.01) in lake sediments. This synthetic membrane excelled FeO paper in the endurance and the stain resistance to soil particles. Therefore, the FeO/CAM is useful to assess phosphorus bioavailability of the sediments.

  15. EXPERIMENTAL RICKETS IN RATS

    PubMed Central

    Pappenheimer, A. M.; McCann, G. F.; Zucker, T. F.

    1922-01-01

    1. Casein phosphorus does not completely prevent the development of rickets when substituted in Diet 84 in amount equivalent to a protective dose of basic potassium phosphate. 2. The protection given by lecithin is equivalent to its phosphorus content. 3. The protection given by yeast is at least proportional to its phosphorus content. An amount carrying sufficient vitamine B to promote growth, but insufficient to provide adequate phosphorus, does not prevent rickets. 4. Vitamine A, in the form of butter or butter fat to the amount of 10 per cent of the diet, neither prevents nor cures rickets. 5. The substitution of 10 per cent of egg albumin in Diet 84 improves the nutrition, but does not prevent rickets. 6. The addition of meat to Diet 84, thereby supplying an abundance of phosphorus, promotes normal growth and normal bone formation. A diet consisting solely of meat and flour is inadequate for proper growth, and leads to changes in the bones comparable with those observed on a diet low in calcium, but rich in phosphorus. 7. A diet has been found which contains the necessary food elements for approximately normal growth, and in which the only known deficiency is phosphorus. This leads regularly to the production of rickets. PMID:19868618

  16. Nutrient and suspended-sediment trends, loads, and yields and development of an indicator of streamwater quality at nontidal sites in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, 1985-2010

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Langland, Michael; Blomquist, Joel; Moyer, Douglas; Hyer, Kenneth

    2012-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) updates information on loads of, and trends in, nutrients and sediment annually to help the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) investigators assess progress toward improving water-quality conditions in the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. CBP scientists and managers have worked since 1983 to improve water quality in the bay. In 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) established a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Chesapeake Bay. The TMDL specifies nutrient and sediment load allocations that need to be achieved in the watershed to improve dissolved oxygen, water-clarity, and chlorophyll conditions in the bay. The USEPA, USGS, and state and local jurisdictions in the watershed operate a CBP nontidal water-quality monitoring network and associated database that are used to update load and trend information to help assess progress toward reducing nutrient and sediment inputs to the bay. Data collected from the CBP nontidal network were used to estimate loads and trends for two time periods: a long-term period (1985-2010) at 31 "primary" sites (with storm sampling) and a 10-year period (2001-10) at 33 primary sites and 16 "secondary" sites (without storm sampling). In addition, loads at 64 primary sites were estimated for the period 2006 to 2010. Results indicate improving flow-adjusted trends for nitrogen and phosphorus for 1985 to 2010 at most of the sites in the network. For nitrogen, 21 of the 31 sites showed downward (improving) trends, whereas 2 sites showed upward (degrading) trends, and 8 sites showed no trends. The results for phosphorus were similar: 22 sites showed improving trends, 4 sites showed degrading trends, and 5 sites indicated no trends. For sediment, no trend was found at 40 percent of the sites, with 10 sites showing improving trends and 8 sites showing degrading trends. The USGS, working with CBP partners, developed a new water-quality indicator that combines the results of the 10-year trend analysis with results from a greater number of sites (64 primary sites) where loads and yields of total nitrogen and phosphorus and sediment could be calculated. The new indicator shows fewer significant trends for the 10-year time period than for the long-term time period (1985-2010). For 2001-10, total nitrogen trends were downward (improving) at 14 sites and upward (degrading) at 2 sites; no trend was found at 17 sites. For total phosphorus, 12 sites showed improving trends, 4 sites showed degrading trends, and 17 sites showed no trend. For total sediment, most sites (21) did not exhibit a significant trend; 3 sites showed improving trends, and 10 sites showed degrading trends. Few significant trends were seen at the 16 secondary sites: improving trends for total nitrogen at 4 sites, improving trends for total phosphorus at 2 sites, and a degrading trend for sediment at 1 site. Total streamflow to the Chesapeake Bay was 20 percent higher in 2010 than in 2009 and is considered to be within the normal range of flow, whereas annual streamflow at 28 sites was greater in 2010 than in 2009. No trends in daily streamflow were detected at the 31 long-term sites. Combined loads for the farthest downstream nontidal monitoring sites (called "River Input Monitoring sites") increased 33 percent for total nitrogen, 120 percent for total phosphorus, and 330 percent for total sediment from 2009 to 2010. The large increase in phosphorus and sediment loads in 2010 was caused in large part by two large storm events that occurred during the spring in the Potomac River Basin. Yields (load per watershed area) of total nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay watershed decreased from north to south (New York to Virginia). No spatial patterns were discernible for total phosphorus or sediment.

  17. Evaluation of calcium, phosphorus, and selected trace mineral status in commercially available dry foods formulated for dogs

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Objective – To evaluate the mineral content including calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, copper, manganese, and selenium of canine commercial pet foods and compare them to current AAFCO recommendations for adult maintenance. Design - Descriptive study. Sample – Forty-five over the counter dry canine p...

  18. Phosphorus and nitrogen recycle following algal bio-crude production via continuous hydrothermal liquefaction

    DOE PAGES

    Edmundson, S.; Huesemann, M.; Kruk, R.; ...

    2017-07-25

    Phosphorus and nitrogen are essential components of microalgal growth media. Critical to a wide range of biochemical processes, they commonly limit primary productivity. Recycling elemental phosphorus and fixed nitrogen after fuel conversion via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of algae biomass reduces the need for mined phosphorus and synthetic nitrogen resources. We used scenedesmus obliquus DOE 0152.Z and Chlorella sorokiniana DOE1412 as test organisms in assessing nutrient recycle of phosphorus from filtered solids collected downstream of the HTL reactor and nitrogen collected from the aqueous phase after gravimetric biocrude separation. Maximum specific growth rates were measured in growth media using HTL wastemore » as the sole source of either phosphorus or nitrogen and were compared to an algal growth medium control (BG-11). The maximum specific growth rate of both organisms in the recycled phosphorus medium were nearly identical to rates observed in the control medium. Both organisms showed significantly reduced growth rates in the recycled nitrogen medium. C. sorokiniana DOE1412 adapted after several days of exposure whereas S. obliquus DOE0152.Z exhibited poor adaptability to the recycled nitrogen medium. After adaptation, growth rates observed with C. sorokiniana DOE1412 in the recycled nitrogen medium were 3.02 (± 0.13) day -1, 89% of the control medium (3.40 ± 0.21). We further tested maximum specific growth rates of C. sorokiniana DOE1412 in a medium derived entirely from HTL byproducts, completely replacing all components including nitrogen and phosphorus. In this medium we observed rates of 2.70 ± 0.05 day -1, 79% of the control. By adding trace metals to this recycled medium we improved growth rates significantly to 3.10 ± 0.10, 91% of the control, which indicates a critical element is lost in the conversion process. Recycling elemental resources such as phosphorus and nitrogen from the HTL biofuel conversion process can provide a significant reduction in media cost and improves the prospects for industrial scale, algae-based biofuels.« less

  19. Phosphorus and nitrogen recycle following algal bio-crude production via continuous hydrothermal liquefaction

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Edmundson, S.; Huesemann, M.; Kruk, R.

    Phosphorus and nitrogen are essential components of microalgal growth media. Critical to a wide range of biochemical processes, they commonly limit primary productivity. Recycling elemental phosphorus and fixed nitrogen after fuel conversion via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of algae biomass reduces the need for mined phosphorus and synthetic nitrogen resources. We used scenedesmus obliquus DOE 0152.Z and Chlorella sorokiniana DOE1412 as test organisms in assessing nutrient recycle of phosphorus from filtered solids collected downstream of the HTL reactor and nitrogen collected from the aqueous phase after gravimetric biocrude separation. Maximum specific growth rates were measured in growth media using HTL wastemore » as the sole source of either phosphorus or nitrogen and were compared to an algal growth medium control (BG-11). The maximum specific growth rate of both organisms in the recycled phosphorus medium were nearly identical to rates observed in the control medium. Both organisms showed significantly reduced growth rates in the recycled nitrogen medium. C. sorokiniana DOE1412 adapted after several days of exposure whereas S. obliquus DOE0152.Z exhibited poor adaptability to the recycled nitrogen medium. After adaptation, growth rates observed with C. sorokiniana DOE1412 in the recycled nitrogen medium were 3.02 (± 0.13) day -1, 89% of the control medium (3.40 ± 0.21). We further tested maximum specific growth rates of C. sorokiniana DOE1412 in a medium derived entirely from HTL byproducts, completely replacing all components including nitrogen and phosphorus. In this medium we observed rates of 2.70 ± 0.05 day -1, 79% of the control. By adding trace metals to this recycled medium we improved growth rates significantly to 3.10 ± 0.10, 91% of the control, which indicates a critical element is lost in the conversion process. Recycling elemental resources such as phosphorus and nitrogen from the HTL biofuel conversion process can provide a significant reduction in media cost and improves the prospects for industrial scale, algae-based biofuels.« less

  20. Dietary egg whites for phosphorus control in maintenance haemodialysis patients: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Taylor, Lynn M; Kalantar-Zadeh, Kamyar; Markewich, Theodore; Colman, Sara; Benner, Debbie; Sim, John J; Kovesdy, Csaba P

    2011-03-01

    High dietary protein intake is associated with greater survival in maintenance haemodialysis (MHD) patients. High-protein foods may increase dietary phosphorus burden, which is associated with increased mortality in these patients. Hypothesis is: an egg white based diet with low phosphorus to protein ratio (<1.4 mg/g) will lower serum phosphorus without deteriorating the nutritional status in MHD patients. We assessed serum phosphorus and albumin levels in MHD patients who agreed to ingest one meal per day with pasteurised liquid egg whites without phosphorus additives, as principal protein source. Thirteen otherwise stable MHD patients with serum phosphorus >4.0 mg/dl agreed to consume eight ounces (225 g) of pasteurised liquid egg whites one meal per day for six weeks. Recipes were suggested to improve diet variety. Thirteen participating patients included seven women, three African Americans and five diabetics. Twelve patients exhibited drop in serum phosphorus. Mean population fall in serum phosphorus was 0.94 mg/dl, i.e. from 5.58 ± 1.34 (mean ± SD) to 4.63 ± 1.18 (p = 0.003). Serum albumin showed an increase by 0.19 g/dl, i.e. from 4.02 ± 0.29 to 4.21 ± 0.36 g/dl (p = 0.014). Changes in phosphorus pill count were not statistically significant (p = 0.88). The egg white diet was well tolerated, and recipe variety appreciated. Pasteurised liquid egg whites may be an effective diet component lowering serum phosphorus without risking malnutrition. Controlled trials are indicated to examine egg white based dietary interventions in MHD patients at home or during haemodialysis treatment. © 2011 European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association.

  1. High Serum Phosphorus Level Is Associated with Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients.

    PubMed

    Ye, Min; Tian, Na; Liu, Yanqiu; Li, Wei; Lin, Hong; Fan, Rui; Li, Cuiling; Liu, Donghong; Yao, Fengjuan

    We initiated this study to explore the relationships of serum phosphorus level with left ventricular ultrasound features and diastolic function in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. 174 patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) receiving PD were enrolled in this retrospective observational study. Conventional echocardiography examination and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) were performed in each patient. Clinical information and laboratory data were also collected. Analyses of echocardiographic features were performed according to phosphorus quartiles groups. And multivariate regression models were used to determine the association between serum phosphorus and Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD). With the increase of serum phosphorus levels, patients on PD showed an increased tissue Doppler-derived E/e' ratio of lateral wall (P < 0.001), indicating a deterioration of left ventricular diastolic function. Steady growths of left atrium and left ventricular diameters as well as increase of left ventricular muscle mass were also observed across the increasing quartiles of phosphorus, while left ventricular ejection fraction remained normal. In a multivariate analysis, the regression coefficient for E/e' ratio in the highest phosphorus quartile was almost threefold higher relative to those in the lowest quartile group. And compared with patients in the lowest phosphorus quartile (<1.34 mmol/L) those in the highest phosphorus quartile (>1.95 mmol/L) had a more than fivefold increased odds of E/e' ratio >15. Our study showed an early impairment of left ventricular diastolic function in peritoneal dialysis patients. High serum phosphorus level was independently associated with greater risk of LVDD in these patients. Whether serum phosphorus will be a useful target for prevention or improvement of LVDD remains to be proved by further studies.

  2. Crop acquisition of phosphorus, iron and zinc from soil in cereal/legume intercropping systems: a critical review

    PubMed Central

    Xue, Yanfang; Xia, Haiyong; Christie, Peter; Zhang, Zheng; Li, Long; Tang, Caixian

    2016-01-01

    Background Phosphorus (P), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) are essential elements for plant growth and development, but their availability in soil is often limited. Intercropping contributes to increased P, Fe and Zn uptake and thereby increases yield and improves grain nutritional quality and ultimately human health. A better understanding of how intercropping leads to increased plant P, Fe and Zn availability will help to improve P-fertilizer-use efficiency and agronomic Fe and Zn biofortification. Scope This review synthesizes the literature on how intercropping of legumes with cereals increases acquisition of P, Fe and Zn from soil and recapitulates what is known about root-to-shoot nutrient translocation, plant-internal nutrient remobilization and allocation to grains. Conclusions Direct interspecific facilitation in intercropping involves below-ground processes in which cereals increase Fe and Zn bioavailability while companion legumes benefit. This has been demonstrated and verified using isotopic nutrient tracing and molecular analysis. The same methodological approaches and field studies should be used to explore direct interspecific P facilitation. Both niche complementarity and interspecific facilitation contribute to increased P acquisition in intercropping. Niche complementarity may also contribute to increased Fe and Zn acquisition, an aspect poorly understood. Interspecific mobilization and uptake facilitation of sparingly soluble P, Fe and Zn from soil, however, are not the only determinants of the concentrations of P, Fe and Zn in grains. Grain yield and nutrient translocation from roots to shoots further influence the concentrations of these nutrients in grains. PMID:26749590

  3. Sucroferric oxyhydroxide decreases serum phosphorus level and fibroblast growth factor 23 and improves renal anemia in hemodialysis patients.

    PubMed

    Shima, Hisato; Miya, Keiko; Okada, Kazuyoshi; Minakuchi, Jun; Kawashima, Shu

    2018-06-08

    Sucroferric oxyhydroxide, a novel iron-based phosphate-binder, has been shown to have beneficial effects in lowering serum phosphorus levels and improving renal anemia in clinical studies. Although an effect of this agent on fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) has been reported in an animal study, there is little clinical data supporting this finding. This study aimed to evaluate the effect on chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder, FGF23, renal anemia, iron-related parameters, adverse events of sucroferric oxyhydroxide in hemodialysis patients. Hemodialysis patients, receiving existing hyperphosphatemia drugs with insufficient benefit, were administered sucroferric oxyhydroxide with/without calcium carbonate for 16 weeks. Serum phosphorus level declined rapidly in Week 8 (p < 0.0001) and this decrease persisted until Week 16 (p < 0.0001). FGF23 decreased (p = 0.0412, Week 16), and hemoglobin increased (p < 0.0001, Week 16). Cumulative dose of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (p = 0.0122, Week 16), and intravenous iron (p = 0.0233, Week 12) decreased. All adverse reactions were mild, and diarrhea was the most frequently observed adverse reaction (16.7%). Therefore, hyperphosphatemia treatment with sucroferric oxyhydroxide may safely improve serum phosphorus level, renal anemia, FGF23, and other factors that affect the prognosis of hemodialysis patients.

  4. The phosphorus speciations in the sediments up- and down-stream of cascade dams along the middle Lancang River.

    PubMed

    Liu, Qi; Liu, Shiliang; Zhao, Haidi; Deng, Li; Wang, Cong; Zhao, Qinghe; Dong, Shikui

    2015-02-01

    We detected the longitudinal variability of phosphorus speciations and its relation to metals and grain size distribution of sediments in three cascade canyon reservoirs (Xiaowan, Manwan and Dachaoshan) along Lancang River, China. Five phosphorus speciations including loosely bound P (ex-P), reductant soluble P (BD-P), metal oxide-bound P (NaOH-P) calcium-bound P (HCl-P) and residual-P were extracted and quantified. Results showed that in Manwan Reservoir HCl-P accounted for the largest part of total phosphorus (TP) (49.69%), while in Xiaowan and Dachaoshan reservoirs, NaOH-P was the most abundant speciation which accounted for 57.21% and 55.19% of total phosphorus respectively. Higher contents of bio-available phosphorus in Xiaowan and Dachaoshan reservoirs suggested a high rate of P releasing from sediments. Results also showed ex-P and HCl-P had positive correlation with Ca. Total phosphorus was positively correlated with Fe. The silt/clay contents of the sediments had close relationship with ex-P (r=0.413, p<0.05), NaOH-P (r=0.428, p<0.05) and BAP (r=0.458, p<0.05). The concentration of Ca, Mn and silt/clay speciation in the sediments explained 40%, 10% and 4% of the spatial variation of phosphorus speciations, respectively. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Root Cortical Aerenchyma Enhances the Growth of Maize on Soils with Suboptimal Availability of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium1[W][OA

    PubMed Central

    Postma, Johannes Auke; Lynch, Jonathan Paul

    2011-01-01

    Root cortical aerenchyma (RCA) is induced by hypoxia, drought, and several nutrient deficiencies. Previous research showed that RCA formation reduces the respiration and nutrient content of root tissue. We used SimRoot, a functional-structural model, to provide quantitative support for the hypothesis that RCA formation is a useful adaptation to suboptimal availability of phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium by reducing the metabolic costs of soil exploration in maize (Zea mays). RCA increased the growth of simulated 40-d-old maize plants up to 55%, 54%, or 72% on low nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium soil, respectively, and reduced critical fertility levels by 13%, 12%, or 7%, respectively. The greater utility of RCA on low-potassium soils is associated with the fact that root growth in potassium-deficient plants was more carbon limited than in phosphorus- and nitrogen-deficient plants. In contrast to potassium-deficient plants, phosphorus- and nitrogen-deficient plants allocate more carbon to the root system as the deficiency develops. The utility of RCA also depended on other root phenes and environmental factors. On low-phosphorus soils (7.5 μm), the utility of RCA was 2.9 times greater in plants with increased lateral branching density than in plants with normal branching. On low-nitrate soils, the utility of RCA formation was 56% greater in coarser soils with high nitrate leaching. Large genetic variation in RCA formation and the utility of RCA for a range of stresses position RCA as an interesting crop-breeding target for enhanced soil resource acquisition. PMID:21628631

  6. Silicon improves flowering characteristics of sunflower and petunia at low phosphorus rates

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Silicon (Si) is recognized as a beneficial element for plant growth. In addition, it has been shown to reduce the severity of biotic and abiotic stress. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of Si on plant growth and development at low to moderate phosphorus (P) concentrations. ...

  7. Can electrocoagulation process be an appropriate technology for phosphorus removal from municipal wastewater?

    PubMed

    Nguyen, D Duc; Ngo, H Hao; Guo, W; Nguyen, T Thanh; Chang, Soon W; Jang, A; Yoon, Yong S

    2016-09-01

    This paper evaluated a novel pilot scale electrocoagulation (EC) system for improving total phosphorus (TP) removal from municipal wastewater. This EC system was operated in continuous and batch operating mode under differing conditions (e.g. flow rate, initial concentration, electrolysis time, conductivity, voltage) to evaluate correlative phosphorus and electrical energy consumption. The results demonstrated that the EC system could effectively remove phosphorus to meet current stringent discharge standards of less than 0.2mg/L within 2 to 5min. This target was achieved in all ranges of initial TP concentrations studied. It was also found that an increase in conductivity of solution, voltages, or electrolysis time, correlated with improved TP removal efficiency and reduced specific energy consumption. Based on these results, some key economic considerations, such as operating costs, cost-effectiveness, product manufacturing feasibility, facility design and retrofitting, and program implementation are also discussed. This EC process can conclusively be highly efficient in a relatively simple, easily managed, and cost-effective for wastewater treatment system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Proposed biokinetic model for phosphorus

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Leggett, Richard Wayne

    2014-06-04

    This paper reviews data related to the biokinetics of phosphorus in the human body and proposes a biokinetic model for systemic phosphorus for use in updated International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) guidance on occupational intake of radionuclides. Compared with the ICRP s current occupational model for phosphorus (Publication 68, 1994) the proposed model provides a more realistic description of the paths of movement of phosphorus in the body and improved consistency with experimental, medical, and environmental data on the time-dependent distribution and retention of phosphorus following uptake to blood. For acute uptake of 32P to blood, the proposed modelmore » yields roughly a 50% decrease in dose estimates for bone surface and red marrow and a 6-fold increase in estimates for liver and kidney compared with the biokinetic model of Publication 68 (applying Publication 68 dosimetric models in both sets of calculations). For acute uptake of 33P to blood, the proposed model yields roughly a 50% increase in dose estimates for bone surface and red marrow and a 7-fold increase in estimates for liver and kidney compared with the model of Publication 68.« less

  9. Efficiency promotion and its mechanisms of simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal in stormwater biofilters.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Zijun; Xu, Peng; Cao, Xiuyun; Zhou, Yiyong; Song, Chunlei

    2016-10-01

    Stromwater biofilter technology was greatly improved through adding iron-rich soil, plant detritus and eutrophic lake sediment. Significant ammonium and phosphate removal efficiencies (over 95%) in treatments with iron-rich soil were attributed to strong adsorption capability resulting in high available phosphorus (P) in media, supporting the abundance and activity of nitrifiers and denitrifiers as well as shaping compositions, which facilitated nitrogen (N) removal. Aquatic and terrestrial plant detritus was more beneficial to nitrification and denitrification by stimulating the abundance and activity of nitrifiers and denitrifiers respectively, which increased total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiencies by 17.6% and 22.5%. In addition, bioaugmentation of nitrifiers and denitrifiers from eutrophic sediment was helpful to nutrient removal. Above all, combined application of these materials could reach simultaneously maximum effects (removal efficiencies of P, ammonium and TN were 97-99%, 95-97% and 60-63% respectively), suggesting reasonable selection of materials has important contribution and application prospect in stormwater biofilters. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. An optimized regulating method for composting phosphorus fractions transformation based on biochar addition and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria inoculation.

    PubMed

    Wei, Yuquan; Zhao, Yue; Wang, Huan; Lu, Qian; Cao, Zhenyu; Cui, Hongyang; Zhu, Longji; Wei, Zimin

    2016-12-01

    The study was conducted to investigate the influence of biochar and/or phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) inoculants on microbial biomass, bacterial community composition and phosphorus (P) fractions during kitchen waste composting amended with rock phosphate (RP). There were distinct differences in the physic-chemical parameters, the proportion of P fractions and bacterial diversity in different treatments. The contribution of available P fractions increased during composting especially in the treatment with the addition of PSB and biochar. Redundancy analysis showed that bacterial compositions were significantly influenced by P content, inoculation and biochar. Variance partitioning further showed that synergy of inoculated PSB and indigenous bacterial communities and the joint effect between biochar and bacteria explained the largest two proportion of the variation in P fractions. Therefore, the combined application of PSB and biochar to improve the inoculation effect and an optimized regulating method were suggested based on the distribution of P fractions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Effect of desertification on productivity in a desert steppe.

    PubMed

    Tang, Zhuangsheng; An, Hui; Deng, Lei; Wang, Yingying; Zhu, Guangyu; Shangguan, Zhouping

    2016-06-14

    Desertification, one of the most severe types of land degradation in the world, is of great importance because it is occurring, to some degree, on approximately 40% of the global land area and is affecting more than 1 billion people. In this study, we used a space-for-time method to quantify the impact of five different desertification regimes (potential (PD), light (LD), moderate (MD), severe (SD), and very severe (VSD)) on a desert steppe ecosystem in northern China to examine the relationship between the productivity of the vegetation and soil properties and to determine the mechanism underlying the effects of desertification on productivity. Our results showed that the effects of desertification on TP (total phosphorus) and AP (available phosphorus) were not significant, and desertification decreased productivity in the desert steppe as a result of direct changes to soil physical properties, which can directly affect soil chemical properties. Therefore, intensive grassland management to improve soil quality may result in the long-term preservation of ecosystem functions and services.

  12. Effect of desertification on productivity in a desert steppe

    PubMed Central

    Tang, Zhuangsheng; An, Hui; Deng, Lei; Wang, Yingying; Zhu, Guangyu; Shangguan, Zhouping

    2016-01-01

    Desertification, one of the most severe types of land degradation in the world, is of great importance because it is occurring, to some degree, on approximately 40% of the global land area and is affecting more than 1 billion people. In this study, we used a space-for-time method to quantify the impact of five different desertification regimes (potential (PD), light (LD), moderate (MD), severe (SD), and very severe (VSD)) on a desert steppe ecosystem in northern China to examine the relationship between the productivity of the vegetation and soil properties and to determine the mechanism underlying the effects of desertification on productivity. Our results showed that the effects of desertification on TP (total phosphorus) and AP (available phosphorus) were not significant, and desertification decreased productivity in the desert steppe as a result of direct changes to soil physical properties, which can directly affect soil chemical properties. Therefore, intensive grassland management to improve soil quality may result in the long-term preservation of ecosystem functions and services. PMID:27297202

  13. Efficiency of microbial phytase supplementation in diets formulated with different calcium:phosphorus ratios, supplied to broilers from 22 to 33 days old.

    PubMed

    Naves, L de P; Rodrigues, P B; Teixeira, L do V; de Oliveira, E C; Saldanha, M M; Alvarenga, R R; Corrêa, A D; Lima, R R

    2015-02-01

    An experiment was conducted with broilers from 22 to 33 days of age to evaluate the efficiency of six microbial phytases supplemented in diets (1500 FTU/kg) that were formulated with three different calcium:available phosphorus (Ca:P(avail)) ratios (4.5:1.0, 6.0:1.0 and 7.5:1.0). A positive control diet without phytase was formulated with a Ca:P(avail) ratio of 7.5:3.4 to meet the nutritional requirements of the broilers. The P and ash contents of the tibia, magnesium in the plasma, performance, balance and retention of phytate phosphorus (P(phyt)), intake of total P and nitrogen (N), nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy and apparent digestibility of dry matter of the diets were not influenced (p > 0.05) by the type of phytase or the dietary Ca:P(avail) ratio. However, there was an interaction (p < 0.05) between the phytase type and the Ca:P(avail) ratio for the retention coefficients of total P, Ca and N. Phytase B resulted in the highest Ca deposition in the tibia (p < 0.01). Phytases D, E and F reduced the Ca concentrations in the tibia (p < 0.01) and plasma (p < 0.05). Phytase D increased the P level in the plasma and decreased the total P excretion (p < 0.01). Phytases E and F increased Ca excretion, while phytase A reduced it (p < 0.01). Regardless of the phytase type, increasing the dietary Ca:P(avail) ratio reduced (p < 0.05) the plasma P concentration and the excretion of total P and N and, conversely, increased (p < 0.05) the plasma concentration, intake and excretion of Ca. For the rearing period evaluated, it is possible to reduce the P(avail) of the diet to 1.0 g/kg when Ca is maintained at 7.5 g/kg, and the diet is supplemented with 1500 FTU of phytase A, C, D or E/kg. This diet allows the maintenance of performance and adequate bone mineralization, and it improves the Ca, total P and P(phyt) utilization in addition to reducing the excretion of N and P into the environment. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2014 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  14. Estimating phosphorus availability for microbial growth in an emerging landscape

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Schmidt, S.K.; Cleveland, C.C.; Nemergut, D.R.; Reed, S.C.; King, A.J.; Sowell, P.

    2011-01-01

    Estimating phosphorus (P) availability is difficult—particularly in infertile soils such as those exposed after glacial recession—because standard P extraction methods may not mimic biological acquisition pathways. We developed an approach, based on microbial CO2 production kinetics and conserved carbon:phosphorus (C:P) ratios, to estimate the amount of P available for microbial growth in soils and compared this method to traditional, operationally-defined indicators of P availability. Along a primary succession gradient in the High Andes of Perú, P additions stimulated the growth-related (logistic) kinetics of glutamate mineralization in soils that had been deglaciated from 0 to 5 years suggesting that microbial growth was limited by soil P availability. We then used a logistic model to estimate the amount of C incorporated into biomass in P-limited soils, allowing us to estimate total microbial P uptake based on a conservative C:P ratio of 28:1 (mass:mass). Using this approach, we estimated that there was < 1 μg/g of microbial-available P in recently de-glaciated soils in both years of this study. These estimates fell well below estimates of available soil P obtained using traditional extraction procedures. Our results give both theoretical and practical insights into the kinetics of C and P utilization in young soils, as well as show changes in microbial P availability during early stages of soil development.

  15. Technical evaluation of a total maximum daily load model for Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wood, Tamara M.; Wherry, Susan A.; Carter, James L.; Kuwabara, James S.; Simon, Nancy S.; Rounds, Stewart A.

    2013-01-01

    We reviewed a mass balance model developed in 2001 that guided establishment of the phosphorus total maximum daily load (TMDL) for Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon. The purpose of the review was to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the model and to determine whether improvements could be made using information derived from studies since the model was first developed. The new data have contributed to the understanding of processes in the lakes, particularly internal loading of phosphorus from sediment, and include measurements of diffusive fluxes of phosphorus from the bottom sediments, groundwater advection, desorption from iron oxides at high pH in a laboratory setting, and estimates of fluxes of phosphorus bound to iron and aluminum oxides. None of these processes in isolation, however, is large enough to account for the episodically high values of whole-lake internal loading calculated from a mass balance, which can range from 10 to 20 milligrams per square meter per day for short periods. The possible role of benthic invertebrates in lake sediments in the internal loading of phosphorus in the lake has become apparent since the development of the TMDL model. Benthic invertebrates can increase diffusive fluxes several-fold through bioturbation and biodiffusion, and, if the invertebrates are bottom feeders, they can recycle phosphorus to the water column through metabolic excretion. These organisms have high densities (1,822–62,178 individuals per square meter) in Upper Klamath Lake. Conversion of the mean density of tubificid worms (Oligochaeta) and chironomid midges (Diptera), two of the dominant taxa, to an areal flux rate based on laboratory measurements of metabolic excretion of two abundant species suggested that excretion by benthic invertebrates is at least as important as any of the other identified processes for internal loading to the water column. Data from sediment cores collected around Upper Klamath Lake since the development of the TMDL model also contributed to this review. Cores were sequentially extracted to determine the distribution of phosphorus associated with several matrices in the sediment (freely exchangeable, metal-oxides, acid-soluble minerals, and residual). The concentrations of phosphorus in these fractions varied around the lake in patterns that reflect transport processes in the lake and the ultimate deposition of organic and inorganic forms of phosphorus from the water column. Both organic and inorganic phosphorus had higher concentrations in the northern part of the lake, in and just west of Goose Bay. At the time that these cores were collected, prior to restoration of the Williamson River Delta, this area was close to the shoreline of the lake and east of the Williamson River mouth. This contrasts with erosional inputs, which, in addition to being high to the east of the pre-restoration Williamson River mouth, were higher in the middle of the lake than at the northern end. Organic forms of phosphorus had particularly high concentrations in the northern bays. When these cores were used to calculate a new estimate of the whole-lake-averaged concentration of total phosphorus in the top 10 centimeters of the lake sediments, the estimate was about one-third of the best estimate available when the TMDL model was developed.

  16. Reducing phosphorus runoff and leaching from poultry litter with alum: Twenty-year small plot and paired-watershed studies

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Treating poultry litter with alum is a best management practice (BMP) for lowering ammonia (NH3) emissions and phosphorus (P) runoff losses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term (20 year) effects of alum-treated and untreated poultry litter applications on P availability, leachi...

  17. Effects of broiler litter ash, layer manure ash and calcium phosphate on corn, wheat and soybean growth, phosphorus and arsenic uptake

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Poultry litter is being incinerated in order to reduce excess litter and to increase the percentage of renewable fuel used to generate electricity. Ash from incinerated litter has been effective in increasing crop growth. However, there is no current literature comparing phosphorus availability fr...

  18. Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus stoichiometry and eutrophication in River Thames Tributaries, UK

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Primary productivity in aquatic systems relies on the availability of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), with a preferred stoichiometric ratio of 106 C/16 N/1 P, known as the Redfield ratio. The intent of this paper is to present a methodology to visualize C/N/P stoichiometry and examine ...

  19. A representation of the phosphorus cycle for ORCHIDEE (revision 4520)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goll, Daniel S.; Vuichard, Nicolas; Maignan, Fabienne; Jornet-Puig, Albert; Sardans, Jordi; Violette, Aurelie; Peng, Shushi; Sun, Yan; Kvakic, Marko; Guimberteau, Matthieu; Guenet, Bertrand; Zaehle, Soenke; Penuelas, Josep; Janssens, Ivan; Ciais, Philippe

    2017-10-01

    Land surface models rarely incorporate the terrestrial phosphorus cycle and its interactions with the carbon cycle, despite the extensive scientific debate about the importance of nitrogen and phosphorus supply for future land carbon uptake. We describe a representation of the terrestrial phosphorus cycle for the ORCHIDEE land surface model, and evaluate it with data from nutrient manipulation experiments along a soil formation chronosequence in Hawaii. ORCHIDEE accounts for the influence of the nutritional state of vegetation on tissue nutrient concentrations, photosynthesis, plant growth, biomass allocation, biochemical (phosphatase-mediated) mineralization, and biological nitrogen fixation. Changes in the nutrient content (quality) of litter affect the carbon use efficiency of decomposition and in return the nutrient availability to vegetation. The model explicitly accounts for root zone depletion of phosphorus as a function of root phosphorus uptake and phosphorus transport from the soil to the root surface. The model captures the observed differences in the foliage stoichiometry of vegetation between an early (300-year) and a late (4.1 Myr) stage of soil development. The contrasting sensitivities of net primary productivity to the addition of either nitrogen, phosphorus, or both among sites are in general reproduced by the model. As observed, the model simulates a preferential stimulation of leaf level productivity when nitrogen stress is alleviated, while leaf level productivity and leaf area index are stimulated equally when phosphorus stress is alleviated. The nutrient use efficiencies in the model are lower than observed primarily due to biases in the nutrient content and turnover of woody biomass. We conclude that ORCHIDEE is able to reproduce the shift from nitrogen to phosphorus limited net primary productivity along the soil development chronosequence, as well as the contrasting responses of net primary productivity to nutrient addition.

  20. Characterization of phosphorus leaching from phosphate waste rock in the Xiangxi River watershed, Three Gorges Reservoir, China.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Li-Guo; Liang, Bing; Xue, Qiang; Yin, Cheng-Wei

    2016-05-01

    Phosphate mining waste rocks dumped in the Xiangxi River (XXR) bay, which is the largest backwater zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), are treated as Type I industry solid wastes by the Chinese government. To evaluate the potential pollution risk of phosphorus leaching from phosphate waste rocks, the phosphorus leaching behaviors of six phosphate waste rock samples with different weathering degrees under both neutral and acidic conditions were investigated using a series of column leaching experiments, following the Method 1314 standard of the US EPA. The results indicate that the phosphorus release mechanism is solubility-controlled. Phosphorus release from waste rocks increases as pH decreases. The phosphorus leaching concentration and cumulative phosphorus released in acidic leaching conditions were found to be one order of magnitude greater than that in neutral leaching conditions. In addition, the phosphorus was released faster during the period when environmental pH turned from weak alkalinity to slight acidity, with this accelerated release period appearing when L/S was in the range of 0.5-2.0 mL/g. In both neutral and acidic conditions, the average values of Total Phosphorus (TP), including orthophosphates, polyphosphates and organic phosphate, leaching concentration exceed the availability by regulatory (0.5 mg/L) in the whole L/S range, suggesting that the phosphate waste rocks stacked within the XXR watershed should be considered as Type II industry solid wastes. Therefore, the phosphate waste rocks deposited within the study area should be considered as phosphorus point pollution sources, which could threaten the adjacent surface-water environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Transcriptome analysis of phosphorus stress responsiveness in the seedlings of Dongxiang wild rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff.).

    PubMed

    Deng, Qian-Wen; Luo, Xiang-Dong; Chen, Ya-Ling; Zhou, Yi; Zhang, Fan-Tao; Hu, Biao-Lin; Xie, Jian-Kun

    2018-03-15

    Low phosphorus availability is a major factor restricting rice growth. Dongxiang wild rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff.) has many useful genes lacking in cultivated rice, including stress resistance to phosphorus deficiency, cold, salt and drought, which is considered to be a precious germplasm resource for rice breeding. However, the molecular mechanism of regulation of phosphorus deficiency tolerance is not clear. In this study, cDNA libraries were constructed from the leaf and root tissues of phosphorus stressed and untreated Dongxiang wild rice seedlings, and transcriptome sequencing was performed with the goal of elucidating the molecular mechanisms involved in phosphorus stress response. The results indicated that 1184 transcripts were differentially expressed in the leaves (323 up-regulated and 861 down-regulated) and 986 transcripts were differentially expressed in the roots (756 up-regulated and 230 down-regulated). 43 genes were up-regulated both in leaves and roots, 38 genes were up-regulated in roots but down-regulated in leaves, and only 2 genes were down-regulated in roots but up-regulated in leaves. Among these differentially expressed genes, the detection of many transcription factors and functional genes demonstrated that multiple regulatory pathways were involved in phosphorus deficiency tolerance. Meanwhile, the differentially expressed genes were also annotated with gene ontology terms and key pathways via functional classification and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes pathway mapping, respectively. A set of the most important candidate genes was then identified by combining the differentially expressed genes found in the present study with previously identified phosphorus deficiency tolerance quantitative trait loci. The present work provides abundant genomic information for functional dissection of the phosphorus deficiency resistance of Dongxiang wild rice, which will be help to understand the biological regulatory mechanisms of phosphorus deficiency tolerance in Dongxiang wild rice.

  2. GROWTH, PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY, AND NITROGEN FIXATION POTENTIAL OF NODULARIA SPP. (CYANOPHYCEAE) IN WATER FROM A SUBTROPICAL ESTUARY IN THE UNITED STATES .

    PubMed

    Moisander, Pia H; Paerl, Hans W

    2000-08-26

    Nodularia is a halotolerant, filamentous, dinitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium that forms massive blooms in some coastal oceans, estuaries, and saline lakes worldwide. Although the genus is globally distributed, its blooms are sporadic and appear to be confined to certain water bodies. Blooms are frequently associated with phosphorus enrichment; therefore Nodularia may benefit from increased anthropogenic nutrient loading to coastal waters. We studied the potential for Nodularia to grow in the nitrogen-limited Neuse River Estuary (North Carolina, U.S.A.) with laboratory growth experiments in Neuse River Estuary water and by examining physico-chemical data from the estuary. Analysis of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), salinity, and temperature data from the Neuse River Estuary between 1994 and 1998 revealed that suitable conditions for Nodularia prevailed during the summer of each of these years for time spans ranging from 1.5 to 5 months. Growth of two laboratory strains in Neuse River Estuary water was as fast or slightly slower than in artificial growth medium, as long as the culture inoculum had phosphorus reserves. Phosphorus addition did not stimulate growth of already phosphorus-sufficient inocula. Phosphorus starvation of the inoculum before the experiment decreased growth rates in the estuarine water unless additional phosphorus was supplied. Although phosphorus addition had a stimulatory effect on dinitrogen fixation and productivity, the effect differed for the two Nodularia strains. Results suggest that growth of Nodularia in North Carolinian estuaries is possible, and that such growth would be phosphorus-limited at times. Phosphorus availability may determine the times and locations for potential establishment of Nodularia in this and similar estuarine ecosystems.

  3. Penguins significantly increased phosphine formation and phosphorus contribution in maritime Antarctic soils.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Renbin; Wang, Qing; Ding, Wei; Wang, Can; Hou, Lijun; Ma, Dawei

    2014-11-14

    Most studies on phosphorus cycle in the natural environment focused on phosphates, with limited data available for the reduced phosphine (PH3). In this paper, matrix-bound phosphine (MBP), gaseous phosphine fluxes and phosphorus fractions in the soils were investigated from a penguin colony, a seal colony and the adjacent animal-lacking tundra and background sites. The MBP levels (mean 200.3 ng kg(-1)) in penguin colony soils were much higher than those in seal colony soils, animal-lacking tundra soils and the background soils. Field PH3 flux observation and laboratory incubation experiments confirmed that penguin colony soils produced much higher PH3 emissions than seal colony soils and animal-lacking tundra soils. Overall high MBP levels and PH3 emissions were modulated by soil biogeochemical processes associated with penguin activities: sufficient supply of the nutrients phosphorus, nitrogen, and organic carbon from penguin guano, high soil bacterial abundance and phosphatase activity. It was proposed that organic or inorganic phosphorus compounds from penguin guano or seal excreta could be reduced to PH3 in the Antarctic soils through the bacterial activity. Our results indicated that penguin activity significantly increased soil phosphine formation and phosphorus contribution, thus played an important role in phosphorus cycle in terrestrial ecosystems of maritime Antarctica.

  4. Penguins significantly increased phosphine formation and phosphorus contribution in maritime Antarctic soils

    PubMed Central

    Zhu, Renbin; Wang, Qing; Ding, Wei; Wang, Can; Hou, Lijun; Ma, Dawei

    2014-01-01

    Most studies on phosphorus cycle in the natural environment focused on phosphates, with limited data available for the reduced phosphine (PH3). In this paper, matrix-bound phosphine (MBP), gaseous phosphine fluxes and phosphorus fractions in the soils were investigated from a penguin colony, a seal colony and the adjacent animal-lacking tundra and background sites. The MBP levels (mean 200.3 ng kg−1) in penguin colony soils were much higher than those in seal colony soils, animal-lacking tundra soils and the background soils. Field PH3 flux observation and laboratory incubation experiments confirmed that penguin colony soils produced much higher PH3 emissions than seal colony soils and animal-lacking tundra soils. Overall high MBP levels and PH3 emissions were modulated by soil biogeochemical processes associated with penguin activities: sufficient supply of the nutrients phosphorus, nitrogen, and organic carbon from penguin guano, high soil bacterial abundance and phosphatase activity. It was proposed that organic or inorganic phosphorus compounds from penguin guano or seal excreta could be reduced to PH3 in the Antarctic soils through the bacterial activity. Our results indicated that penguin activity significantly increased soil phosphine formation and phosphorus contribution, thus played an important role in phosphorus cycle in terrestrial ecosystems of maritime Antarctica. PMID:25394572

  5. Covalent functionalization and passivation of exfoliated black phosphorus via aryl diazonium chemistry.

    PubMed

    Ryder, Christopher R; Wood, Joshua D; Wells, Spencer A; Yang, Yang; Jariwala, Deep; Marks, Tobin J; Schatz, George C; Hersam, Mark C

    2016-06-01

    Functionalization of atomically thin nanomaterials enables the tailoring of their chemical, optical and electronic properties. Exfoliated black phosphorus (BP)-a layered two-dimensional semiconductor-exhibits favourable charge-carrier mobility, tunable bandgap and highly anisotropic properties, but it is chemically reactive and degrades rapidly in ambient conditions. Here we show that covalent aryl diazonium functionalization suppresses the chemical degradation of exfoliated BP even after three weeks of ambient exposure. This chemical modification scheme spontaneously forms phosphorus-carbon bonds, has a reaction rate sensitive to the aryl diazonium substituent and alters the electronic properties of exfoliated BP, ultimately yielding a strong, tunable p-type doping that simultaneously improves the field-effect transistor mobility and on/off current ratio. This chemical functionalization pathway controllably modifies the properties of exfoliated BP, and thus improves its prospects for nanoelectronic applications.

  6. Covalent functionalization and passivation of exfoliated black phosphorus via aryl diazonium chemistry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ryder, Christopher R.; Wood, Joshua D.; Wells, Spencer A.; Yang, Yang; Jariwala, Deep; Marks, Tobin J.; Schatz, George C.; Hersam, Mark C.

    2016-06-01

    Functionalization of atomically thin nanomaterials enables the tailoring of their chemical, optical and electronic properties. Exfoliated black phosphorus (BP)—a layered two-dimensional semiconductor—exhibits favourable charge-carrier mobility, tunable bandgap and highly anisotropic properties, but it is chemically reactive and degrades rapidly in ambient conditions. Here we show that covalent aryl diazonium functionalization suppresses the chemical degradation of exfoliated BP even after three weeks of ambient exposure. This chemical modification scheme spontaneously forms phosphorus-carbon bonds, has a reaction rate sensitive to the aryl diazonium substituent and alters the electronic properties of exfoliated BP, ultimately yielding a strong, tunable p-type doping that simultaneously improves the field-effect transistor mobility and on/off current ratio. This chemical functionalization pathway controllably modifies the properties of exfoliated BP, and thus improves its prospects for nanoelectronic applications.

  7. Carbon and nutrient removal from on-site wastewater using extended-aeration activated sludge and ion exchange.

    PubMed

    Safferman, Steven I; Burks, Bennette D; Parker, Robert A

    2004-01-01

    The need to improve on-site wastewater treatment processes is being realized as populations move into more environmentally sensitive regions and regulators adopt the total maximum daily load approach to watershed management. Under many conditions, septic systems do not provide adequate treatment; therefore, advanced systems are required. These systems must remove significant amounts of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and suspended solids, and substantially nitrify, denitrify, and remove phosphorus. Many existing advanced on-site wastewater systems effectively remove BOD, suspended solids, and ammonia, but few substantially denitrify and uptake phosphorus. The purpose of this research was to design and test modifications to an existing on-site wastewater treatment system to improve denitrification and phosphorus removal. The Nayadic (Consolidated Treatment Systems, Inc., Franklin, Ohio), an established, commercially available, extended-aeration, activated sludge process, was used to represent a typical existing system. Several modifications were considered based on a literature review, and the option with the best potential was tested. To improve denitrification, a supplemental treatment tank was installed before the Nayadic and a combination flow splitter, sump, and pump box with a recirculation system was installed after it. A recirculation pump returned a high proportion of the system effluent back to the supplemental treatment tank. Two supplemental treatment tank sizes, three flowrates, and three recirculation rates were tested. Actual wastewater was dosed as brief slugs to the system in accordance with a set schedule. Several ion-exchange resins housed in a contact column were tested on the effluent for their potential to remove phosphorus. Low effluent levels of five-day biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, and total nitrogen were achieved and substantial phosphorous removal was also achieved using a 3780-L supplemental treatment tank, a recirculation ratio of 5:1, and a fine-grain activated aluminum-oxide-exchange media. Good results were also obtained with an 1890-L supplemental treatment tank and a recirculation ratio of 3:1. The most significant benefit of the supplemental treatment tank, in combination with the recirculation system, appears to be the low nitrogen concentration dosed to the Nayadic. By reducing the nitrogen concentration and spreading out its mass over time during no-flow periods, the Nayadic's inherent low-level denitrifying capacity was more closely matched and effective treatment was achieved.

  8. The Optimal Lateral Root Branching Density for Maize Depends on Nitrogen and Phosphorus Availability1[C][W][OPEN

    PubMed Central

    Postma, Johannes Auke; Dathe, Annette; Lynch, Jonathan Paul

    2014-01-01

    Observed phenotypic variation in the lateral root branching density (LRBD) in maize (Zea mays) is large (1–41 cm−1 major axis [i.e. brace, crown, seminal, and primary roots]), suggesting that LRBD has varying utility and tradeoffs in specific environments. Using the functional-structural plant model SimRoot, we simulated the three-dimensional development of maize root architectures with varying LRBD and quantified nitrate and phosphorus uptake, root competition, and whole-plant carbon balances in soils varying in the availability of these nutrients. Sparsely spaced (less than 7 branches cm−1), long laterals were optimal for nitrate acquisition, while densely spaced (more than 9 branches cm−1), short laterals were optimal for phosphorus acquisition. The nitrate results are mostly explained by the strong competition between lateral roots for nitrate, which causes increasing LRBD to decrease the uptake per unit root length, while the carbon budgets of the plant do not permit greater total root length (i.e. individual roots in the high-LRBD plants stay shorter). Competition and carbon limitations for growth play less of a role for phosphorus uptake, and consequently increasing LRBD results in greater root length and uptake. We conclude that the optimal LRBD depends on the relative availability of nitrate (a mobile soil resource) and phosphorus (an immobile soil resource) and is greater in environments with greater carbon fixation. The median LRBD reported in several field screens was 6 branches cm−1, suggesting that most genotypes have an LRBD that balances the acquisition of both nutrients. LRBD merits additional investigation as a potential breeding target for greater nutrient acquisition. PMID:24850860

  9. Duplicate and Conquer: Multiple Homologs of PHOSPHORUS-STARVATION TOLERANCE1 Enhance Phosphorus Acquisition and Sorghum Performance on Low-Phosphorus Soils1[C][W][OPEN

    PubMed Central

    Hufnagel, Barbara; de Sousa, Sylvia M.; Assis, Lidianne; Guimaraes, Claudia T.; Leiser, Willmar; Azevedo, Gabriel C.; Negri, Barbara; Larson, Brandon G.; Shaff, Jon E.; Pastina, Maria Marta; Barros, Beatriz A.; Weltzien, Eva; Rattunde, Henry Frederick W.; Viana, Joao H.; Clark, Randy T.; Falcão, Alexandre; Gazaffi, Rodrigo; Garcia, Antonio Augusto F.; Schaffert, Robert E.; Kochian, Leon V.; Magalhaes, Jurandir V.

    2014-01-01

    Low soil phosphorus (P) availability is a major constraint for crop production in tropical regions. The rice (Oryza sativa) protein kinase, PHOSPHORUS-STARVATION TOLERANCE1 (OsPSTOL1), was previously shown to enhance P acquisition and grain yield in rice under P deficiency. We investigated the role of homologs of OsPSTOL1 in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) performance under low P. Association mapping was undertaken in two sorghum association panels phenotyped for P uptake, root system morphology and architecture in hydroponics and grain yield and biomass accumulation under low-P conditions, in Brazil and/or in Mali. Root length and root surface area were positively correlated with grain yield under low P in the soil, emphasizing the importance of P acquisition efficiency in sorghum adaptation to low-P availability. SbPSTOL1 alleles reducing root diameter were associated with enhanced P uptake under low P in hydroponics, whereas Sb03g006765 and Sb03g0031680 alleles increasing root surface area also increased grain yield in a low-P soil. SbPSTOL1 genes colocalized with quantitative trait loci for traits underlying root morphology and dry weight accumulation under low P via linkage mapping. Consistent allelic effects for enhanced sorghum performance under low P between association panels, including enhanced grain yield under low P in the soil in Brazil, point toward a relatively stable role for Sb03g006765 across genetic backgrounds and environmental conditions. This study indicates that multiple SbPSTOL1 genes have a more general role in the root system, not only enhancing root morphology traits but also changing root system architecture, which leads to grain yield gain under low-P availability in the soil. PMID:25189534

  10. Serum phosphorus and mortality in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III): effect modification by fasting.

    PubMed

    Chang, Alex R; Grams, Morgan E

    2014-10-01

    Serum phosphorus levels have been associated with mortality in some but not all studies. Because dietary intake prior to measurement can affect serum phosphorus levels, we hypothesized that the association between serum phosphorus level and mortality is strongest in those who have fasted longer. Prospective cohort study. Nationally representative sample of 12,984 participants 20 years or older in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994). Serum phosphorus level, fasting duration (dichotomized as ≥ 12 or < 12 hours). All-cause and cardiovascular mortality determined by death certificate data from the National Death Index. Serum phosphorus measured in a central laboratory and fasting duration recorded as time since food or drink other than water was consumed. Individuals fasting 12 or more hours had lower serum phosphorus levels than those fasting less than 12 hours (3.34 vs 3.55 mg/dL; P < 0.001) and higher correlation with repeat measurement (0.66 vs 0.53; P = 0.002). In multivariable-adjusted Cox regression models, the highest quartile of serum phosphorus was associated with increased mortality in participants fasting 12 or more hours (adjusted HR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.38-2.20; reference, lowest quartile) but not in participants fasting less than 12 hours (adjusted HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.89-1.32; P for interaction = 0.002). Relationships were consistent using 8 hours as the fasting cutoff point or cardiovascular mortality as the outcome. Observational study, lack of fibroblast growth factor 23 or intact parathyroid hormone measurements. Fasting but not nonfasting serum phosphorus levels were associated with increased mortality. Risk prognostication based on serum phosphorus may be improved using fasting levels. Copyright © 2014 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Effect of Polyphosphate-accumulating Organisms on Phosphorus Mobility in Variably Saturated Sand Columns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stockton, M.; Rojas, C.; Regan, J. M.; Saia, S. M.; Buda, A. R.; Carrick, H. J.; Walter, M. T.

    2016-12-01

    Excessive application of phosphorus-containing fertilizer along with incomplete knowledge about the factors affecting phosphorus transport and mobility has allowed for a growing number of cases of eutrophication in water bodies. Previous research on enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) systems used in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has identified polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) that are known to accumulate and release phosphorus depending on aerobic/anaerobic conditions. Under anaerobic conditions, intracellular polyphosphate (poly-P) bodies are hydrolyzed releasing phosphate, while under aerobic conditions phosphate is taken up and poly-P inclusions are reformed. The presence of PAOs outside of WWTPs has been shown, but their potential impact on phosphorus mobility in other contexts is not as well known. To study that potential impact, sand columns were subjected to alternating cycles of saturation and unsaturation to mimic variably saturated soils and the resultant anaerobic and aerobic conditions that select for PAOs in a WWTP. Pore water samples collected from sterile control columns and columns inoculated with PAOs from a WWTP were compared during each cycle to monitor changes in dissolved inorganic phosphate and total phosphorus concentrations. In addition, continuous redox data were collected to confirm reducing conditions developed during periods of saturation. Sand particles will be subjected to FISH and DAPI staining to visualize PAOs using probes developed for PAOs in EBPR processes and to determine if changes in intracellular poly-P are detectable between the two cycles in the inoculated columns. Studying the effects of PAOs on phosphorus mobility in these controlled column experiments can contribute to understanding phosphorus retention and release by naturally occurring PAOs in terrestrial system, which ultimately can improve the development of management practices that mitigate phosphorus pollution of water bodies.

  12. Phosphorus and Nitrogen Regulate Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis in Petunia hybrida

    PubMed Central

    Nouri, Eva; Breuillin-Sessoms, Florence; Feller, Urs; Reinhardt, Didier

    2014-01-01

    Phosphorus and nitrogen are essential nutrient elements that are needed by plants in large amounts. The arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis between plants and soil fungi improves phosphorus and nitrogen acquisition under limiting conditions. On the other hand, these nutrients influence root colonization by mycorrhizal fungi and symbiotic functioning. This represents a feedback mechanism that allows plants to control the fungal symbiont depending on nutrient requirements and supply. Elevated phosphorus supply has previously been shown to exert strong inhibition of arbuscular mycorrhizal development. Here, we address to what extent inhibition by phosphorus is influenced by other nutritional pathways in the interaction between Petunia hybrida and R. irregularis. We show that phosphorus and nitrogen are the major nutritional determinants of the interaction. Interestingly, the symbiosis-promoting effect of nitrogen starvation dominantly overruled the suppressive effect of high phosphorus nutrition onto arbuscular mycorrhiza, suggesting that plants promote the symbiosis as long as they are limited by one of the two major nutrients. Our results also show that in a given pair of symbiotic partners (Petunia hybrida and R. irregularis), the entire range from mutually symbiotic to parasitic can be observed depending on the nutritional conditions. Taken together, these results reveal complex nutritional feedback mechanisms in the control of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. PMID:24608923

  13. Phosphorus and nitrogen regulate arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in Petunia hybrida.

    PubMed

    Nouri, Eva; Breuillin-Sessoms, Florence; Feller, Urs; Reinhardt, Didier

    2014-01-01

    Phosphorus and nitrogen are essential nutrient elements that are needed by plants in large amounts. The arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis between plants and soil fungi improves phosphorus and nitrogen acquisition under limiting conditions. On the other hand, these nutrients influence root colonization by mycorrhizal fungi and symbiotic functioning. This represents a feedback mechanism that allows plants to control the fungal symbiont depending on nutrient requirements and supply. Elevated phosphorus supply has previously been shown to exert strong inhibition of arbuscular mycorrhizal development. Here, we address to what extent inhibition by phosphorus is influenced by other nutritional pathways in the interaction between Petunia hybrida and R. irregularis. We show that phosphorus and nitrogen are the major nutritional determinants of the interaction. Interestingly, the symbiosis-promoting effect of nitrogen starvation dominantly overruled the suppressive effect of high phosphorus nutrition onto arbuscular mycorrhiza, suggesting that plants promote the symbiosis as long as they are limited by one of the two major nutrients. Our results also show that in a given pair of symbiotic partners (Petunia hybrida and R. irregularis), the entire range from mutually symbiotic to parasitic can be observed depending on the nutritional conditions. Taken together, these results reveal complex nutritional feedback mechanisms in the control of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

  14. An optimized network for phosphorus load monitoring for Lake Okeechobee, Florida

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gain, W.S.

    1997-01-01

    Phosphorus load data were evaluated for Lake Okeechobee, Florida, for water years 1982 through 1991. Standard errors for load estimates were computed from available phosphorus concentration and daily discharge data. Components of error were associated with uncertainty in concentration and discharge data and were calculated for existing conditions and for 6 alternative load-monitoring scenarios for each of 48 distinct inflows. Benefit-cost ratios were computed for each alternative monitoring scenario at each site by dividing estimated reductions in load uncertainty by the 5-year average costs of each scenario in 1992 dollars. Absolute and marginal benefit-cost ratios were compared in an iterative optimization scheme to determine the most cost-effective combination of discharge and concentration monitoring scenarios for the lake. If the current (1992) discharge-monitoring network around the lake is maintained, the water-quality sampling at each inflow site twice each year is continued, and the nature of loading remains the same, the standard error of computed mean-annual load is estimated at about 98 metric tons per year compared to an absolute loading rate (inflows and outflows) of 530 metric tons per year. This produces a relative uncertainty of nearly 20 percent. The standard error in load can be reduced to about 20 metric tons per year (4 percent) by adopting an optimized set of monitoring alternatives at a cost of an additional $200,000 per year. The final optimized network prescribes changes to improve both concentration and discharge monitoring. These changes include the addition of intensive sampling with automatic samplers at 11 sites, the initiation of event-based sampling by observers at another 5 sites, the continuation of periodic sampling 12 times per year at 1 site, the installation of acoustic velocity meters to improve discharge gaging at 9 sites, and the improvement of a discharge rating at 1 site.

  15. [Effect of phosphate and organic acid addition on passivation of simulated Pb contaminated soil and the stability of the product].

    PubMed

    Zuo, Ji-Chao; Gao, Ting-Ting; Su, Xiao-Juan; Wan, Tian-Ying; Hu, Hong-Qing

    2014-10-01

    Organic acids can improve the phosphorus availability, influence the immobilization of heavy metals in soil, and has very complicated function in phosphorus activation and heavy metal passivation. This research took simulated Pb contaminated soil as material, phosphate and citric acid as remediation matter, adopted BCR continuous extraction, 0.01 mol · L(-1) CaCl2 and toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) to evaluate the remediation effect. Besides, malic acid and NaNO3 were taken as desorption reagents to discuss the stability of the phosphorus-citric acid-Pb system. The results showed that: in the absence of citric acid, the amount of acid extracted Pb decreased along with the increase of P concentration; when the P concentration was 100 and 400 mg · kg(-1), acid extractable Pb increased with the increasing of citric acid concentration. However, residual Pb changed in the opposite direction from acid extractable Pb. The phenomenon showed that P improved the bioavailability of Pb, while citric acid had the opposite effect. With a certain organic acid concentration, extractable Pb contents extracted by 0.01 mol · L(-1) CaCl2 and TCLP both decreased with the increasing P concentration, therefore, P had immobilization effect on Pb in contaminated soil. But at a fixed P concentration, extractable Pb contents by 0.01 mol · L(-1) CaCl2 and TCLP changed in the opposite trend with the increasing citric acid concentration. The desorption rate of Pb in soil increased with the increasing malic acid concentration, the decreasing pH and the increasing ionic strength. The desorption extent of Pb in soil with P only was lower than that with both P and citric acid. But the stability of Pb passivated by the former was higher.

  16. Higher flexibility in input N:P ratios results in more balanced phosphorus budgets in two long-term experimental agroecosystems

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Inefficient phosphorus (P) use in intensive agriculture is common in both organic and conventional systems, resulting in P overapplication and soil P build-up. Increasing crop P removal and P recycling within farming systems (e.g., via cover crops) and reducing P inputs can improve farm P balances. ...

  17. Long-term records reveal decoupling of nitrogen and phosphorus cycles in a large, urban lake in response to an extreme rainfall event

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Corman, J. R.; Loken, L. C.; Oliver, S. K.; Collins, S.; Butitta, V.; Stanley, E. H.

    2017-12-01

    Extreme events can play powerful roles in shifting ecosystem processes. In lakes, heavy rainfall can transport large amounts of particulates and dissolved nutrients into the water column and, potentially, alter biogeochemical cycling. However, the impacts of extreme rainfall events are often difficult to study due to a lack of long-term records. In this paper, we combine daily discharge records with long-term lake water quality information collected by the North Temperate Lakes Long-Term Ecological Research (NTL LTER) site to investigate the impacts of extreme events on nutrient cycling in lakes. We focus on Lake Mendota, an urban lake within the Yahara River Watershed in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, where nutrient data are available at least seasonally from 1995 - present. In June 2008, precipitation amounts in the Yahara watershed were 400% above normal values, triggering the largest discharge event on record for the 40 years of monitoring at the streamgage station; hence, we are able to compare water quality records before and after this event as a case study of how extreme rain events couple or decouple lake nutrient cycling. Following the extreme event, the lake-wide mass of nitrogen and phosphorus increased in the summer of 2008 by 35% and 21%, respectively, shifting lake stoichiometry by increasing N:P ratios (Figure 1). Nitrogen concentrations remained elevated longer than phosphorus, suggesting (1) that nitrogen inputs into the lake were sustained longer than phosphorus (i.e., a "smear" versus "pulse" loading of nitrogen versus phosphorus, respectively, in response to the extreme event) and/or (2) that in-lake biogeochemical processing was more efficient at removing phosphorus compared to nitrogen. While groundwater loading data are currently unavailable to test the former hypothesis, preliminary data from surficial nitrogen and phosphorus loading to Lake Mendota (available for 2011 - 2013) suggest that nitrogen removal efficiency is less than phosphorus, supporting the latter hypothesis. As climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme events, continued monitoring of lakes is needed to understand biogeochemical responses and when and how water quality threats may occur.

  18. Assessment of Dietary Intake of Children with Chronic Kidney Disease

    PubMed Central

    Hui, W. F.; Betoko, Aisha; Savant, Jonathan D.; Abraham, Alison G.; Greenbaum, Larry A.; Warady, Bradley; Moxey-Mims, Marva M.; Furth, Susan L.

    2017-01-01

    Objective Our aim was to characterize the nutrient intake of children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) relative to recommended intake levels. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of dietary intake assessed by food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in The North American Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) prospective cohort study. Nutrient intake was analyzed to estimate the daily consumption levels of various nutrients and compared to national guidelines for intake. Results There were 658 FFQs available for analysis; 69.9% of respondents were boys, with a median age (Interquartile range [IQR]) of 11 years (8–15). Median daily sodium, potassium and phosphorus intake of the cohort was 3089 mg (2294–4243), 2384 mg (1804–3076) and 1206 mg (894–1612) respectively. Sodium and phosphorus consumptions were higher than recommended in all age groups. Caloric intake decreased with dropping glomerular filtration rate (p=0.003). Median daily caloric intakes were 1307 kcal in male children 2–3 years old, 1875 kcal in 4–8 year old, 1923 kcal in those 9–13 years old, and 2427 kcal in those 14–18 years old. Respective levels for girls were 1467 kcal, 1736 kcal, 1803 kcal, and 2281 kcal. Median protein intake exceeded recommended levels in all age groups, particularly among younger participants. Younger children were more likely than older children to exceed the recommended intakes for phosphorus (p<0.001) and the age-specific recommended caloric intake (p<0.001). Macronutrient distribution (carbohydrate: fat: protein) was consistent with recommendation. Conclusions Children in the CKiD cohort consumed more sodium, phosphorus, protein and calories than recommended. The gap between actual consumption and recommendations indicates a need for improved nutritional counseling and monitoring. PMID:27687620

  19. Assessment of conservation easements, total phosphorus, and total suspended solids in West Fork Beaver Creek, Minnesota, 1999-2012

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Christensen, Victoria G.; Kieta, Kristen A.

    2014-01-01

    This study examined conservation easements and their effectiveness at reducing phosphorus and solids transport to streams. The U.S. Geological Survey cooperated with the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources and worked collaboratively with the Hawk Creek Watershed Project to examine the West Fork Beaver Creek Basin in Renville County, which has the largest number of Reinvest In Minnesota land retirement contracts in the State (as of 2013). Among all conservation easement programs, a total of 24,218 acres of agricultural land were retired throughout Renville County, and 2,718 acres were retired in the West Fork Beaver Creek Basin from 1987 through 2012. Total land retirement increased steadily from 1987 until 2000. In 2000, land retirement increased sharply because of the Minnesota River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, then leveled off when the program ended in 2002. Streamflow data were collected during 1999 through 2011, and total phosphorus and total suspended solids data were collected during 1999 through 2012. During this period, the highest peak streamflow of 1,320 cubic feet per second was in March 2010. Total phosphorus and total suspended solids are constituents that tend to increase with increases in streamflow. Annual flow-weighted mean total-phosphorus concentrations ranged from 0.140 to 0.759 milligrams per liter, and annual flow-weighted mean total suspended solids concentrations ranged from 21.3 to 217 milligrams per liter. Annual flow-weighted mean total phosphorus and total suspended solids concentrations decreased steadily during the first 4 years of water-quality sample collection. A downward trend in flow-weighted mean total-phosphorus concentrations was significant from 1999 through 2008; however, flow-weighted total-phosphorus concentrations increased substantially in 2009, and the total phosphorus trend was no longer significant. The high annual flow-weighted mean concentrations for total phosphorus and total suspended solids in 2009 were affected by outlier concentrations documented in March 2009. Agricultural land-retirement data only were available through 2008; therefore, it was not possible to compare total phosphorus and total suspended solids concentrations to agricultural land-retirement data for 2009–11. A downward trend in annual flow-weighted mean total-phosphorus concentrations was related significantly to annual land retirement for 1999–2008. The relation between annual flow-weighted mean total suspended solids concentration and annual land retirement was not statistically significant for 1999–2008. If land-retirement data had been available for 2009–11, it is possible that the relation between total phosphorus and land retirement would no longer be evident because of the marked increase in flow-weighted concentrations during 2009. Alternatively, the increase in annual flow-weighted mean total-phosphorus concentrations during 2009–11 may be because of other factors, including industrial discharges, increases in drain tile installation, changes in land use including decreases in agricultural land retirement after 2008, increases in erosion, increases in phosphorus applications to fields, or unknown causes. Inclusion of land-retirement effects in agency planning along with other factors adds perspective with regard to the broader picture of interdependent systems and allows agencies to make informed decisions on the benefits of perpetual easements compared to limited duration easements.

  20. ORCHIDEE-CNP: Site-Scale Evaluation against Observations from a Soil Formation Chronosequence in Hawaii

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goll, D. S.; Vuichard, N.; Maignan, F.; Jornet-Puig, A.; Sardans, J.; Peng, S.; Sun, Y.; Kvakić, M.; Guimberteau, M.; Guenet, B.; Zaehle, S.; Penuelas, J.; Jannssens, I.; Ciais, P.

    2017-12-01

    Land surface models rarely incorporate the terrestrial phosphorus cycle and its interactions with the carbon cycle, despite the extensive scientific debate about the importance of nitrogen and phosphorus supply for future land carbon uptake. We describe a representation of the terrestrial phosphorus cycle for the land surface model ORCHIDEE, and evaluate it with data from nutrient manipulation experiments along a soil formation chronosequence in Hawaii. ORCHIDEE accounts for influence of nutritional state of vegetation on tissue nutrient concentrations, photosynthesis, plant growth, biomass allocation, biochemical (phosphatase-mediated) mineralization and biological nitrogen fixation. Changes in nutrient content (quality) of litter affect the carbon use efficiency of decomposition and in return the nutrient availability to vegetation. The model explicitly accounts for root zone depletion of phosphorus as a function of root phosphorus uptake and phosphorus transport from soil to the root surface. The model captures the observed differences in the foliage stoichiometry of vegetation between an early (300yr) and a late stage (4.1 Myr) of soil development. The contrasting sensitivities of net primary productivity to the addition of either nitrogen, phosphorus or both among sites are in general reproduced by the model. As observed, the model simulates a preferential stimulation of leaf level productivity when nitrogen stress is alleviated, while leaf level productivity and leaf area index are stimulated equally when phosphorus stress is alleviated. The nutrient use efficiencies in the model are lower as observed primarily due to biases in the nutrient content and turnover of woody biomass.

  1. Enhanced phosphorus removal from wastewater by growing deep-sea bacterium combined with basic oxygen furnace slag.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Weizhi; Huang, Zhaosong; Sun, Cuiping; Zhao, Haixia; Zhang, Yuzhong

    2016-08-01

    As one solid waste with potential for phosphorus removal, application of slags in water treatment merits attention. But it was inhibited greatly by alkaline solution (pH>9.5) and cemented clogging generated. To give one solution, phosphorus removal was investigated by combining deep-sea bacterium Alteromonas 522-1 and basic oxygen furnace slag (BOFS). Results showed that by the combination, not only higher phosphorous removal efficiency (>90%) but also neutral solution pH of 7.8-8.0 were achieved at wide ranges of initial solution pH value of 5.0-9.0, phosphorus concentration of 5-30mg/L, salinity of 0.5-3.5%, and temperature of 15-35°C. Moreover, sedimentary property was also improved with lower amount of sludge production and alleviated BOFS cementation with increased porosity and enlarged particle size. These results provided a promising strategy for the phosphorus recovery with slags in large-scale wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Recent insights into physiological responses to nutrients by the cylindrospermopsin producing cyanobacterium, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burford, Michele A.; Willis, Anusuya; Chuang, Ann; Man, Xiao; Orr, Phil

    2017-11-01

    The harmful cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii is a widespread species increasingly being recorded in freshwater systems around the world. Studies have demonstrated some key attributes of this species which may explain its global dominance. It has a high level of flexibility with respect to light and nutrients, being capable of growth under low and variable light conditions. However, it is the strategy with respect to nutrient utilization that has received more attention. Unlike many bloom forming species, the dominance of this species is not simply linked to higher nutrient loads. In fact it appears that it is more competitive when phosphorus and nitrogen availability is low and/or variable. An important component of this flexibility appears to be the result of within-population strain variability in responses to nutrients, as well as key physiological adaptations. Strain variability also appears to have an effect on the population-level cell quota of toxins, specifically cylindrospermopsins (CYNs). Field studies in Australia showed that populations had the highest proportion of toxic strains when dissolved inorganic phosphorus was added, resulting in stoichiometrically balanced nitrogen and phosphorus within the cells. These strategies are part of an arsenal of responses to environmental conditions, making it a challenging species to manage. However, our ability to improve bloom prediction will rely on a more detailed understanding of the complex physiology and ecology of this species.

  3. Impacts of land use on phosphorus transport in a river system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, J.; Pant, H. K.

    2010-12-01

    Phosphorus (P) is a primary limiting nutrient in freshwater systems, however, excessive P load in the systems cause eutriphication, resulting in algal blooms and oxygen depletion. This study estimated potential exchange of P between water column and sediments by P sorption, and identified P compounds in sediments by 31Phosphorus Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in the samples collected from the Bronx River, New York City, NY. Similarly, mineralization, as well as enzymatic hydrolysis using native phosphoatases (NPase) and phosphodiesterase (PDEase) showed that land use changes and other anthropogenic factors had effects on the P availability in the river. Distinguished characteristics of P bioavailability appeared at major tributaries of Sprain Brook and Troublesome Brook, boundary between fresh and saline water at East Tremont Ave, and estuary close to Hunts Point Wastewater Treatment Plant. Incidental sewer overflows at Yonkers, oil spill at East Tremont Avenue Bridge, fertilizer application at Westchester’s lawns, and gardens, animal manure from the zoo, combined sewer overflows (CSOs), storm water runoff from Bronx River Parkway, and inputs from East River influenced spatial and temporal variations on P transport in the river. This study provides an overview of impacts of land use on nutrient transport in a river system, which may help to make effective policies to regulate P application in the river watersheds, in turn, improve water quality and ecological restoration of a river.

  4. Carbon dioxide diffusion across stomata and mesophyll and photo-biochemical processes as affected by growth CO2 and phosphorus nutrition in cotton

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Nutrients such as phosphorus availability may exert a major control over plant response to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (CO2), which is projected to double by the end of 21st century. Elevated CO2 may overcome the diffusional limitation to photosynthesis posed by stomata and mesop...

  5. Hydrology and water quality of Park Lake, south-central Wisconsin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kammerer, P.A.

    1996-01-01

    Park Lake extends to the northeast from the village of Pardeeville in Columbia County (fig. 1). Local residents perceive water-quality problems in the lake that include excessive algae and aquatic plant growth. Algae and plant growth in a lake are controlled, in part, by the availability of phosphorus in the water. However, no measurements of phosphorus enter- ing the lake or of other factors that affect lake-water quality had been made, and available data on water quality were limited to 2 years of measurements at one site in the lake in 1986- 87. To obtain the data and in- formation needed to address the water-quality problems at Park Lake and to develop a management plan that would limit the input of phosphorus to the lake, the U.S. Geologi- cal Survey, in cooperation with the Park Lake Management District, studied the hydrology of the lake and collected data needed to determine sources and amount of phosphorus en- tering the lake. This Fact Sheet summarizes the results of that study. Data collected during the study were published in a separate report (Holmstrom and others, 1994, p. 70-85).

  6. The “White Ocean” Hypothesis: A Late Pleistocene Southern Ocean Governed by Coccolithophores and Driven by Phosphorus

    PubMed Central

    Flores, José-Abel; Filippelli, Gabriel M.; Sierro, Francisco J.; Latimer, Jennifer

    2012-01-01

    Paleoproductivity is a critical component in past ocean biogeochemistry, but accurate reconstructions of productivity are often hindered by limited integration of proxies. Here, we integrate geochemical (phosphorus) and micropaleontological proxies at millennial timescales, revealing that the coccolithophore record in the Subantarctic zone of the South Atlantic Ocean is driven largely by variations in marine phosphorus availability. A quantitative micropaleontological and geochemical analysis carried out in sediments retrieved from Ocean Drilling Program Site 1089 (Subantarctic Zone) reveals that most of the export productivity in this region over the last 0.5 my was due to coccolithophores. Glacial periods were generally intervals of high productivity, with productivity reaching a peak at terminations. Particularly high productivity was observed at Termination V and Termination IV, events that are characterized by high abundance of coccolithophores and maxima in the phosphorus/titanium and strontium/titanium records. We link the increase in productivity both to regional oceanographic phenomena, i.e., the northward displacement of the upwelling cell of the Antarctic divergence when the ice-sheet expanded, and to the increase in the inventory of phosphorus in the ocean due to enhanced transfer of this nutrient from continental margins during glacial lowstands in sea level. The Mid-Brunhes interval stands out from the rest of the record, being dominated by the small and highly calcified species Gephyrocapsa caribbeanica that provides most of the carbonate in these sediments. This likely represents higher availability of phosphorus in the surface ocean, especially in mesotrophic and oligotrophic zones. Under these condition, some coccolithophore species developed an r-strategy (opportunistic species; growth rate maximized) resulting in the bloom of G. caribbeanica. These seasonal blooms of may have induced “white tides” similar to those observed today in Emiliania huxleyi. PMID:22783242

  7. Effect of MgO and MnO on Phosphorus Utilization in P-Bearing Steelmaking Slag

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Lu; Bao, Yan-Ping; Wang, Min; Li, Xiang

    2016-04-01

    In order to recycle the phosphorus in P-bearing converter slag and make it used as slag phosphate fertilizer, the effect of MgO and MnO in P-bearing steelmaking slag on phosphorus existence form, P2O5 solubility and magnetic separation behavior were researched systematically. The results show that the phosphorus in slag is mainly in the form of n2CaO · SiO2-3CaO · P2O5 (for short nC2S-C3P) solid solution in the P-rich phase for CaO-SiO2-FetO-P2O5-X (X stands for MgO and MnO, respectively). And the increasing of MgO and MnO content has no influence on precipitation of nC2S-C3P solid solution in slag, MnO and MgO mainly enter into RO phase and base phase to form MnFe2O4 and MgFe2O4, which has little effect on the P2O5 content of P-rich phase, so which has little effect on the degree of phosphorus enrichment and phosphorus occurrence form of the P-bearing slag. And adding MgO and MnO into CaO-SiO2-P2O5-Fe2O3 slag system can break the complex net structure formed by Si-O on certain degree, and also hinder the precipitation of β-Ca3(PO4)2 crystal with low citric acid solubility during the melting-cooling process. Therefore, adding appropriate MgO and MnO content into slag can improve the slag P2O5 solubility, but the effect of different amounts of MgO and MnO on the P2O5 solubility has little difference. Meanwhile, adding MgO and MnO into slag can improve the metallization of slag and magnetism of iron-rich phase, make the magnetic substances content increase and separation of phosphorus and iron incomplete, so it is adverse to phosphorus resources recovery from P-bearing slag by magnetic separation method. In order to recycle the phosphorus in P-bearing converter slag, the MgO and MnO content in the P-bearing slag should be controlled in the steelmaking process.

  8. Chromosomal location of traits associated with wheat seedling water and phosphorus use efficiency under different water and phosphorus stresses.

    PubMed

    Cao, Hong-Xing; Zhang, Zheng-Bin; Sun, Cheng-Xu; Shao, Hong-Bo; Song, Wei-Yi; Xu, Ping

    2009-09-18

    The objective of this study was to locate chromosomes for improving water and phosphorus-deficiency tolerance of wheat at the seedling stage. A set of Chinese Spring-Egyptian Red wheat substitution lines and their parent Chinese Spring (recipient) and Egyptian Red (donor) cultivars were measured to determine the chromosomal locations of genes controlling water use efficiency (WUE) and phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) under different water and phosphorus conditions. The results underlined that chromosomes 1A, 7A, 7B, and 3A showed higher leaf water use efficiency (WUE(l) = Pn/Tr; Pn = photosynthetic rate; Tr = transpiration rate) under W-P (Hoagland solution with 1/2P), -W-P (Hoagland solution with 1/2P and 10% PEG). Chromosomes 7A, 3D, 2B, 3B, and 4B may carry genes for positive effects on individual plant water use efficiency (WUE(p) = biomass/TWC; TWC = total water consumption) under WP (Hoagland solution), W-P and -W-P treatment. Chromosomes 7A and 7D carry genes for PUE enhancement under WP, -WP (Hoagland solution with 10% PEG) and W-P treatment. Chromosome 7A possibly has genes for controlling WUE and PUE simultaneously, which indicates that WUE and PUE may share the same genetic background. Phenotypic and genetic analysis of the investigated traits showed that photosynthetic rate (Pn) and transpiration rate (Tr), Tr and WUE(l) showed significant positive and negative correlations under WP, W-P, -WP and -W-P, W-P, -WP treatments, respectively. Dry mass (DM), WUE(P), PUT (phosphorus uptake) all showed significant positive correlation under WP, W-P and -WP treatment. PUE and phosphorus uptake (PUT = P uptake per plant) showed significant negative correlation under the four treatments. The results might provide useful information for improving WUE and PUE in wheat genetics.

  9. Influence of pH on hydrothermal treatment of swine manure: Impact on extraction of nitrogen and phosphorus in process water.

    PubMed

    Ekpo, U; Ross, A B; Camargo-Valero, M A; Fletcher, L A

    2016-08-01

    This study investigates the influence of pH on extraction of nitrogen and phosphorus from swine manure following hydrothermal treatment. Conditions include thermal hydrolysis (TH) at 120°C and 170°C, and hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) at 200°C and 250°C in either water alone or in the presence of 0.1M NaOH, H2SO4, CH3COOH or HCOOH. Phosphorus extraction is pH and temperature dependent and is enhanced under acidic conditions. The highest level of phosphorus is extracted using H2SO4 reaching 94% at 170°C. The phosphorus is largely retained in the residue for all other conditions. The extraction of nitrogen is not as significantly influenced by pH, although the maximum N extraction is achieved using H2SO4. A significant level of organic-N is extracted into the process waters following hydrothermal treatment. The results indicate that operating hydrothermal treatment in the presence of acidic additives has benefits in terms of improving the extraction of phosphorus and nitrogen. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  10. Display of phytase on the cell surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to degrade phytate phosphorus and improve bioethanol production.

    PubMed

    Chen, Xianzhong; Xiao, Yan; Shen, Wei; Govender, Algasan; Zhang, Liang; Fan, You; Wang, Zhengxiang

    2016-03-01

    Currently, development of biofuels as an alternative fuel has gained much attention due to resource and environmental challenges. Bioethanol is one of most important and dominant biofuels, and production using corn or cassava as raw materials has become a prominent technology. However, phytate contained in the raw material not only decreases the efficiency of ethanol production, but also leads to an increase in the discharge of phosphorus, thus impacting on the environment. In this study, to decrease phytate and its phosphorus content in an ethanol fermentation process, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was engineered through a surface-displaying system utilizing the C-terminal half of the yeast α-agglutinin protein. The recombinant yeast strain, PHY, was constructed by successfully displaying phytase on the surface of cells, and enzyme activity reached 6.4 U/g wet biomass weight. Ethanol productions using various strains were compared, and the results demonstrated that the specific growth rate and average fermentation rate of the PHY strain were higher 20 and 18 %, respectively, compared to the control strain S. cerevisiae CICIMY0086, in a 5-L bioreactor process by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. More importantly, the phytate phosphorus concentration decreased by 89.8 % and free phosphorus concentration increased by 142.9 % in dry vinasse compared to the control in a 5-L bioreactor. In summary, we constructed a recombinant S. cerevisiae strain displaying phytase on the cell surface, which could improve ethanol production performance and effectively reduce the discharge of phosphorus. The strain reported here represents a useful novel engineering platform for developing an environment-friendly system for bioethanol production from a corn substrate.

  11. Extracellular Secretion of Phytase from Transgenic Wheat Roots Allows Utilization of Phytate for Enhanced Phosphorus Uptake.

    PubMed

    Mohsin, Samreen; Maqbool, Asma; Ashraf, Mehwish; Malik, Kauser Abdulla

    2017-08-01

    A significant portion of organic phosphorus comprises of phytates which are not available to wheat for uptake. Hence for enabling wheat to utilize organic phosphorus in form of phytate, transgenic wheat expressing phytase from Aspergillus japonicus under barley root-specific promoter was developed. Transgenic events were initially screened via selection media containing BASTA, followed by PCR and BASTA leaf paint assay after hardening. Out of 138 successfully regenerated T o events, only 12 had complete constructs and thus further analyzed. Positive T1 transgenic plants, grown in sand, exhibited 0.08-1.77, 0.02-0.67 and 0.44-2.14 fold increase in phytase activity in root extracts, intact roots and external root solution, respectively, after 4 weeks of phosphorus stress. Based on these results, T2 generation of four best transgenic events was further analyzed which showed up to 1.32, 56.89, and 15.40 fold increase in phytase activity in root extracts, intact roots and external root solution, respectively, while in case of real-time PCR, maximum fold increase of 19.8 in gene expression was observed. Transgenic lines showed 0.01-1.18 fold increase in phosphorus efficiency along with higher phosphorus content when supplied phytate or inorganic phosphorus than control plants. Thus, this transgenic wheat may aid in reducing fertilizer utilization and enhancing wheat yield.

  12. Phosphorus Availability, Phytoplankton Community Dynamics, and Taxon-Specific Phosphorus Status in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mackey, K. R.; Labiosa, R. G.; Calhoun, M.; Street, J. H.; Post, A. F.; Paytan, A.

    2006-12-01

    The relationships among phytoplankton taxon-specific phosphorus-status, phytoplankton community composition, and nutrient levels were assessed over three seasons in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. During summer and fall, stratified surface waters were depleted of nutrients and picophytoplankton populations comprised the majority of cells (80% and 88% respectively). In winter, surface nutrient concentrations were higher and larger phytoplankton were more abundant (63%). Cell specific alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) derived from enzyme labeled fluorescence was consistently low (less than 5%) in the picophytoplankton throughout the year, whereas larger cells expressed elevated APA during the summer and fall but less in the winter. A nutrient addition bioassay during the fall showed that, relative to control, APA was reduced by half in larger cells following addition of orthophosphate, whereas the APA of picophytoplankton remained low (less than 1%) across all treatments and the control. These results indicate that the most abundant phytoplankton are not limited by orthophosphate and only some subpopulations (particularly of larger cells) exhibit orthophosphate-limitation throughout the year. Our results indicate that orthophosphate availability influences phytoplankton ecology, correlating with shifts in phytoplankton community structure and the nutrient status of individual cells. The role of dissolved organic phosphorus as an important phosphorus source for marine phytoplankton in oligotrophic settings and the need for evaluating nutrient limitation at the taxa and/or single cell level (rather than inferring it from nutrient concentrations and ratios or bulk enzyme activity measurements) are highlighted.

  13. Improving crop nutrient efficiency through root architecture modifications.

    PubMed

    Li, Xinxin; Zeng, Rensen; Liao, Hong

    2016-03-01

    Improving crop nutrient efficiency becomes an essential consideration for environmentally friendly and sustainable agriculture. Plant growth and development is dependent on 17 essential nutrient elements, among them, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are the two most important mineral nutrients. Hence it is not surprising that low N and/or low P availability in soils severely constrains crop growth and productivity, and thereby have become high priority targets for improving nutrient efficiency in crops. Root exploration largely determines the ability of plants to acquire mineral nutrients from soils. Therefore, root architecture, the 3-dimensional configuration of the plant's root system in the soil, is of great importance for improving crop nutrient efficiency. Furthermore, the symbiotic associations between host plants and arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi/rhizobial bacteria, are additional important strategies to enhance nutrient acquisition. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the current understanding of crop species control of root architecture alterations in response to nutrient availability and root/microbe symbioses, through gene or QTL regulation, which results in enhanced nutrient acquisition. © 2015 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

  14. Acetate injection into anaerobic settled sludge for biological P-removal in an intermittently aerated reactor.

    PubMed

    Ahn, K H; Yoo, H; Lee, J W; Maeng, S K; Park, K Y; Song, K G

    2001-01-01

    Injecting acetate into the sludge layer during the settling and decanting periods was adopted to enhance phosphorus release inside the sludge layer during those periods and phosphorus uptake during the subsequent aeration period in a KIST Intermittently Decanted Extended Aeration (KIDEA) process. The relationship among nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal was investigated in detail and analyzed with a qualitative floc model. Dependencies of nitrification on the maximum DO level during the aerobic phase and phosphorus release on residual nitrate concentration during the settling phase were significant. High degree of nitrification resulted that phosphorus release inside the sludge layer was significantly interfered with nitrate due to the limitation of available acetate and the carbon sources from influent. Such limitation was related to the primary utilization of organic substance for denitrification in the outer layer of the floc and the retarded mass transfer into the inner layer of the floc. Nevertheless, effects of acetate injection on both denitrification and phosphorus release during the settling phase were significant. Denitrification rate after acetate injection was two times as high as that before acetate injection, and phosphorus release reached about 14 mg PO4(3-)-P/g MLVSS/hr during the decanting phase after the termination of denitrification inside the sludge layer. Extremely low level of maximum DO (around 0.5 mg/L) during the aerobic phase may inhibited nitrification, considerably, and thus nearly no nitrate was present. However, the absence of nitrate increased when the phosphorus release rate was reached up to 33 mg PO4(3-)-P/g MLVSS/hr during the settling and decanting phase, and nearly all phosphorus was taken up during subsequent aerobic phase. Since the sludge layer could function as a blocking layer, phosphorus concentrations in the supernatant was not influenced by the released phosphorus inside the sludge layer during the settling and decanting period. Phosphorus removal was directly (for uptake) and indirectly (for release) dependent on the median and maximum DO concentration during the aerobic phase, and those optimal values may exist within the range from 0.2 to 0.6 mg/L and 0.4 to 1.2 mg/L, respectively.

  15. Effect of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria on phosphorus dynamics and the bacterial community during composting of sugarcane industry waste.

    PubMed

    Estrada-Bonilla, German A; Lopes, Cintia M; Durrer, Ademir; Alves, Paulo R L; Passaglia, Nicolle; Cardoso, Elke J B N

    2017-07-01

    Sugarcane processing generates a large quantity of residues, such as filter cake and ashes, which are sometimes composted prior to their amendment in soil. However, important issues still have to be addressed on this subject, such as the description of bacterial succession that occurs throughout the composting process and the possibilities of using phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) during the process to improve phosphorus (P) availability in the compost end product. Consequently, this study evaluated the bacterial diversity and P dynamics during the composting process when inoculated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa PSBR12 and Bacillus sp. BACBR01. To characterize the bacterial community structure during composting, and to compare PSB-inoculated compost with non-inoculated compost, partial sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and sequential P fractionation were used. The data indicated that members of the order Lactobacillales prevailed in the early stages of composting for up to 30 days, mostly due to initial changes in pH and the C/N ratio. This dominant bacterial group was then slowly replaced by Bacillales during a composting process of up to 60 days. In addition, inoculation of PSB reduced the levels of Ca-bound P by 21% and increased the labile organic P fraction. In PSB-inoculated compost, Ca-P compound solubilization occurred concomitantly with an increase of the genus Bacillus. The bacterial succession and the final community is described in compost from sugarcane residues and the possible use of these inoculants to improve P availability in the final compost is validated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  16. Effects of fertilization on phosphorus pools in the volcanic soil of a managed tropical forest

    Treesearch

    Dean F. Meason; Travis W. Idol; J.B. Friday; Paul G. Scowcroft

    2009-01-01

    Acacia koa forests benefit from phosphorus fertilisation, but it is unknown if fertilisation is a short or long term effect on P availability. Past research suggests that P cycling in soils with high P sorption capacity, such as Andisols, was through organic pathways. We studied leaf P and soil P fractions in a tropical forest Andisol for 3 years...

  17. Effects of nutrient availability and other elevational changes on romeliad populations and their invertebrate communities in a humid tropical forest in Puerto Rico

    Treesearch

    BARBARA A. RICHARDSON; M. J. RICHARDSON; F. N. SCATENA; W. H. MCDOWELL

    2000-01-01

    Nutrient inputs into tank bromeliads were studied in relation to growth and productivity, and the abundance, diversity and biomass of their animal inhabitants, in three forest types along an elevational gradient. Concentrations of phosphorus, potassium and calcium in canopy-derived debris, and nitrogen and phosphorus in phytotelm water, declined with increasing...

  18. Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Stimulates Biological Nitrogen Fixation in Two Medicago spp. through Improved Phosphorus Acquisition

    PubMed Central

    Püschel, David; Janoušková, Martina; Voříšková, Alena; Gryndlerová, Hana; Vosátka, Miroslav; Jansa, Jan

    2017-01-01

    Legumes establish root symbioses with rhizobia that provide plants with nitrogen (N) through biological N fixation (BNF), as well as with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi that mediate improved plant phosphorus (P) uptake. Such complex relationships complicate our understanding of nutrient acquisition by legumes and how they reward their symbiotic partners with carbon along gradients of environmental conditions. In order to disentangle the interplay between BNF and AM symbioses in two Medicago species (Medicago truncatula and M. sativa) along a P-fertilization gradient, we conducted a pot experiment where the rhizobia-treated plants were either inoculated or not inoculated with AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis ‘PH5’ and grown in two nutrient-poor substrates subjected to one of three different P-supply levels. Throughout the experiment, all plants were fertilized with 15N-enriched liquid N-fertilizer to allow for assessment of BNF efficiency in terms of the fraction of N in the plants derived from the BNF (%NBNF). We hypothesized (1) higher %NBNF coinciding with higher P supply, and (2) higher %NBNF in mycorrhizal as compared to non-mycorrhizal plants under P deficiency due to mycorrhiza-mediated improvement in P nutrition. We found a strongly positive correlation between total plant P content and %NBNF, clearly documenting the importance of plant P nutrition for BNF efficiency. The AM symbiosis generally improved P uptake by plants and considerably stimulated the efficiency of BNF under low P availability (below 10 mg kg-1 water extractable P). Under high P availability (above 10 mg kg-1 water extractable P), the AM symbiosis brought no further benefits to the plants with respect to P nutrition even as the effects of P availability on N acquisition via BNF were further modulated by the environmental context (plant and substrate combinations). As a response to elevated P availability in the substrate, the extent of root length colonization by AM fungi was reduced, the turning points occurring at about 8 and 10 mg kg-1 water extractable P for M. sativa and M. truncatula, respectively. Our results indicated competition for limited C resource between the two kinds of microsymbionts and thus degradation of AM symbiotic functioning under ample P supply. PMID:28396674

  19. Intensified nitrate and phosphorus removal in an electrolysis -integrated horizontal subsurface-flow constructed wetland.

    PubMed

    Gao, Y; Xie, Y W; Zhang, Q; Wang, A L; Yu, Y X; Yang, L Y

    2017-01-01

    A novel electrolysis-integrated horizontal subsurface-flow constructed wetland system (E-HFCWs) was developed for intensified removal of nitrogen and phosphorus contaminated water. The dynamics of nitrogen and phosphorus removal and that of main water qualities of inflow and outflow were also evaluated. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) greatly enhanced nitrate removal when the electrolysis current intensity was stabilized at 0.07 mA/cm 2 . When the HRT ranged from 2 h to 12 h, the removal rate of nitrate increased from 20% to 84%. Phosphorus (P) removal was also greatly enhanced-exceeding 90% when the HRT was longer than 4 h in the electrolysis-integrated HFCWs. This improved P removal is due to the in-situ formation of ferric ions by anodizing of sacrificial iron anodes, causing chemical precipitation, physical adsorption and flocculation of phosphorus. Thus, electrolysis plays an important role in nitrate and phosphorus removal. The diversity and communities of bacteria in the biofilm of substrate was established by the analysis of 16S rDNA gene sequences, and the biofilm was abundant with Comamonadaceae and Xanthomonadaceae bacteria in E-HFCWs. Test results illustrated that the electrolysis integrated with horizontal subsurface-flow constructed wetland is a feasible and effective technology for intensified nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  20. Simple and direct method for detecting phosphorus in air at normal pressure and temperature using a combination of LIBS and LIFS techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Al-Jeffery, Mohammad O.; Kondou, H.; Belenkevitch, Alexander; Azzeer, Abdallah M.

    2002-05-01

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EAP) designated phosphorus as hazardous material; it is flammable and poisonous. Phosphorus attacks the respiratory system, liver, kidneys, jaw, teeth, blood, eyes, and skin. Phosphorus is an element that has a high detection limit when using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) techniques. In order to improve on detection limits, laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (LIFS) has been proposed, as an extension to LIBS. The ultimate goal of this work is to use the combined LIBS & LIFS techniques to detect the presence of phosphorus in air and to measure its level. In order to provide 'proof-of-concept' results, the sample used for our experiment was prepared using the 'igniting' strip of a safety match box. The spectrally and temporally resolved detection of the specific atomic emission revealed analytical information about the elemental composition of the sample. A tunable Ti: sapphire laser, at the resonance wavelength of 253.4 nm, was then used to probe the plume by exciting the phosphorus element and we measured the fluorescence from the atoms at 213.62 nm and 214.91 nm. The whole experiment was carried out in a few minutes. We have thus demonstrated for the first time, to our knowledge, the use of LIBS and LIFS in air quality monitoring and in particular for phosphorus detection.

  1. Silica-sol-based spin-coating barrier layer against phosphorous diffusion for crystalline silicon solar cells

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    The phosphorus barrier layers at the doping procedure of silicon wafers were fabricated using a spin-coating method with a mixture of silica-sol and tetramethylammonium hydroxide, which can be formed at the rear surface prior to the front phosphorus spin-on-demand (SOD) diffusion and directly annealed simultaneously with the front phosphorus layer. The optimization of coating thickness was obtained by changing the applied spin-coating speed; from 2,000 to 8,000 rpm. The CZ-Si p-type silicon solar cells were fabricated with/without using the rear silica-sol layer after taking the sheet resistance measurements, SIMS analysis, and SEM measurements of the silica-sol material evaluations into consideration. For the fabrication of solar cells, a spin-coating phosphorus source was used to form the n+ emitter and was then diffused at 930°C for 35 min. The out-gas diffusion of phosphorus could be completely prevented by spin-coated silica-sol film placed on the rear side of the wafers coated prior to the diffusion process. A roughly 2% improvement in the conversion efficiency was observed when silica-sol was utilized during the phosphorus diffusion step. These results can suggest that the silica-sol material can be an attractive candidate for low-cost and easily applicable spin-coating barrier for any masking purpose involving phosphorus diffusion. PMID:25520602

  2. Silica-sol-based spin-coating barrier layer against phosphorous diffusion for crystalline silicon solar cells.

    PubMed

    Uzum, Abdullah; Fukatsu, Ken; Kanda, Hiroyuki; Kimura, Yutaka; Tanimoto, Kenji; Yoshinaga, Seiya; Jiang, Yunjian; Ishikawa, Yasuaki; Uraoka, Yukiharu; Ito, Seigo

    2014-01-01

    The phosphorus barrier layers at the doping procedure of silicon wafers were fabricated using a spin-coating method with a mixture of silica-sol and tetramethylammonium hydroxide, which can be formed at the rear surface prior to the front phosphorus spin-on-demand (SOD) diffusion and directly annealed simultaneously with the front phosphorus layer. The optimization of coating thickness was obtained by changing the applied spin-coating speed; from 2,000 to 8,000 rpm. The CZ-Si p-type silicon solar cells were fabricated with/without using the rear silica-sol layer after taking the sheet resistance measurements, SIMS analysis, and SEM measurements of the silica-sol material evaluations into consideration. For the fabrication of solar cells, a spin-coating phosphorus source was used to form the n(+) emitter and was then diffused at 930°C for 35 min. The out-gas diffusion of phosphorus could be completely prevented by spin-coated silica-sol film placed on the rear side of the wafers coated prior to the diffusion process. A roughly 2% improvement in the conversion efficiency was observed when silica-sol was utilized during the phosphorus diffusion step. These results can suggest that the silica-sol material can be an attractive candidate for low-cost and easily applicable spin-coating barrier for any masking purpose involving phosphorus diffusion.

  3. [Effects of combined application of water retention agent and organic fertilizer on physico-chemical properties of iron tailings.

    PubMed

    Li, Xiang; Zhang, Bao Juan; Li, Ji Quan; Li, Yu Ling; Li, Chen Guang

    2017-02-01

    In order to analyze the effects of combined application of water retention agent and orga-nic fertilizer on physico-chemical properties of iron tailings and to find the optimal proportion of water retention agent and organic fertilizer for the improvement of iron tailings, the experimental plots of the combination trials with 2 factors in 4 levels were designed in the iron tailings of Qian'an Shougang through investigating some indexes of physico-chemical properties such as bulk density, moisture capacity, porosity, pH and the contents of organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and potas-sium. The biomasses of Medicago sativa and Amorpha fruticosa planted in the experimental plots were measured to verify the improvement effects. 4 levels of super absorbent polymers (L·m -3 ) used in treatments were 0 (B 0 ), 10 (B 1 ), 50 (B 2 ), 100 (B 3 ), and 4 levels of organic fertilizer (kg·m -2 ) were 0(N 0 ), 2.25 (N 1 ), 11.24 (N 2 ), 22.49 (N 3 ). The improving effects of different treatments on physico-chemical properties of iron tailings were mainly reflected in the surface layer of 0-20 cm. All the tested indexes were significantly different from control (CK) in the layer of 0-20 cm. The improvement effects of organic fertilizer on physical and chemical properties of iron tai-lings were better than that of water retention agent. In the 0-20 cm layer, the bulk density, non-capillary porosity, organic matter, rapidly available phosphorus, and available potassium under all treatments of adding water retention agent individually were not significantly different from the CK, while significant difference was observed when the organic fertilizer was solely applied in B 0 N 2 and B 0 N 3 treatments. The improvement synergy effect of organic fertilizer and water retention agent was better than that of organic fertilizer or water retention agent, respectively. In 0-20 cm layer, all the indexes obtained from treatment B 3 N 3 performed best and were significantly different from the CK, which was the optimum for the improvement of iron tailings.

  4. Arctic water tracks retain phosphorus and transport ammonium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harms, T.; Cook, C. L.; Wlostowski, A. N.; Godsey, S.; Gooseff, M. N.

    2017-12-01

    Hydrologic flowpaths propagate biogeochemical signals among adjacent ecosystems, but reactions may attenuate signals by retaining, removing, or transforming dissolved and suspended materials. The theory of nutrient spiraling describes these simultaneous reaction and transport processes, but its application has been limited to stream channels. We applied nutrient spiraling theory to water tracks, zero-order channels draining Arctic hillslopes that contain perennially saturated soils and flow at the surface either perennially or in response to precipitation. In the Arctic, experimental warming results in increased availability of nitrogen, the limiting nutrient for hillslope vegetation at the study site, which may be delivered to aquatic ecosystems by water tracks. Increased intensity of rain events, deeper snowpack, earlier snowmelt, and increasing thaw depth resulting from climate change might support increased transport of nutrients, but the reactive capacity of hillslope flowpaths, including sorption and uptake by plants and microbes, could counter transport to regulate solute flux. Characteristics of flowpaths might influence the opportunity for reaction, where slower flowpaths increase the contact time between solutes and soils or roots. We measured nitrogen and phosphorus uptake and transient storage of water tracks through the growing season and found that water tracks retain inorganic phosphorus, but transport ammonium. Nutrient uptake was unrelated to transient storage, suggesting high capacity for nutrient retention by shallow organic soils and vegetation. These observations indicate that increased availability of ammonium, the biogeochemical signal of warming tundra, is propagated by hillslope flowpaths, whereas water tracks attenuate delivery of phosphorus to aquatic ecosystems, where its availability typically limits production.

  5. Water Quality, Hydrology, and Response to Changes in Phosphorus Loading of Nagawicka Lake, a Calcareous Lake in Waukesha County, Wisconsin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Garn, Herbert S.; Robertson, Dale M.; Rose, William J.; Goddard, Gerald L.; Horwatich, Judy A.

    2006-01-01

    Nagawicka Lake is a 986-acre, usually mesotrophic, calcareous lake in southeastern Wisconsin. Because of concern over potential water-quality degradation of the lake associated with further development in its watershed, a study was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey from 2002 to 2006 to describe the water quality and hydrology of the lake; quantify sources of phosphorus, including those associated with urban development; and determine the effects of past and future changes in phosphorus loading on the water quality of the lake. All major water and phosphorus sources were measured directly, and minor sources were estimated to construct detailed water and phosphorus budgets for the lake. The Bark River, near-lake surface inflow, precipitation, and ground water contributed 74, 8, 12, and 6 percent of the inflow, respectively. Water leaves the lake primarily through the Bark River outlet (88 percent) or by evaporation (11 percent). The water quality of Nagawicka Lake has improved dramatically since 1980 as a result of decreasing the historical loading of phosphorus to the lake. Total input of phosphorus to the lake was about 3,000 pounds in monitoring year (MY) 2003 and 6,700 pounds in MY 2004. The largest source of phosphorus entering the lake was the Bark River, which delivered about 56 percent of the total phosphorus input, compared with about 74 percent of the total water input. The next largest contributions were from the urbanized near-lake drainage area, which disproportionately accounted for 37 percent of the total phosphorus input but only about 5 percent of the total water input. Simulations with water-quality models within the Wisconsin Lakes Modeling Suite (WiLMS) indicated the response of Nagawicka Lake to 10 phosphorus-loading scenarios. These scenarios included historical (1970s) and current (base) years (MY 2003-04) for which lake water quality and loading were known, six scenarios with percentage increases or decreases in phosphorus loading from controllable sources relative to the base years 2003-04, and two scenarios corresponding to specific management actions. Because of the lake's calcareous character, the average simulated summer concentration of total phosphorus for Nagawicka Lake was about 2 times that measured in the lake. The models likely over-predict because they do not account for coprecipitation of phosphorus and dissolved organic matter with calcite, negligible release of phosphorus from the deep sediments, and external phosphorus loading with abnormally high amounts of nonavailable phosphorus. After adjusting the simulated results for the overestimation of the models, a 50-percent reduction in phosphorus loading resulted in an average predicted phosphorus concentration of 0.008 milligrams per liter (mg/L) (a decrease of 46 percent). With a 50-percent increase in phosphorus loading, the average predicted concentration was 0.020 mg/L (an increase of 45 percent). With the changes in land use under the assumed future full development conditions, the average summer total phosphorus concentration should remain similar to that measured in MY 2003-04 (approximately 0.014 mg/L). However, if stormwater and nonpoint controls are added to achieve a 50-percent reduction in loading from the urbanized near-lake drainage area, the average summer total phosphorus concentration should decrease from the present conditions (MY 2003-04) to 0.011 mg/L. Slightly more than a 25-percent reduction in phosphorus loading from that measured in MY 2003-04 would be required for the lake to be classified as oligotrophic.

  6. Low investment in sexual reproduction threatens plants adapted to phosphorus limitation.

    PubMed

    Fujita, Yuki; Venterink, Harry Olde; van Bodegom, Peter M; Douma, Jacob C; Heil, Gerrit W; Hölzel, Norbert; Jabłońska, Ewa; Kotowski, Wiktor; Okruszko, Tomasz; Pawlikowski, Paweł; de Ruiter, Peter C; Wassen, Martin J

    2014-01-02

    Plant species diversity in Eurasian wetlands and grasslands depends not only on productivity but also on the relative availability of nutrients, particularly of nitrogen and phosphorus. Here we show that the impacts of nitrogen:phosphorus stoichiometry on plant species richness can be explained by selected plant life-history traits, notably by plant investments in growth versus reproduction. In 599 Eurasian sites with herbaceous vegetation we examined the relationship between the local nutrient conditions and community-mean life-history traits. We found that compared with plants in nitrogen-limited communities, plants in phosphorus-limited communities invest little in sexual reproduction (for example, less investment in seed, shorter flowering period, longer lifespan) and have conservative leaf economy traits (that is, a low specific leaf area and a high leaf dry-matter content). Endangered species were more frequent in phosphorus-limited ecosystems and they too invested little in sexual reproduction. The results provide new insight into how plant adaptations to nutrient conditions can drive the distribution of plant species in natural ecosystems and can account for the vulnerability of endangered species.

  7. Low investment in sexual reproduction threatens plants adapted to phosphorus limitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fujita, Yuki; Venterink, Harry Olde; van Bodegom, Peter M.; Douma, Jacob C.; Heil, Gerrit W.; Hölzel, Norbert; Jabłońska, Ewa; Kotowski, Wiktor; Okruszko, Tomasz; Pawlikowski, Paweł; de Ruiter, Peter C.; Wassen, Martin J.

    2014-01-01

    Plant species diversity in Eurasian wetlands and grasslands depends not only on productivity but also on the relative availability of nutrients, particularly of nitrogen and phosphorus. Here we show that the impacts of nitrogen:phosphorus stoichiometry on plant species richness can be explained by selected plant life-history traits, notably by plant investments in growth versus reproduction. In 599 Eurasian sites with herbaceous vegetation we examined the relationship between the local nutrient conditions and community-mean life-history traits. We found that compared with plants in nitrogen-limited communities, plants in phosphorus-limited communities invest little in sexual reproduction (for example, less investment in seed, shorter flowering period, longer lifespan) and have conservative leaf economy traits (that is, a low specific leaf area and a high leaf dry-matter content). Endangered species were more frequent in phosphorus-limited ecosystems and they too invested little in sexual reproduction. The results provide new insight into how plant adaptations to nutrient conditions can drive the distribution of plant species in natural ecosystems and can account for the vulnerability of endangered species.

  8. The role of phosphorus in chemical evolution.

    PubMed

    Maciá, Enrique

    2005-08-01

    In this tutorial review we consider the role of phosphorus and its compounds within the context of chemical evolution in galaxies. Following an interdisciplinary approach we first discuss the position of P among the main biogenic elements by considering its relevance in most essential biochemical functions as well as its peculiar chemistry under different physicochemical conditions. Then we review the phosphorus distribution in different cosmic sites, such as terrestrial planets, interplanetary dust particles, cometary dust, planetary atmospheres and the interstellar medium (ISM). In this way we realize that this element is both scarce and ubiquitous in the universe. These features can be related to the complex nucleosynthesis of P nuclide in the cores of massive stars under explosive conditions favouring a wide distribution of this element through the ISM, where it would be ready to react with other available atoms. A general tendency towards more oxidized phosphorus compounds is clearly appreciated as chemical evolution proceeds from circumstellar and ISM materials to protoplanetary and planetary condensed matter phases. To conclude we discuss some possible routes allowing for the incorporation of phosphorus compounds of prebiotic interest during the earlier stages of solar system formation.

  9. Yeast Acid Phosphatases and Phytases: Production, Characterization and Commercial Prospects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaur, Parvinder; Satyanarayana, T.

    The element phosphorus is critical to all life forms as it forms the basic component of nucleic acids and ATP and has a number of indispensable biochemical roles. Unlike C or N, the biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus is very slow, and thus making it the growth-limiting element in most soils and aquatic systems. Phosphohydrolases (e.g. acid phosphatases and phytases) are enzymes that break the C-O-P ester bonds and provide available inorganic phosphorus from various inassimilable organic forms of phosphorus like phytates. These enzymes are of significant value in effectively combating phosphorus pollution. Although phytases and acid phosphatases are produced by various plants, animals and micro organisms, microbial sources are more promising for the production on a commercial scale. Yeasts being the simplest eukaryotes are ideal candidates for phytase and phos-phatase research due to their mostly non-pathogenic and GRAS status. They have not, however, been utilized to their full potential. This chapter focuses attention on the present state of knowledge on the production, characterization and potential commercial prospects of yeast phytases and acid phosphatases.

  10. Improved CVD Techniques for Depositing Passivation Layers of ICs

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1975-10-01

    Calculations .......................... 228 4. Precision ........... ....... ........................ 229 5. Optional Measurements of Dense Oxide and Aluminum 4...47. Typical measurements of phosphorus K. net radiation intensity as a function of the calculated phosphorus concentrations • * • 124 48. Effect of... calculated by measuring the de- formation of a substrate, usually in the form of a beam, or a circular disc. "In the beam bending method, stress is

  11. Low pH, aluminum and phosphorus coordinately regulate malate exudation through GmALMT1 to improve soybean adaptation to acid soils

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Low pH, aluminum (Al) toxicity and low phosphorus (P) often coexist in acid soils where crops need to cope with these multiple limiting factors. In this study we found that P addition to acid soils alleviates Al toxicity and enhanced soybean adaptation to acid soils, especially for the P-efficient g...

  12. The Impact of Additives on the Phosphorus, Potassium, and Sodium Content of Commonly Consumed Meat, Poultry, and Fish Products Among Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease.

    PubMed

    Parpia, Arti Sharma; L'Abbé, Mary; Goldstein, Marc; Arcand, Joanne; Magnuson, Bernadene; Darling, Pauline B

    2018-03-01

    Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are advised to limit their dietary intake of phosphorus and potassium as hyperphosphatemia and hyperkalemia are both associated with an increased risk of mortality. There is uncertainty concerning the actual content of these minerals in the Canadian food supply, as phosphorus and potassium are increasingly being used as food additives. This study aimed to determine the impact of food additives on the chemically analyzed content of phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and protein in commonly consumed meat, poultry, and fish products (MPFs). Foods representing commonly consumed MPF identified by a food frequency questionnaire in dialysis patients were purchased from three major grocery store chains in Canada. MPF with and without phosphorus and potassium additives listed on their ingredient list (n = 76) as well as reference MPF that was additive free (n = 15) were chemically analyzed for phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and protein content according to Association of Analytical Community official methods. Phosphorus, potassium, and sodium additives were present on the ingredient list in 37%, 9%, and 72% of MPF, respectively. Among MPF categories that contained a phosphorus additive, phosphorus content was significantly (P < .05) higher in MPF with phosphorus additives versus MPF without phosphorus additives and MPF reference foods (median [min, max]): (270 [140, 500] mg/100 g) versus (200 [130, 510] mg/100 g) versus (210 [100, 260] mg/100 g), respectively. Among MPF categories containing a potassium additive, foods listing a potassium additive had significantly more (P < .05) potassium than foods that did not list potassium additives and reference foods (900 [750, 1100] mg/100 g) versus (325 [260, 470] mg/100 g) versus (420 [270, 450] mg/100 g). The use of additives in packaged MPF products as indicated by the ingredient list can significantly contribute to the dietary phosphorus and potassium loads in patients with CKD. Patients with CKD should be educated to avoid MPF foods listing phosphorus and/or potassium additives on the ingredient list, which may lead to improved dietary adherence. Copyright © 2017 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Long-term affects of a single P fertilization on Hedley P pools in a South Carolina loblolly pine plantation

    Treesearch

    Bradley W. Miller; Thomas R. Fox

    2010-01-01

    While phosphorus (P) fertilization increases plant available or “labile” P immediately after fertilization, it is uncertain how it influences P pools over the long term in forest soils. Phosphorus pools from a 22-year-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) fertilization study were quantified using the Hedley sequential fractionation procedure, Mehlich-1...

  14. The Effects of Reduced Tillage on Phosphate Transport from Agricultural Land.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-01-01

    SOLUBLE INORGANIC I’IIOSPIORUS IN RUNOFF ................................................... 12 .F.ECT OF PHOSPHATE FERTILI ZATION ON LOSSES OF AVAILABLE...an reverse side if necessary end identifY by block number) Conservation Tillage Soil Loss Phosphorus Loss Surface Runoff 20 AMThAC? fCinf--- mbb iV...tillage (primarily no till) versus conventional tillage on surface runoff , soil loss and phosphorus loss. The data show that conservation tillage

  15. Increased soil phosphorus availability induced by faba bean root exudation stimulates root growth and phosphorus uptake in neighbouring maize.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Deshan; Zhang, Chaochun; Tang, Xiaoyan; Li, Haigang; Zhang, Fusuo; Rengel, Zed; Whalley, William R; Davies, William J; Shen, Jianbo

    2016-01-01

    Root growth is influenced by soil nutrients and neighbouring plants, but how these two drivers affect root interactions and regulate plant growth dynamics is poorly understood. Here, interactions between the roots of maize (Zea mays) and faba bean (Vicia faba) are characterized. Maize was grown alone (maize) or with maize (maize/maize) or faba bean (maize/faba bean) as competitors under five levels of phosphorus (P) supply, and with homogeneous or heterogeneous P distribution. Maize had longer root length and greater shoot biomass and P content when grown with faba bean than with maize. At each P supply rate, faba bean had a smaller root system than maize but greater exudation of citrate and acid phosphatase, suggesting a greater capacity to mobilize P in the rhizosphere. Heterogeneous P availability enhanced the root-length density of maize but not faba bean. Maize root proliferation in the P-rich patches was associated with increased shoot P uptake. Increased P availability by localized P application or by the presence of faba bean exudation stimulated root morphological plasticity and increased shoot growth in maize in the maize/faba bean mixture, suggesting that root interactions of neighbouring plants can be modified by increased P availability. © 2015 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2015 New Phytologist Trust.

  16. Enhanced visible light photocatalytic property of red phosphorus via surface roughening

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Li, Weibing, E-mail: lwbing@qust.edu.cn; Yue, Jiguang; Hua, Fangxia

    Highlights: • Photocatalytic RhB degradation of red phosphorus was studied for the first time. • Surface rough can increase the photocatalysis reaction active sites. • Surface rough red phosphorus possesses high photocatalytic performance. • Surface rough red phosphorus has high industrial application value. - Abstract: Red phosphorus with rough surface (SRP) was prepared by catalyst-assisted hydrothermal synthesis using Co{sup 2+} catalyst. The photocatalytic Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation of red phosphorus (RP) and SRP was studied for the first time in this work. Rough surface can enhance the dye adsorption ability of RP. About 75% RhB was absorbed by SRP aftermore » 30-min adsorption in 100 ml RhB solution with concentration of 10 mg l{sup −1} in dark. After only 10 min of illumination by visible light, more than 95% RhB was degraded, indicating that SRP has a great application potential in the area of photocatalysis. The photocatalytic RhB degradation properties of RP are much weaker than those of SRP. The increase of the number of the active sites for the photocatalytic reactions, the electron mobility and the lifetime of the photogenerated electrons cause the significant improvement of the photocatalytic performance of SRP based on the experimental results obtained.« less

  17. Groundwater nutrient concentrations during prairie reconstruction on an Iowa landscape

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Tomer, M.D.; Schilling, K.E.; Cambardella, C.A.; Jacobson, P.; Drobney, P.

    2010-01-01

    One anticipated benefit of ecosystem restoration is water quality improvement. This study evaluated NO3-N and phosphorus in subsurface waters during prairie establishment following decades of row-crop agriculture. A prairie seeding in late 2003 became established in 2006. Wells and suction cup samplers were monitored for NO3-N and phosphorus. Nitrate-N varied with time and landscape position. Non-detectable NO3-N concentrations became modal along ephemeral drainageways in 2006, when average concentrations in uplands first became <10mg NO3-NL-1. This decline continued and upland groundwater averaged near 2mg NO3-NL-1 after 2007. The longer time lag in NO3-N response in uplands was attributed to greater quantities of leachable N in upland subsoils. Spatial differences in vadose-zone travel times were less important, considering water table dynamics. Phosphorus showed a contrasting landscape pattern, without any obvious temporal trend. Phosphorus was greatest along and near ephemeral drainageways. Sediment accumulation from upland agricultural erosion provided a source of P along drainageways, where shallow, reductive groundwater increased P solubility. Phosphorus exceeded eutrophication risk thresholds in these lower areas, where saturation-excess runoff could readily transport P to surface waters. Legacy impacts of past agricultural erosion and sedimentation may include soluble phosphorus in shallow groundwater, at sites prone to saturation-excess runoff. ?? 2010.

  18. Seawater cultivation of freshwater cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 drastically alters amino acid composition and glycogen metabolism

    PubMed Central

    Iijima, Hiroko; Nakaya, Yuka; Kuwahara, Ayuko; Hirai, Masami Yokota; Osanai, Takashi

    2015-01-01

    Water use assessment is important for bioproduction using cyanobacteria. For eco-friendly reasons, seawater should preferably be used for cyanobacteria cultivation instead of freshwater. In this study, we demonstrated that the freshwater unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 could be grown in a medium based on seawater. The Synechocystis wild-type strain grew well in an artificial seawater (ASW) medium supplemented with nitrogen and phosphorus sources. The addition of HEPES buffer improved cell growth overall, although the growth in ASW medium was inferior to that in the synthetic BG-11 medium. The levels of proteins involved in sugar metabolism changed depending on the culture conditions. The biosynthesis of several amino acids including aspartate, glutamine, glycine, proline, ornithine, and lysine, was highly up-regulated by cultivation in ASW. Two types of natural seawater (NSW) were also made available for the cultivation of Synechocystis cells, with supplementation of both nitrogen and phosphorus sources. These results revealed the potential use of seawater for the cultivation of freshwater cyanobacteria, which would help to reduce freshwater consumption during biorefinery using cyanobacteria. PMID:25954257

  19. Branched Macromolecular Architectures for Degradable, Multifunctional Phosphorus-Based Polymers.

    PubMed

    Henke, Helena; Brüggemann, Oliver; Teasdale, Ian

    2017-02-01

    This feature article briefly highlights some of the recent advances in polymers in which phosphorus is an integral part of the backbone, with a focus on the preparation of functional, highly branched, soluble polymers. A comparison is made between the related families of materials polyphosphazenes, phosphazene/phosphorus-based dendrimers and polyphosphoesters. The work described herein shows this to be a rich and burgeoning field, rapidly catching up with organic chemistry in terms of the macromolecular synthetic control and variety of available macromolecular architectures, whilst offering unique property combinations not available with carbon backbones, such as tunable degradation rates, high multi-valency and facile post-polymerization functionalization. As an example of their use in advanced applications, we highlight some investigations into their use as water-soluble drug carriers, whereby in particular the degradability in combination with multivalent nature has made them useful materials, as underlined by some of the recent studies in this area. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Survival of Mycobacterium avium in drinking water biofilms as affected by water flow velocity, availability of phosphorus, and temperature.

    PubMed

    Torvinen, Eila; Lehtola, Markku J; Martikainen, Pertti J; Miettinen, Ilkka T

    2007-10-01

    Mycobacterium avium is a potential pathogen occurring in drinking water systems. It is a slowly growing bacterium producing a thick cell wall containing mycolic acids, and it is known to resist chlorine better than many other microbes. Several studies have shown that pathogenic bacteria survive better in biofilms than in water. By using Propella biofilm reactors, we studied how factors generally influencing the growth of biofilms (flow rate, phosphorus concentration, and temperature) influence the survival of M. avium in drinking water biofilms. The growth of biofilms was followed by culture and DAPI (4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole) staining, and concentrations of M. avium were determined by culture and fluorescence in situ hybridization methods. The spiked M. avium survived in biofilms for the 4-week study period without a dramatic decline in concentration. The addition of phosphorus (10 microg/liter) increased the number of heterotrophic bacteria in biofilms but decreased the culturability of M. avium. The reason for this result is probably that phosphorus increased competition with other microbes. An increase in flow velocity had no effect on the survival of M. avium, although it increased the growth of biofilms. A higher temperature (20 degrees C versus 7 degrees C) increased both the number of heterotrophic bacteria and the survival of M. avium in biofilms. In conclusion, the results show that in terms of affecting the survival of slowly growing M. avium in biofilms, temperature is a more important factor than the availability of nutrients like phosphorus.

  1. Increased Soluble Phosphorus Loads to Lake Erie: Unintended Consequences of Conservation Practices?

    PubMed

    Jarvie, Helen P; Johnson, Laura T; Sharpley, Andrew N; Smith, Douglas R; Baker, David B; Bruulsema, Tom W; Confesor, Remegio

    2017-01-01

    Cumulative daily load time series show that the early 2000s marked a step-change increase in riverine soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) loads entering the Western Lake Erie Basin from three major tributaries: the Maumee, Sandusky, and Raisin Rivers. These elevated SRP loads have been sustained over the last 12 yr. Empirical regression models were used to estimate the contributions from (i) increased runoff from changing weather and precipitation patterns and (ii) increased SRP delivery (the combined effects of increased source availability and/or increased transport efficiency of labile phosphorus [P] fractions). Approximately 65% of the SRP load increase after 2002 was attributable to increased SRP delivery, with higher runoff volumes accounting for the remaining 35%. Increased SRP delivery occurred concomitantly with declining watershed P budgets. However, within these watersheds, there have been long-term, largescale changes in land management: reduced tillage to minimize erosion and particulate P loss, and increased tile drainage to improve field operations and profitability. These practices can inadvertently increase labile P fractions at the soil surface and transmission of soluble P via subsurface drainage. Our findings suggest that changes in agricultural practices, including some conservation practices designed to reduce erosion and particulate P transport, may have had unintended, cumulative, and converging impacts contributing to the increased SRP loads, reaching a critical threshold around 2002. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  2. Removal of phosphorus from agricultural wastewaters using adsorption media prepared from acid mine drainage sludge

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sibrell, Philip L.; Montgomery, Gary A.; Ritenour, Kelsey L.; Tucker, Travis W.

    2009-01-01

    Excess phosphorus in wastewaters promotes eutrophication in receiving waterways. A??cost-effective method for the removal of phosphorus from water would significantly reduce the impact of such wastewaters on the environment. Acid mine drainage sludge is a waste product produced by the neutralization of acid mine drainage, and consists mainly of the same metal hydroxides used in traditional wastewater treatment for the removal of phosphorus. In this paper, we describe a method for the drying and pelletization of acid mine drainage sludge that results in a particulate media, which we have termed Ferroxysorb, for the removal of phosphorus from wastewater in an efficient packed bed contactor. Adsorption capacities are high, and kinetics rapid, such that a contact time of less than 5 min is sufficient for removal of 60-90% of the phosphorus, depending on the feed concentration and time in service. In addition, the adsorption capacity of the Ferroxysorb media was increased dramatically by using two columns in an alternating sequence so that each sludge bed receives alternating rest and adsorption cycles. A stripping procedure based on treatment with dilute sodium hydroxide was also developed that allows for recovery of the P from the media, with the possibility of generating a marketable fertilizer product. These results indicate that acid mine drainage sludges - hitherto thought of as undesirable wastes - can be used to remove phosphorus from wastewater, thus offsetting a portion of acid mine drainage treatment costs while at the same time improving water quality in sensitive watersheds.

  3. Determination of phosphorus fertilizer soil reactions by Raman and synchrotron infrared microspectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Vogel, Christian; Adam, Christian; Sekine, Ryo; Schiller, Tara; Lipiec, Ewelina; McNaughton, Don

    2013-10-01

    The reaction mechanisms of phosphate-bearing mineral phases from sewage sludge ash-based fertilizers in soil were determined by Raman and synchrotron infrared microspectroscopy. Different reaction mechanisms in wet soil were found for calcium and magnesium (pyro-) phosphates. Calcium orthophosphates were converted over time to hydroxyapatite. Conversely, different magnesium phosphates were transformed to trimagnesium phosphate. Since the magnesium phosphates are unable to form an apatite structure, the plant-available phosphorus remains in the soil, leading to better growth results observed in agricultural pot experiments. The pyrophosphates also reacted very differently. Calcium pyrophosphate is unreactive in soil. In contrast, magnesium pyrophosphate quickly formed plant-available dimagnesium phosphate.

  4. Effects of phosphorus and nitrogen additions on tropical soil microbial activity in the context of experimental warming

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foley, M.; Nottingham, A.; Turner, B. L.

    2017-12-01

    Soil warming is generally predicted to increase microbial mineralization rates and accelerate soil C losses which could establish a positive feedback to climatic warming. Tropical rain forests account for a third of global soil C, yet the responseto of tropical soil C a warming climate remains poorly understood. Despite predictions of soil C losses, decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) in tropical soils may be constrained by several factors including microbial nutrient deficiencies. We performed an incubation experiment in conjunction with an in-situ soil warming experiment in a lowland tropical forest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, to measure microbial response to two key nutrient additions in shallow (0-10cm) and deep (50-100 cm) soils. We compared the response of lowland tropical soils to montane tropical soils, predicting that lowland soils would display the strongest response to phosphorus additions. Soils were treated with either carbon alone (C), nitrogen (CN), phosphorus (CP) or nitrogen and phosphorus combined (CNP). Carbon dioxide (CO2) production was measured by NaOH capture and titrimetric analysis for 10 days. Cumulative CO2 production in montane soils increased significantly with all additions, suggesting these soils are characterized by a general microbial nutrient deficiency. The cumulative amount of C respired in deep soils from the lowland site increased significantly with CP and CNP additions, suggesting that microbial processes in deep lowland tropical soils are phosphorus-limited. These results support the current understanding that lowland tropical forests are growing on highly weathered, phosphorus-deplete soils, and provide novel insight that deep tropical SOM may be stabilized by a lack of biologically-available phosphorus. Further, this data suggests tropical soil C losses under elevated temperature may be limited by a strong microbial phosphorus deficiency.

  5. Phosphatase activity and culture conditions of the yeast Candida mycoderma sp. and analysis of organic phosphorus hydrolysis ability.

    PubMed

    Yan, Mang; Yu, Liufang; Zhang, Liang; Guo, Yuexia; Dai, Kewei; Chen, Yuru

    2014-11-01

    Orthophosphate is an essential but limiting macronutrient for plant growth. About 67% cropland in China lacks sufficient phosphorus, especially that with red soil. Extensive soil phosphorus reserves exist in the form of organic phosphorus, which is unavailable for root uptake unless hydrolyzed by secretory acid phosphatases. Thus, many microorganisms with the ability to produce phosphatase have been exploited. In this work, the activity of an extracellular acid phosphatase and yeast biomass from Candida mycoderma was measured under different culture conditions, such as pH, temperature, and carbon source. A maximal phosphatase activity of 8.47×10(5)±0.11×10(5)U/g was achieved by C. Mycoderma in 36 hr under the optimal conditions. The extracellular acid phosphatase has high activity over a wide pH tolerance range from 2.5 to 5.0 (optimum pH3.5). The effects of different phosphorus compounds on the acid phosphatase production were also studied. The presence of phytin, lecithin or calcium phosphate reduced the phosphatase activity and biomass yield significantly. In addition, the pH of the culture medium was reduced significantly by lecithin. The efficiency of the strain in releasing orthophosphate from organic phosphorus was studied in red soil (used in planting trees) and rice soil (originating as red soil). The available phosphorus content was increased by 230% after inoculating 20 days in rice soil and decreased by 50% after inoculating 10 days in red soil. This work indicates that the yeast strain C. mycoderma has potential application for enhancing phosphorus utilization in plants that grow in rice soil. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  6. Improving phosphorus efficiency in cereal crops: Is breeding for reduced grain phosphorus concentration part of the solution?

    PubMed Central

    Rose, Terry J.; Liu, Lei; Wissuwa, Matthias

    2013-01-01

    Given the non-renewable nature of global phosphate reserves, there is a push to increase the phosphorus (P) efficiency of agricultural crops. Research has typically focussed on investigating P acquisition efficiency or internal P utilization efficiency to reduce crop fertilizer requirements. A novel option that would reduce the amount of P exported from fields at harvest, and may ultimately reduce P fertilizer requirements, would be to reduce the amount of P translocated to grains to minimize grain P concentrations. While such a trait has been mentioned in a number of studies over the years, there has not been a concerted effort to target this trait in breeding programs. In this perspective piece we explore the reasons why a low grain P trait has not been pursued, and discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of such a trait in the context of breeding to improve the P efficiency of cropping systems. PMID:24204376

  7. Water Quality, Hydrology, and Simulated Response to Changes in Phosphorus Loading of Butternut Lake, Price and Ashland Counties, Wisconsin, with Special Emphasis on the Effects of Internal Phosphorus Loading in a Polymictic Lake

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Robertson, Dale M.; Rose, William J.

    2008-01-01

    Butternut Lake is a 393-hectare, eutrophic to hypereutrophic lake in northcentral Wisconsin. After only minor improvements in water quality were observed following several actions taken to reduce the nutrient inputs to the lake, a detailed study was conducted from 2002 to 2007 by the U.S. Geological Survey to better understand how the lake functions. The goals of this study were to describe the water quality and hydrology of the lake, quantify external and internal sources of phosphorus, and determine the effects of past and future changes in phosphorus inputs on the water quality of the lake. Since the early 1970s, the water quality of Butternut Lake has changed little in response to nutrient reductions from the watershed. The largest changes were in near-surface total phosphorus concentrations: August concentrations decreased from about 0.09 milligrams per liter (mg/L) to about 0.05 mg/L, but average summer concentrations decreased only from about 0.055-0.060 mg/L to about 0.045 mg/L. Since the early 1970s, only small changes were observed in chlorophyll a concentrations and water clarity (Secchi depths). All major water and phosphorus sources, including the internal release of phosphorus from the sediments (internal loading), were measured directly, and minor sources were estimated to construct detailed water and phosphorus budgets for the lake during monitoring years (MY) 2003 and 2004. During these years, Butternut Creek, Spiller Creek, direct precipitation, small tributaries and near-lake drainage area, and ground water contributed about 62, 20, 8, 7, and 3 percent of the inflow, respectively. The average annual load of phosphorus to the lake was 2,540 kilograms (kg), of which 1,590 kg came from external sources (63 percent) and 945 kg came from the sediments in the lake (37 percent). Of the total external sources, Butternut Creek, Spiller Creek, small tributaries and near-lake drainage area, septic systems, precipitation, and ground water contributed about 63, 23, 9, 3, 1, and 1 percent, respectively. Because of the high internal phosphorus loading, the eutrophication models used in this study were unable to simulate the observed water-quality characteristics in the lake without incorporating this source of phosphorus. However, when internal loading of phosphorus was added to the BATHTUB model, it accurately simulated the average water-quality characteristics measured in MY 2003 and 2004. Model simulations demonstrated a relatively linear response between in-lake total phosphorus concentrations and external phosphorus loading; however, the changes in concentrations were smaller than the changes in external phosphorus loadings (about 25-40 percent of the change in phosphorus loading). Changes in chlorophyll a concentrations, the percentage of days with algal blooms, and Secchi depths were nonlinear and had a greater response to reductions in phosphorus loading than to increases in phosphorus loading. A 50-percent reduction in external phosphorus loading caused an 18-percent decrease in chlorophyll a concentrations, a 41-percent decrease in the percentage of days with algal blooms, and a 12-percent increase in Secchi depth. When the additional internal phosphorus loading was removed from model simulations, all of these constituents showed a much greater response to changes in external phosphorus loading. Because of Butternut Lake's morphometry, it is polymictic, which means it mixes frequently and does not develop stable thermal stratification throughout the summer. This characteristic makes it more vulnerable than dimictic lakes, which mix in spring and fall and develop stable thermal stratification during summer, to the high internal phosphorus loading that has resulted from historically high, nonnatural, external phosphorus loading. In polymictic lakes, the phosphorus released from the sediments is mixed into the upper part of the lake throughout summer. Once Butternut Lake became hypereutrophic (very p

  8. Mineral constraints on arctic caribou (Rangifer tarandus): a spatial and phenological perspective

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Oster, K. W.; Barboza, P.S.; Gustine, David D.; Joly, Kyle; Shively, R. D.

    2018-01-01

    Arctic caribou (Rangifer tarandus) have the longest terrestrial migration of any ungulate but little is known about the spatial and seasonal variation of minerals in summer forages and the potential impacts of mineral nutrition on the foraging behavior and nutritional condition of arctic caribou. We investigated the phenology, availability, and mechanistic relationships of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, manganese, copper, and zinc in three species of woody browse, three species of graminoids, and one forb preferred by caribou over two transects bisecting the ranges of the Central Arctic (CAH) and Western Arctic (WAH) caribou herds in Alaska. Transects traversed three ecoregions (Coastal Plain, Arctic Foothills and Brooks Range) along known migration paths in the summer ranges of both herds. Concentrations of mineral in forages were compared to estimated dietary requirements of lactating female caribou. Spatial distribution of the abundance of minerals in caribou forage was associated with interactions of soil pH and mineral content, while temporal variation was related to plant maturity, and thus nitrogen and fiber content of forages. Concentrations of sodium were below caribou requirements in all forage species for most of the summer and adequate only on the Coastal Plain during the second half of summer. Phosphorus declined in plants from emergence to senescence and was below requirements in all forages by mid‐summer, while concentrations of copper declined to marginal concentrations at plant senescence. Interactions of sodium with potassium, calcium with phosphorus, and copper with zinc in forages likely exacerbate the constraints of low concentrations sodium, phosphorus, and copper. Forages on the WAH contained significantly more phosphorus and copper than forages collected on the CAH transect. We suspect that migrations of caribou to the Arctic Coastal Plain may allow parturient females to replenish sodium stores depleted by foraging inland through the long arctic winters, while also extending the availability of adequate phosphorus, if animals are able to selectively track emerging waves of forage.

  9. Phosphorus-defect interactions during thermal annealing of ion implanted silicon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Keys, Patrick Henry

    Ion implantation of dopant atoms into silicon generates nonequilibrium levels of crystal defects that can lead to the detrimental effects of transient enhanced diffusion (TED), incomplete dopant activation, and p-n junction leakage. In order to control these effects, it is vital to have a clear understanding of dopant-defect interactions and develop models that account for these interactions. This research focuses on experimentally investigating and modeling the clustering of phosphorus dopant atoms with silicon interstitials. Damage recovery of 40keV Si+ implants in phosphorus doped wells is experimentally analyzed. The effects of background phosphorus concentration, self implant dose, and anneal temperature are investigated. Phosphorus concentrations ranging from 2.0 x 1017 to 4.0 x 1019 cm-3 and Si+ doses ranging from 5.0 x 1013 cm-2 to 2.0 x 1014 cm-2 are studied during 650-800°C anneals. A dramatic reduction in the number of interstitials bound in {311} defects with increasing phosphorus background concentration is observed. It is suggested that the reduction of interstitials in {311} defects at high phosphorus concentrations is due to the formation of phosphorus-interstitial clusters (PICs). The critical concentration for clustering (approximately 1.0 x 1019 cm-3 at 750°C) is strongly temperature dependent and in close agreement with the kink concentration of phosphorus diffusion. Information gained from these "well experiments" is applied to the study of direct phosphorus implantation. An experimental study is conducted on 40keV phosphorus implanted to a dose of 1.0 x 1014 cm-2 during 650-800°C anneals. Electrically inactive PICs are shown to form at concentrations below the solid solubility limit due to high interstitial supersaturations. Data useful for developing a model to accurately predict phosphorus diffusion under nonequilibrium conditions are extracted from the experimental results. A cluster-mediated diffusion model is developed using the Florida Object Oriented Process Simulator (FLOOPS). The nucleation of defects is controlled by the diffusion-limited competition for excess interstitials between PICs and {311} clusters. The release of interstitials is driven by cluster dissolution. Modeling results show a strong correlation to those experimentally observed over a wide temporal and thermal domain using a single set of parameters. Improvements in process simulator accuracy are demonstrated with respect to dopant activation, TED, and dose loss.

  10. Seasonal Phosphorus Sources and Loads to Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, as Determined by a Dynamic SPARROW Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saleh, D.; Domagalski, J. L.; Smith, R. A.

    2016-12-01

    The SPARROW (SPAtially-Referenced Regression On Watershed Attributes) model, developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, has been used to identify and quantify the sources of nitrogen and phosphorus in watersheds and to predict their fluxes and concentration at specified locations downstream. Existing SPARROW models use a hybrid statistical approach to describe an annual average ("steady-state") relationship between sources and stream conditions based on long-term water quality monitoring data and spatially-referenced explanatory information. Although these annual models are useful for some management purposes, many water quality issues stem from intra- and inter-annual changes in constituent sources, hydrologic forcing, or other environmental conditions, which cause a lag between watershed inputs and stream water quality. We are developing a seasonal dynamic SPARROW model of sources, fluxes, and yields of phosphorus for the watershed (approximately 9,700 square kilometers) draining to Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. The lake is hyper-eutrophic and various options are being considered for water quality improvement. The model was calibrated with 11 years of water quality data (2000 to 2010) and simulates seasonal loads and yields for a total of 44 seasons. Phosphorus sources to the watershed include animal manure, farm fertilizer, discharges of treated wastewater, and natural sources (soil and streambed sediment). The model predicts that phosphorus delivery to the lake is strongly affected by intra- and inter-annual changes in precipitation and by temporary seasonal storage of phosphorus in the watershed. The model can be used to predict how different management actions for mitigating phosphorus sources might affect phosphorus loading to the lake as well as the time required for any changes in loading to occur following implementation of the action.

  11. Increasing phytoplankton-available phosphorus and inhibition of macrophyte on phytoplankton bloom.

    PubMed

    Dai, Yanran; Wu, Juan; Ma, Xiaohang; Zhong, Fei; Cui, Naxin; Cheng, Shuiping

    2017-02-01

    We assembled mesocosms to address the coherent mechanisms that an increasing phosphorus (P) concentration in water columns coupled with the phytoplankton bloom and identify the performance gap of regulating phytoplankton growth between two macrophyte species, Ceratophyllum demersum L. and Vallisneria spiralis L. Intense alkaline phosphatase activities (APA) were observed in the unplanted control, with their predominant part, phytoplankton APA (accounting for up to 44.7% of the total APA), and another large share, bacterial APA. These correspond with the large average concentration of total phosphorus (TP), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) and soluble reactive (SRP) as well as high phytoplankton density in the water column. The consistency among P concentrations, phytoplankton density and APA, together with the positive impact of phytoplankton density on total APA revealed by the structural equation modelling (SEM), indicates that facilitated APA levels in water is an essential strategy for phytoplankton to enhance the available P. Furthermore, a positive interaction between phytoplankton APA and bacteria APA was detected, suggesting a potential collaboration between phytoplankton and bacteria to boost available P content in the water column. Both macrophyte species had a prominent performance on regulating phytoplankton proliferation. The phytoplankton density and quantum yield in C. demersum systems were all significantly lower (33.8% and 24.0%) than those in V. spiralis systems. Additionally, a greater decoupling effect of C. demersum on the relationship between P, APA, phytoplankton density, bacteria dynamic and quantum yield was revealed by SEM. These results imply that the preferred tactic of different species could lead to the performance gap. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Dietary acidification enhances phosphorus digestibility but decreases H+/K+-ATPase expression in rainbow trout.

    PubMed

    Sugiura, Shozo H; Roy, Prabir K; Ferraris, Ronaldo P

    2006-10-01

    Oxynticopeptic cells of fish stomach are thought to secrete less acid than the specialized parietal cells of mammalian stomach. Gastric acidity, however, has not been directly compared between fish and mammals. We therefore fed rainbow trout and rats the same meal, and found that the lowest postprandial pH of trout stomach was 2.7, which was only transiently sustained for 1 h, whereas that of rat stomach was 1.3, which was sustained for 3 h. Postprandial pH of the small intestine was slightly higher in trout (approximately 8.0) than in rats (approximately 7.6), but pH of the large intestine was similar (approximately 8.0). Addition of acids to fish feeds, in an attempt to aid the weak acidity of fish stomach, has been known to improve phosphorus digestibility, but its physiological effect on fish stomach is not known. Exogenous acids did improve phosphorus digestibility but also decreased steady-state mRNA expression of trout H(+)/K(+)-ATPase (ATP4A, the proton pump) as well as Na(+)/bicarbonate cotransporter (NBC), and had no effect on gastrin-like mRNA and somastostatin (SST) mRNA abundance. Gastrin-like mRNA and SST-2 mRNA were equally distributed between corpus and antrum. ATP4A mRNA and NBC mRNA were in the corpus, whereas SST-1 mRNA was in the antrum. Trout gastrin-like EST had modest homology to halibut and pufferfish gastrin, whereas trout ATP4A mRNA had > or = 95% amino acid homology with mammalian, Xenopus and flounder ATP4A. Although ATP4A seems highly conserved among vertebrates, gastric acidity is much less in trout than in rats, explaining the low digestibility of bone phosphorus, abundant in fish diets. Dietary acidification does not reduce acidity enough to markedly improve phosphorus digestibility, perhaps because exogenous acids may inhibit endogenous acid production.

  13. Hypophosphataemia after major hepatectomy and the risk of post-operative hepatic insufficiency and mortality: an analysis of 719 patients

    PubMed Central

    Squires, Malcolm H; Dann, Gregory C; Lad, Neha L; Fisher, Sarah B; Martin, Benjamin M; Kooby, David A; Sarmiento, Juan M; Russell, Maria C; Cardona, Kenneth; Staley, Charles A; Maithel, Shishir K

    2014-01-01

    Background Hypophosphataemia after a hepatectomy suggests hepatic regeneration. It was hypothesized that the absence of hypophosphataemia is associated with post-operative hepatic insufficiency (PHI) and complications. Methods Patients who underwent a major hepatectomy from 2000–2012 at a single institution were identified. Post-operative serum phosphorus levels were assessed. Primary outcomes were PHI (peak bilirubin >7 mg/dl), major complications, and 30- and 90-day mortality. Results Seven hundred and nineteen out of 749 patients had post-operative phosphorus levels available. PHI and major complications occurred in 63 (8.8%) and 169 (23.5%) patients, respectively. Thirty- and 90-day mortality were 4.0% and 5.4%, respectively. The median phosphorus level on post-operative-day (POD) 2 was 2.2 mg/dl; 231 patients (32.1%) had phosphorus >2.4 on POD2. Patients with POD2 phosphorus >2.4 had a significantly higher incidence of PHI, major complications and mortality. On multivariate analysis, POD2 phosphorus >2.4 remained a significant risk factor for PHI [(hazard ratio HR):1.78; 95% confidence interval (CI):1.02–3.17; P = 0.048], major complications (HR:1.57; 95%CI:1.02–2.47; P = 0.049), 30-day mortality (HR:2.70; 95%CI:1.08–6.76; P = 0.034) and 90-day mortality (HR:2.51; 95%CI:1.03–6.15; P = 0.044). Similarly, patients whose phosphorus level reached nadir after POD3 had higher PHI, major complications and mortality. Conclusion Elevated POD2 phosphorus levels >2.4 mg/dl and a delayed nadir in phosphorus beyond POD3 are associated with increased post-operative hepatic insufficiency, major complications and early mortality. Failure to develop hypophosphataemia within 72 h after a major hepatectomy may reflect insufficient liver remnant regeneration. PMID:24830898

  14. Hypophosphataemia after major hepatectomy and the risk of post-operative hepatic insufficiency and mortality: an analysis of 719 patients.

    PubMed

    Squires, Malcolm H; Dann, Gregory C; Lad, Neha L; Fisher, Sarah B; Martin, Benjamin M; Kooby, David A; Sarmiento, Juan M; Russell, Maria C; Cardona, Kenneth; Staley, Charles A; Maithel, Shishir K

    2014-10-01

    Hypophosphataemia after a hepatectomy suggests hepatic regeneration. It was hypothesized that the absence of hypophosphataemia is associated with post-operative hepatic insufficiency (PHI) and complications. Patients who underwent a major hepatectomy from 2000-2012 at a single institution were identified. Post-operative serum phosphorus levels were assessed. Primary outcomes were PHI (peak bilirubin >7 mg/dl), major complications, and 30- and 90-day mortality. Seven hundred and nineteen out of 749 patients had post-operative phosphorus levels available. PHI and major complications occurred in 63 (8.8%) and 169 (23.5%) patients, respectively. Thirty- and 90-day mortality were 4.0% and 5.4%, respectively. The median phosphorus level on post-operative-day (POD) 2 was 2.2 mg/dl; 231 patients (32.1%) had phosphorus >2.4 on POD2. Patients with POD2 phosphorus >2.4 had a significantly higher incidence of PHI, major complications and mortality. On multivariate analysis, POD2 phosphorus >2.4 remained a significant risk factor for PHI [(hazard ratio HR):1.78; 95% confidence interval (CI):1.02-3.17; P = 0.048], major complications (HR:1.57; 95%CI:1.02-2.47; P = 0.049), 30-day mortality (HR:2.70; 95%CI:1.08-6.76; P = 0.034) and 90-day mortality (HR:2.51; 95%CI:1.03-6.15; P = 0.044). Similarly, patients whose phosphorus level reached nadir after POD3 had higher PHI, major complications and mortality. Elevated POD2 phosphorus levels >2.4 mg/dl and a delayed nadir in phosphorus beyond POD3 are associated with increased post-operative hepatic insufficiency, major complications and early mortality. Failure to develop hypophosphataemia within 72 h after a major hepatectomy may reflect insufficient liver remnant regeneration. © 2014 International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association.

  15. Geochemical and hydrologic controls on phosphorus transport in a sewage-contaminated sand and gravel aquifer near Ashumet Pond, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Walter, D.A.; Rea, B.A.; Stollenwerk, K.G.; Savoie, Jennifer G.

    1995-01-01

    The disposal of secondarily treated sewage onto rapid infiltration sand beds at the Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has created a sewage plume in the underlying sand and gravel aquifer; the part of the\\x11sewage plume that contains dissolved phosphorus extends about 2,500 feet downgradient of the sewage-disposal beds. A part of the plume that\\x11contains nearly 2 milligrams per liter of phosphorus currently (1993) discharges into Ashumet Pond along about 700 feet of shoreline. The sewage plume discharges from about 59 to about 76 kilograms of phosphorus per year into the pond. Hydraulic-head measurements indicate that the north end of Ashumet Pond is a ground-water sink and an increased component of ground-water discharge and phosphorus flux into\\x11the pond occurs at higher water levels. Phosphorus was mobile in ground water in two distinct geochemical environments-an anoxic zone that contains no dissolved oxygen and as much as 25\\x11milligrams per liter of dissolved iron, and a more areally extensive suboxic zone that contains little or no iron, low but detectable dissolved oxygen, and as much as 12 milligrams per liter of dissolved manganese. Dissolved phosphorus is mobile in the suboxic geochemical environment because continued phosphorus loading has filled available sorption sites in the aquifer. Continued disposal of sewage since 1936 has created a large reservoir of sorbed phosphorus that is much greater than the mass of dissolved phosphorus in the ground water; the average ratio of sorbed to dissolved phosphorus in the anoxic and suboxic parts of the sewage plume were 31:1 and 155:1, respectively. Column experiments indicate that phosphorus in the anoxic core of the plume containing dissolved iron may be immobilized within 17 years by sorption and coprecipitation with new iron oxyhydroxides following the cessation of sewage disposal and the introduction of uncontaminated oxygenated ground water into the aquifer in December 1995. Residual oxygen demand associated with sorbed organic compounds and ammonia could retard the movement of oxygenated water into the aquifer. Sorbed phosphorus in the suboxic zone of the aquifer will continue to desorb into the ground water and will remain mobile in the ground water for perhaps hundreds of years. Also, the introduction of uncontaminated water into the aquifer may cause dissolved-phosphorus concentrations in the suboxic zone of the aquifer to increase sharply and remain higher than precessation levels for many years due to the desorption of loosely bound phosphorus. Data from three sampling sites, located along the eastern and western boundaries of the sewage plume and downgradient of abandoned sewage-disposal beds, indicate that ground-water mixing and phosphorus desorption may already be occurring in the aquifer in response to the introduction of uncontaminated recharge water into previously contaminated parts of the aquifer.

  16. WHO WOULD EAT IN A WORLD WITHOUT PHOSPHORUS? A GLOBAL DYNAMIC MODEL

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dumas, M.

    2009-12-01

    Phosphorus is an indispensable and non-substitutable resource, as agriculture is impossible if soils do not hold adequate amounts of this nutrient. Phosphorus is also considered to be a non-renewable and increasingly scarce resource, as phosphate rock reserves - as one measure of availability amongst others - are estimated to last for 50 to 100 years at current rates of consumption. How would food production decline in different parts of the world in the scenario of a sudden shortage in phosphorus? To answer this question and explore management scenarios, I present a probabilistic model of the structure and dynamics of the global P cycle in the world’s agro-ecosystems. The model proposes an original solution to the challenge of capturing the large-scale aggregate dynamics of multiple micro-scale soil cycling processes. Furthermore, it integrates the essential natural processes with a model of human-managed flows, thereby bringing together several decades of research and measurements from soil science, plant nutrition and long-term agricultural experiments from around the globe. In this paper, I present the model, the first simulation results and the implications for long-term sustainable management of phosphorus and soil fertility.

  17. Molecular adaptations to phosphorus deprivation and comparison with nitrogen deprivation responses in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum.

    PubMed

    Alipanah, Leila; Winge, Per; Rohloff, Jens; Najafi, Javad; Brembu, Tore; Bones, Atle M

    2018-01-01

    Phosphorus, an essential element for all living organisms, is a limiting nutrient in many regions of the ocean due to its fast recycling. Changes in phosphate (Pi) availability in aquatic systems affect diatom growth and productivity. We investigated the early adaptive mechanisms in the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum to P deprivation using a combination of transcriptomics, metabolomics, physiological and biochemical experiments. Our analysis revealed strong induction of gene expression for proteins involved in phosphate acquisition and scavenging, and down-regulation of processes such as photosynthesis, nitrogen assimilation and nucleic acid and ribosome biosynthesis. P deprivation resulted in alterations of carbon allocation through the induction of the pentose phosphate pathway and cytosolic gluconeogenesis, along with repression of the Calvin cycle. Reorganization of cellular lipids was indicated by coordinated induced expression of phospholipases, sulfolipid biosynthesis enzymes and a putative betaine lipid biosynthesis enzyme. A comparative analysis of nitrogen- and phosphorus-deprived P. tricornutum revealed both common and distinct regulation patterns in response to phosphate and nitrate stress. Regulation of central carbon metabolism and amino acid metabolism was similar, whereas unique responses were found in nitrogen assimilation and phosphorus scavenging in nitrogen-deprived and phosphorus-deprived cells, respectively.

  18. The effect of phytase and fructooligosaccharide supplementation on growth performance, bone quality, and phosphorus utilization in broiler chickens.

    PubMed

    Shang, Y; Rogiewicz, A; Patterson, R; Slominski, B A; Kim, W K

    2015-05-01

    An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of phytase and 2 levels of fructooligosaccharide (FOS) supplementation on growth performance, bone mineralization, and P utilization of broiler chickens. A total of 210 day-old male broiler chickens (Ross) were randomly placed into 7 dietary treatments consisting of 6 replicates with 5 birds per pen. The experiment was designed as an augmented 2 × 3 factorial arrangement with 0 or 500 U/kg of phytase and 0, 0.5% or 1% of FOS added to a reduced Ca (0.8%) and available P (0.25%) negative control diet (NC). A positive control diet (PC) that contained 1% Ca and 0.45% available P was also included. During the entire experimental period, phytase supplementation significantly improved (P < 0.05) the feed conversion ratio (FCR), BW gain (BWG), and feed intake. Birds fed the PC diet showed significantly higher bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) in both femur and tibia bones (P < 0.0001) than those fed the NC diet. Phytase supplementation increased femur BMD (P < 0.05), whereas FOS decreased femur BMD and BMC (P < 0.05). Phosphorus utilization was significantly higher for the NC diet (P < 0.0001). Phytase alone and in combination with 0.5% FOS increased P utilization significantly when compared with other treatments (P < 0.05). Fructooligosaccharides, especially at the level of 0.5%, increased P retention. In conclusion, phytase supplementation in low Ca and P diets improved growth performance, bone quality, and P utilization. However, supplementing NC diets with phytase and FOS did not result in bone mineralization values comparable with that of the PC diet. The application of dietary FOS alone had a negative effect on broiler bone quality. © 2015 Poultry Science Association Inc.

  19. The effect of pH on phosphorus availability and speciation in an aquaponics nutrient solution.

    PubMed

    Cerozi, Brunno da Silva; Fitzsimmons, Kevin

    2016-11-01

    The interaction between the main ions in aquaponics nutrient solutions affects chemical composition and availability of nutrients, and nutrient uptake by plant roots. This study determined the effect of pH on phosphorus (P) speciation and availability in an aquaponics nutrient solution and used Visual MINTEQ to simulate P species and P activity. In both experimental and simulated results, P availability decreased with increase in pH of aquaponics nutrient solutions. According to simulations, P binds to several cations leaving less free phosphate ions available in solution. High pH values resulted in the formation of insoluble calcium phosphate species. The study also demonstrated the importance of organic matter and alkalinity in keeping free phosphate ions in solution at high pH ranges. It is recommended though that pH in aquaponics systems is maintained at a 5.5-7.2 range for optimal availability and uptake by plants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Parameterization of DFTB3/3OB for Sulfur and Phosphorus for Chemical and Biological Applications

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    We report the parametrization of the approximate density functional tight binding method, DFTB3, for sulfur and phosphorus. The parametrization is done in a framework consistent with our previous 3OB set established for O, N, C, and H, thus the resulting parameters can be used to describe a broad set of organic and biologically relevant molecules. The 3d orbitals are included in the parametrization, and the electronic parameters are chosen to minimize errors in the atomization energies. The parameters are tested using a fairly diverse set of molecules of biological relevance, focusing on the geometries, reaction energies, proton affinities, and hydrogen bonding interactions of these molecules; vibrational frequencies are also examined, although less systematically. The results of DFTB3/3OB are compared to those from DFT (B3LYP and PBE), ab initio (MP2, G3B3), and several popular semiempirical methods (PM6 and PDDG), as well as predictions of DFTB3 with the older parametrization (the MIO set). In general, DFTB3/3OB is a major improvement over the previous parametrization (DFTB3/MIO), and for the majority cases tested here, it also outperforms PM6 and PDDG, especially for structural properties, vibrational frequencies, hydrogen bonding interactions, and proton affinities. For reaction energies, DFTB3/3OB exhibits major improvement over DFTB3/MIO, due mainly to significant reduction of errors in atomization energies; compared to PM6 and PDDG, DFTB3/3OB also generally performs better, although the magnitude of improvement is more modest. Compared to high-level calculations, DFTB3/3OB is most successful at predicting geometries; larger errors are found in the energies, although the results can be greatly improved by computing single point energies at a high level with DFTB3 geometries. There are several remaining issues with the DFTB3/3OB approach, most notably its difficulty in describing phosphate hydrolysis reactions involving a change in the coordination number of the phosphorus, for which a specific parametrization (3OB/OPhyd) is developed as a temporary solution; this suggests that the current DFTB3 methodology has limited transferability for complex phosphorus chemistry at the level of accuracy required for detailed mechanistic investigations. Therefore, fundamental improvements in the DFTB3 methodology are needed for a reliable method that describes phosphorus chemistry without ad hoc parameters. Nevertheless, DFTB3/3OB is expected to be a competitive QM method in QM/MM calculations for studying phosphorus/sulfur chemistry in condensed phase systems, especially as a low-level method that drives the sampling in a dual-level QM/MM framework. PMID:24803865

  1. Adaptive measurements of urban runoff quality

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wong, Brandon P.; Kerkez, Branko

    2016-11-01

    An approach to adaptively measure runoff water quality dynamics is introduced, focusing specifically on characterizing the timing and magnitude of urban pollutographs. Rather than relying on a static schedule or flow-weighted sampling, which can miss important water quality dynamics if parameterized inadequately, novel Internet-enabled sensor nodes are used to autonomously adapt their measurement frequency to real-time weather forecasts and hydrologic conditions. This dynamic approach has the potential to significantly improve the use of constrained experimental resources, such as automated grab samplers, which continue to provide a strong alternative to sampling water quality dynamics when in situ sensors are not available. Compared to conventional flow-weighted or time-weighted sampling schemes, which rely on preset thresholds, a major benefit of the approach is the ability to dynamically adapt to features of an underlying hydrologic signal. A 28 km2 urban watershed was studied to characterize concentrations of total suspended solids (TSS) and total phosphorus. Water quality samples were autonomously triggered in response to features in the underlying hydrograph and real-time weather forecasts. The study watershed did not exhibit a strong first flush and intraevent concentration variability was driven by flow acceleration, wherein the largest loadings of TSS and total phosphorus corresponded with the steepest rising limbs of the storm hydrograph. The scalability of the proposed method is discussed in the context of larger sensor network deployments, as well the potential to improving control of urban water quality.

  2. Microalgae population dynamics growth with AnMBR effluent: effect of light and phosphorus concentration.

    PubMed

    Sanchis-Perucho, P; Duran, F; Barat, R; Pachés, M; Aguado, D

    2018-06-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of light intensity and phosphorus concentration on biomass growth and nutrient removal in a microalgae culture and their effect on their competition. The photobioreactor was continuously fed with the effluent from an anaerobic membrane bioreactor pilot plant treating real wastewater. Four experimental periods were carried out at different light intensities (36 and 52 μmol s -1 m -2 ) and phosphorus concentrations (around 6 and 15 mgP L -1 ). Four green algae - Scenedesmus, Chlorella, Monoraphidium and Chlamydomonas- and cyanobacterium were detected and quantified along whole experimental period. Chlorella was the dominant species when light intensity was at the lower level tested, and was competitively displaced by a mixed culture of Scenedesmus and Monoraphidium when light was increased. When phosphorus concentration in the photobioreactor was raised up to 15 mgP L -1 , a growth of cyanobacterium became the dominant species in the culture. The highest nutrient removal efficiency (around 58.4 ± 15.8% and 96.1 ± 16.5% of nitrogen and phosphorus, respectively) was achieved at 52 μmol s -1 m -2 of light intensity and 6.02 mgP L -1 of phosphorus concentration, reaching about 674 ± 86 mg L -1 of volatile suspended solids. The results obtained reveal how the light intensity supplied and the phosphorus concentration available are relevant operational factors that determine the microalgae species that is able to predominate in a culture. Moreover, changes in microalgae predominance can be induced by changes in the growth medium produced by the own predominant species.

  3. Carbon storage in seagrass soils: long-term nutrient history exceeds the effects of near-term nutrient enrichment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Armitage, A. R.; Fourqurean, J. W.

    2016-01-01

    The carbon sequestration potential in coastal soils is linked to aboveground and belowground plant productivity and biomass, which in turn, is directly and indirectly influenced by nutrient input. We evaluated the influence of long-term and near-term nutrient input on aboveground and belowground carbon accumulation in seagrass beds, using a nutrient enrichment (nitrogen and phosphorus) experiment embedded within a naturally occurring, long-term gradient of phosphorus availability within Florida Bay (USA). We measured organic carbon stocks in soils and above- and belowground seagrass biomass after 17 months of experimental nutrient addition. At the nutrient-limited sites, phosphorus addition increased the carbon stock in aboveground seagrass biomass by more than 300 %; belowground seagrass carbon stock increased by 50-100 %. Soil carbon content slightly decreased ( ˜ 10 %) in response to phosphorus addition. There was a strong but non-linear relationship between soil carbon and Thalassia testudinum leaf nitrogen : phosphorus (N : P) or belowground seagrass carbon stock. When seagrass leaf N : P exceeded an approximate threshold of 75 : 1, or when belowground seagrass carbon stock was less than 100 g m-2, there was less than 3 % organic carbon in the sediment. Despite the marked difference in soil carbon between phosphorus-limited and phosphorus-replete areas of Florida Bay, all areas of the bay had relatively high soil carbon stocks near or above the global median of 1.8 % organic carbon. The relatively high carbon content in the soils indicates that seagrass beds have extremely high carbon storage potential, even in nutrient-limited areas with low biomass or productivity.

  4. Carbon storage in seagrass soils: long-term nutrient history exceeds the effects of near-term nutrient enrichment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Armitage, A. R.; Fourqurean, J. W.

    2015-10-01

    The carbon sequestration potential in coastal soils is linked to aboveground and belowground plant productivity and biomass, which in turn, is directly and indirectly influenced by nutrient input. We evaluated the influence of long-term and near-term nutrient input on aboveground and belowground carbon accumulation in seagrass beds, using a nutrient enrichment (nitrogen and phosphorus) experiment embedded within a naturally occurring, long-term gradient of phosphorus availability within Florida Bay (USA). We measured organic carbon stocks in soils and above- and belowground seagrass biomass after 17 months of experimental nutrient addition. At the nutrient-limited sites, phosphorus addition increased the carbon stock in aboveground seagrass biomass by more than 300 %; belowground seagrass carbon stock increased by 50-100 %. Soil carbon content slightly decreased (~ 10 %) in response to phosphorus addition. There was a strong but non-linear relationship between soil carbon and Thalassia testudinum leaf nitrogen: phosphorus (N : P) or belowground seagrass carbon stock. When seagrass leaf N : P exceeded a threshold of 75 : 1, or when belowground seagrass carbon stock was less than 100 g m-2, there was less than 3 % organic carbon in the sediment. Despite the marked difference in soil carbon between phosphorus-limited and phosphorus-replete areas of Florida Bay, all areas of the bay had relatively high soil carbon stocks near or above the global median of 1.8 % organic carbon. The relatively high carbon content in the soils indicates that seagrass beds have extremely high carbon storage potential, even in nutrient-limited areas with low biomass or productivity.

  5. Effects of Land Use Land Cover (LULC) and Climate on Simulation of Phosphorus loading in the Southeast United States Region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jima, T. G.; Roberts, A.

    2013-12-01

    Quality of coastal and freshwater resources in the Southeastern United States is threatened due to Eutrophication as a result of excessive nutrients, and phosphorus is acknowledged as one of the major limiting nutrients. In areas with much non-point source (NPS) pollution, land use land cover and climate have been found to have significant impact on water quality. Landscape metrics applied in catchment and riparian stream based nutrient export models are known to significantly improve nutrient prediction. The regional SPARROW (Spatially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes), which predicts Total Phosphorus has been developed by the Southeastern United States regions USGS, as part of the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program and the model accuracy was found to be 67%. However, landscape composition and configuration metrics which play a significant role in the source, transport and delivery of the nutrient have not been incorporated in the model. Including these matrices in the models parameterization will improve the models accuracy and improve decision making process for mitigating and managing NPS phosphorus in the region. The National Land Cover Data 2001 raster data will be used (since the base line is 2002) for the region (with 8321 watersheds ) with fragstats 4.1 and ArcGIS Desktop 10.1 for the analysis of landscape matrices, buffers and creating map layers. The result will be imported to the Southeast SPARROW model and will be analyzed. Resulting statistical significance and model accuracy will be assessed and predictions for those areas with no water quality monitoring station will be made.

  6. [Assessment of farmland soil quality under different utilization intensity in arid area].

    PubMed

    Gui, Dong-Wei; Mu, Gui-Jin; Lei, Jia-Qiang; Zeng, Fan-Jiang; Wang, Hui

    2009-04-01

    Based on the 2005-2007 experimental data in Cele oasis in the southern margin of Tarim Basin of Xinjiang, the soil quality of four typical types of farmland with different utilization intensity, i.e., farmland with high input, farmland with normal input, newly reclaimed farmland, and farmland in oasis' interior, was analyzed and assessed by using sustainable yield index, soil improvement index, and soil quality synthesis index. Among the farmlands, there were significant differences in the contents of soil organic matter, available nitrogen, and available phosphorus. Newly reclaimed farmland had the lowest level of soil quality, while the farmland in oasis' interior had relatively higher soil quality. This study could help the reasonable exploitation and utilization of farmlands in Cele oasis, and the protection of local farmland eco-environment.

  7. Phosphorus Flow Analysis for Food Production and Consumption

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matsubae, Kazuyo; Nakajima, Kenichi; Nansai, Keisuke; Nagasaka, Tetsuya

    Phosphorus is present only as a trace element on the Earth, but is one of the important strategic resources for agricultural food production and for the chemical industry. Natural phosphate ore is traded worldwide, mainly as a raw material for fertilizer. Approximately 147 × 103 kt of phosphate ore was mined in the world during 2005. Of this, 24.7% (36.3 × 103 kt) was produced in the USA, 20.7% (30.4 × 103 kt) in China, and 17.1% (25.2 × 103 kt) in Morocco, while there are essentially no deposits of phosphate ore in Japan or the EU (USGS,2012). It is of concern that, due to growing world demand for fertilizers, deposits of high-grade phosphate ore could be exhausted within the next 100 years (Vaccari 2009), and the average price of the ore in 2008 was approximately doubled that in 2007. Concerning the restricted supplies of phosphorus resource, it is important to consider the quantity and availability of phosphorus resources that currently remain untapped.

  8. Interaction Effect between Phosphorus and Zinc on their Availability in Soil in Relation to their Contents in Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana)

    PubMed Central

    Das, Kuntal; Dang, Raman; Shivananda, T. N.; Sur, Pintu

    2005-01-01

    A greenhouse experiment was conducted at the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bangalore to study the interaction effect between phosphorus and zinc on their availability in soil in relation to their contents in stevia (Stevia rebaudiana). The results show that the amount of available P and Zn content in soil has been found to increase initially and, thereafter, the amount of the same decreased with the progress of plant growth up to 60 days irrespective of treatments. The amount of P and Zn in soils showed an increase with their separate applications either as soil or foliar spray while that of the same value significantly decreased both in soils and plants due to their combined applications, suggesting a mutual antagonistic effect between Zn and P affecting each other's availability in soil and content in the stevia plant. PMID:15980919

  9. Red Phosphorus Nanodots on Reduced Graphene Oxide as a Flexible and Ultra-Fast Anode for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yihang; Zhang, Anyi; Shen, Chenfei; Liu, Qingzhou; Cao, Xuan; Ma, Yuqiang; Chen, Liang; Lau, Christian; Chen, Tian-Chi; Wei, Fei; Zhou, Chongwu

    2017-06-27

    Sodium-ion batteries offer an attractive option for potential low cost and large scale energy storage due to the earth abundance of sodium. Red phosphorus is considered as a high capacity anode for sodium-ion batteries with a theoretical capacity of 2596 mAh/g. However, similar to silicon in lithium-ion batteries, several limitations, such as large volume expansion upon sodiation/desodiation and low electronic conductance, have severely limited the performance of red phosphorus anodes. In order to address the above challenges, we have developed a method to deposit red phosphorus nanodots densely and uniformly onto reduced graphene oxide sheets (P@RGO) to minimize the sodium ion diffusion length and the sodiation/desodiation stresses, and the RGO network also serves as electron pathway and creates free space to accommodate the volume variation of phosphorus particles. The resulted P@RGO flexible anode achieved 1165.4, 510.6, and 135.3 mAh/g specific charge capacity at 159.4, 31878.9, and 47818.3 mA/g charge/discharge current density in rate capability test, and a 914 mAh/g capacity after 300 deep cycles in cycling stability test at 1593.9 mA/g current density, which marks a significant performance improvement for red phosphorus anodes for sodium-ion chemistry and flexible power sources for wearable electronics.

  10. Effects of changes in nutrient loading and composition on hypoxia dynamics and internal nutrient cycling of a stratified coastal lagoon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Yafei; McCowan, Andrew; Cook, Perran L. M.

    2017-10-01

    The effects of changes in catchment nutrient loading and composition on the phytoplankton dynamics, development of hypoxia and internal nutrient dynamics in a stratified coastal lagoon system (the Gippsland Lakes) were investigated using a 3-D coupled hydrodynamic biogeochemical water quality model. The study showed that primary production was equally sensitive to changed dissolved inorganic and particulate organic nitrogen loads, highlighting the need for a better understanding of particulate organic matter bioavailability. Stratification and sediment carbon enrichment were the main drivers for the hypoxia and subsequent sediment phosphorus release in Lake King. High primary production stimulated by large nitrogen loading brought on by a winter flood contributed almost all the sediment carbon deposition (as opposed to catchment loads), which was ultimately responsible for summer bottom-water hypoxia. Interestingly, internal recycling of phosphorus was more sensitive to changed nitrogen loads than total phosphorus loads, highlighting the potential importance of nitrogen loads exerting a control over systems that become phosphorus limited (such as during summer nitrogen-fixing blooms of cyanobacteria). Therefore, the current study highlighted the need to reduce both total nitrogen and total phosphorus for water quality improvement in estuarine systems.

  11. Effects of phosphorus doping by plasma immersion ion implantation on the structural and optical characteristics of Zn{sub 0.85}Mg{sub 0.15}O thin films

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Saha, S.; Nagar, S.; Chakrabarti, S., E-mail: subho@ee.iitb.ac.in

    2014-08-11

    ZnMgO thin films deposited on 〈100〉 Si substrates by RF sputtering were annealed at 800, 900, and 1000 °C after phosphorus plasma immersion ion implantation. X-ray diffraction spectra confirmed the presence of 〈101{sup ¯}0〉 and 〈101{sup ¯}3〉 peaks for all the samples. However, in case of the annealed samples, the 〈0002〉 peak was also observed. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed the variation in surface morphology caused by phosphorus implantation. Implanted and non-implanted samples were compared to examine the effects of phosphorus implantation on the optical properties of ZnMgO. Optical characteristics were investigated by low-temperature (15 K) photoluminescence experiments. Inelastic exciton–exciton scattering andmore » localized, and delocalized excitonic peaks appeared at 3.377, 3.42, and 3.45 eV, respectively, revealing the excitonic effect resulting from phosphorus implantation. This result is important because inelastic exciton–exciton scattering leads to nonlinear emission, which can improve the performance of many optoelectronic devices.« less

  12. Full-scale phosphorus recovery from digested waste water sludge in Belgium - part I: technical achievements and challenges.

    PubMed

    Marchi, A; Geerts, S; Weemaes, M; Schiettecatte, W; Wim, S; Vanhoof, C; Christine, V

    2015-01-01

    To date, phosphorus recovery as struvite in wastewater treatment plants has been mainly implemented on water phases resulting from dewatering processes of the sludge line. However, it is possible to recover struvite directly from sludge phases. Besides minimising the return loads of phosphorus from the sludge line to the water line, placing such a process within the sludge line is claimed to offer advantages such as a higher recovery potential, enhanced dewaterability of the treated sludge, and reduced speed of scaling in pipes and dewatering devices. In the wastewater treatment plant at Leuven (Belgium), a full-scale struvite recovery process from digested sludge has been tested for 1 year. Several monitoring campaigns and experiments provided indications of the efficiency of the process for recovery. The load of phosphorus from the sludge line returning to the water line as centrate accounted for 15% of the P-load of the plant in the reference situation. Data indicated that the process divides this phosphorus load by two. An improved dewaterability of 1.5% of dry solids content was achieved, provided a proper tuning of the installation. Quality analyses showed that the formed struvite was quite pure.

  13. Synthesis of oxazolidine-2,4-diones by a tandem phosphorus-mediated carboxylative condensation-cyclization reaction using atmospheric carbon dioxide.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Wen-Zhen; Xia, Tian; Yang, Xu-Tong; Lu, Xiao-Bing

    2015-04-11

    The oxazolidine-2,4-dione motif is found frequently in biologically important compounds. A tandem phosphorus-mediated carboxylative condensation of primary amines and α-ketoesters/base-catalyzed cyclization reaction have been developed. These processes provide a novel and convenient access to various oxazolidine-2,4-diones in a one-pot fashion using atmospheric carbon dioxide and readily available substrates under very mild and transition-metal-free conditions.

  14. Tungsten Speciation in Firing Range Soils

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-01-01

    R. A. A. Suurs, O . Oenema , and W. H. van Riemsdijk. 2004. Phosphorus availability for plant uptake in a phosphorus enriched noncalcareous sandy soil...heteroatom (most commonly P5+, Si4+, or B3+), M is the addenda atom (most common are molybdenum and tungsten), and O represents oxygen. The structure self...coordination to four oxygen atoms. The EXAFS spectrum of tungstate is dominated by os- cillations attributed to tungsten-oxygen (W- O ) bonding (Fig. 4), and to

  15. Phosphorus use efficiency by cotton measured through 32P isotope technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marcante, N. C.; Muraoka, T.; Camacho, M. A.; César, F. R. C. F.; Bruno, I. P.

    2012-04-01

    Deficiency of phosphorus (P) is the major limitation to agricultural production in the Brazilian Savannah (Cerrado), which is naturally poor in this nutrient. Most of the P applied by fertilizer in Cerrado soils are converted into low solubility forms and can not be easily absorbed by plants. This occurs for characteristics of adsorption, conditioned by the predominance of low pH and aluminum and iron oxides in the clay fraction. The development of genotypes and cultivars with greater capacity to grow up in soils with low P availability ('phosphorus efficiency') is interesting to improve the agriculture in these areas in a sustainable way. Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is the main product for the fibers used nationally and globally in the textile chain. This study aim was to evaluate the efficiency of absorption and utilization of P by cotton cultivars/genotypes grown in Cerrado soil by the isotopic dilution technique. The soil classified as Ultisols, was labeled with the radioisotope 32P.The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse in a completely randomized design factorial 2 x 17. Factors were considered two levels of P (insufficient = 20 mg kg-1 and sufficient = 120 mg kg-1) and 17 genetic materials of cotton recommended for Cerrado region. Phosphorus levels influenced significantly the shoots dry matter production, the P content and accumulation, the 32P specific activity, the L value and L value less seed cotton P by cultivars and genotypes. The hierarchical clustering analysis used to verify the similarities between the cultivars and genotypes of cotton, classified them into internally homogeneous groups and heterogeneous between different groups. Cultivars FMT 523, FM 910 and CNPA GO 2043 were the most responsive to phosphate fertilizer in sufficient level of P, while the genotype Barbadense 01 and cultivars FM 966LL, IPR Jataí, BRS Aroeira and BRS Buriti were most efficient absorbing P in soils with insufficient level.

  16. Field demonstration of reduction of lead availability in soil and cabbage (Brassica Chinensis L.) contaminated by mining tailings using phosphorus fertilizers*

    PubMed Central

    Xie, Zheng-miao; Wang, Bi-ling; Sun, Ye-fang; Li, Jing

    2006-01-01

    A field demonstration of reduction of lead availability in a soil and cabbage (Brassica Chinensis L.) contaminated by mining tailings, located in Shaoxing, China was carried out to evaluate the effects of applications of phosphorus fertilizers on Pb fractionation and Pb phytoavailability in the soil. It was found that the addition of all three P fertilizers including single super phosphate (SSP), phosphate rock (PR), and calcium magnesium phosphate (CMP) significantly decreased the percentage of water-soluble and exchangeable (WE) soil Pb and then reduced the uptake of Pb, Cd, and Zn by the cabbage compared to the control (CK). The results showed that the level of 300 g P/m2 soil was the most cost-effective application rate of P fertilizers for reducing Pb availability at the first stage of remediation, and that at this P level, the effect of WE fraction of Pb in the soil decreased by three phosphorus fertilizers followed the order: CMP (79%)>SSP (41%)>PR (23%); Effectiveness on the reduction of Pb uptake by cabbage was in the order: CMP (53%)>SSP (41%)>PR (30%). Therefore our field trial demonstrated that it was effective and feasible to reduce Pb availability in soil and cabbage contaminated by mining tailings using P fertilizers in China and PR would be a most cost-effective amendment. PMID:16365925

  17. Changes in phosphorus concentrations and loads in the Assabet River, Massachusetts, October 2008 through April 2014

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Savoie, Jennifer G.; DeSimone, Leslie A.; Mullaney, John R.; Zimmerman, Marc J.; Waldron, Marcus C.

    2016-10-24

    Treated effluent discharged from municipal wastewater-treatment plants to the Assabet River in central Massachusetts includes phosphorus, which leads to increased growth of nuisance aquatic plants that decrease the river’s water quality and aesthetics in impounded reaches during the growing season. To improve the river’s water quality and aesthetics, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved a total maximum daily load for phosphorus in 2004 that directed the wastewater-treatment plants to reduce the amount of total phosphorus discharged to the river by 2012. The permitted total phosphorus monthly average of 0.75 milligrams per liter during the aquatic plant growing season (April 1 through October 31) was reduced by the total maximum daily load to a target of 0.1 milligrams per liter by 2012, and the nongrowing-season limit was unchanged at 1.0 milligrams per liter.From October 2008 through April 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, measured streamflow and collected weekly flow-proportional, composite samples of water from the Assabet River for analysis of concentrations of total phosphorus and orthophosphate. Streamflow and concentration data were used to estimate total phosphorus and orthophosphate loads in the river. The purpose of this monitoring effort was to evaluate phosphorus concentrations and loads in the river before, during, and after the wastewater-treatment-plant upgrades and to assess the effects of seasonal differences in permitted discharges. The locations of water-quality-monitoring stations, with respect to the Hudson and Ben Smith impoundments, enabled examination of effects of phosphorus entering and leaving the impoundments.Annual median concentrations of total phosphorus in wastewater-treatment plants were reduced by more than 80 percent with the plant upgrades. Measured instream annual median concentrations of total phosphorus in the Assabet River decreased by about 38 to 50 percent at three of the four monitoring stations following the wastewater-treatment-plant upgrades. At the station farthest upstream, the median total phosphorus concentration remained unchanged throughout the study; this may be attributed to the site location and potential resuspension of particulate organic matter during periods of increased streamflow. Annual median loads from the wastewater-treatment plants were reduced by up to 91 percent following the upgrades, instream annual median total phosphorus loads at the three downstream stations decreased by 71 to 76 percent, and instream orthophosphate loads at the three downstream stations decreased by 79 to 87 percent.Seasonal fluctuations (growing versus nongrowing) of total phosphorus and orthophosphate were observed instream before the upgrades. However, after the upgrades, fluctuations in phosphorus released from the treatment plants were slight and seasonal changes were typically not observed instream.Annual loads entering and leaving the two impoundments were inconclusive in determining whether the impoundments were sources or sinks of total phosphorus during the study. Total phosphorus loads entering the Hudson impoundment were consistently greater than those leaving; however, there was uncertainty about the loads at the monitoring station upstream from this impoundment. At the Ben Smith impoundment, total phosphorus and orthophosphate loads downstream were slightly greater than those upstream from the impoundment, but the differences may reflect additions from tributaries and overland runoff.Estimated instream total phosphorus concentrations and loads indicated that the decreases in total phosphorus in wastewater-treatment-plant discharges were accompanied by reductions measured in the Assabet River. A statistical analysis which incorporates the effect of varying flow conditions demonstrated significant reductions in total phosphorus concentrations after the wastewater-treatment-plant upgrades at three of the four instream monitoring stations. No significant change was observed at the most upstream location, the Assabet River at Port Street at Hudson, Massachusetts (station number 01096835), which may have been affected by flow-related resuspension of particulate phosphorus.

  18. 76 FR 82157 - Difenoconazole; Pesticide Tolerances

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-30

    ... method, gas chromatography with nitrogen/ phosphorus detection (GC/NPD) method AG-575B, is available for...-2010-0959. All documents in the docket are listed in the docket index available at http://www.regulations.gov . Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., Confidential...

  19. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wang, Ziying; Lee, Jungwoo Z.; Xin, Huolin L.

    All-solid-state lithium-ion batteries have the potential to not only push the current limits of energy density by utilizing Li metal, but also improve safety by avoiding flammable organic electrolyte. However, understanding the role of solid electrolyte – electrode interfaces will be critical to improve performance. In this paper, we conducted long term cycling on commercially available lithium cobalt oxide (LCO)/lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON)/lithium (Li) cells at elevated temperature to investigate the interfacial phenomena that lead to capacity decay. STEM-EELS analysis of samples revealed a previously unreported disordered layer between the LCO cathode and LiPON electrolyte. This electrochemically inactive layer grewmore » in thickness leading to loss of capacity and increase of interfacial resistance when cycled at 80 °C. Finally, the stabilization of this layer through interfacial engineering is crucial to improve the long term performance of thin-film batteries especially under thermal stress.« less

  20. Spreadsheet WATERSHED modeling for nonpoint-source pollution management in a Wisconsin basin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Walker, J.F.; Pickard, S.A.; Sonzogni, W.C.

    1989-01-01

    Although several sophisticated nonpoint pollution models exist, few are available that are easy to use, cover a variety of conditions, and integrate a wide range of information to allow managers and planners to assess different control strategies. Here, a straightforward pollutant input accounting approach is presented in the form of an existing model (WATERSHED) that has been adapted to run on modern electronic spreadsheets. As an application, WATERSHED is used to assess options to improve the quality of highly eutrophic Delavan Lake in Wisconsin. WATERSHED is flexible in that several techniques, such as the Universal Soil Loss Equation or unit-area loadings, can be used to estimate nonpoint-source inputs. Once the model parameters are determined (and calibrated, if possible), the spreadsheet features can be used to conduct a sensitivity analysis of management options. In the case of Delavan Lake, it was concluded that, although some nonpoint controls were cost-effective, the overall reduction in phosphorus would be insufficient to measurably improve water quality.A straightforward pollutant input accounting approach is presented in the form of an existing model (WATERSHED) that has been adapted to run on modern electronic spreadsheets. As an application, WATERSHED is used to assess options to improve the quality of highly eutrophic Delavan Lake in Wisconsin. WATERSHED is flexible in that several techniques, such as the Universal Soil Loss Equation or unit-area loadings, can be used to estimate nonpoint-source inputs. Once the model parameters are determined (and calibrated, if possible), the spreadsheet features can be used to conduct a sensitivity analysis of management options. In the case of Delavan Lake, it was concluded that, although some nonpoint controls were cost-effective, the overall reduction in phosphorus would be insufficient to measurably improve water quality.

  1. A comparative study of methanol as a supplementary carbon source for enhancing denitrification in primary and secondary anoxic zones.

    PubMed

    Ginige, Maneesha P; Bowyer, Jocelyn C; Foley, Leah; Keller, Jürg; Yuan, Zhiguo

    2009-04-01

    A comparative study on the use of methanol as a supplementary carbon source to enhance denitrification in primary and secondary anoxic zones is reported. Three lab-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBR) were operated to achieve nitrogen and carbon removal from domestic wastewater. Methanol was added to the primary anoxic period of the first SBR, and to the secondary anoxic period of the second SBR. No methanol was added to the third SBR, which served as a control. The extent of improvement on the denitrification performance was found to be dependent on the reactor configuration. Addition to the secondary anoxic period is more effective when very low effluent nitrate levels are to be achieved and hence requires a relatively large amount of methanol. Adding a small amount of methanol to the secondary anoxic period may cause nitrite accumulation, which does not improve overall nitrogen removal. In the latter case, methanol should be added to the primary anoxic period. The addition of methanol can also improve biological phosphorus removal by creating anaerobic conditions and increasing the availability of organic carbon in wastewater for polyphosphate accumulating organisms. This potentially provides a cost-effective approach to phosphorus removal from wastewater with a low carbon content. New fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) probes targeting methanol-utilising denitrifiers were designed using stable isotope probing. Microbial structure analysis of the sludges using the new and existing FISH probes clearly showed that the addition of methanol stimulated the growth of specific methanol-utilizing denitrifiers, which improved the capability of sludge to use methanol and ethanol for denitrification, but reduced its capability to use wastewater COD for denitrification. Unlike acetate, long-term application of methanol has no negative impact on the settling properties of the sludge.

  2. Recovery of nitrogen and phosphorus from alkaline fermentation liquid of waste activated sludge and application of the fermentation liquid to promote biological municipal wastewater treatment.

    PubMed

    Tong, Juan; Chen, Yinguang

    2009-07-01

    In previous publications we reported that by controlling the pH at 10.0 the accumulation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) during waste activated sludge (WAS) fermentation was remarkably improved [Yuan, H., Chen, Y., Zhang, H., Jiang, S., Zhou, Q., Gu, G., 2006. Improved bioproduction of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) from excess sludge under alkaline conditions. Environ. Sci. Technol. 40, 2025-2029], but significant ammonium nitrogen (NH(4)-N) and soluble ortho-phosphorus (SOP) were released [Chen, Y., Jiang, S., Yuan, H., Zhou, Q., Gu, G., 2007. Hydrolysis and acidification of waste activated sludge at different pHs. Water Res. 41, 683-689]. This paper investigated the simultaneous recovery of NH(4)-N and SOP from WAS alkaline fermentation liquid and the application of the fermentation liquid as an additional carbon source for municipal wastewater biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal. The central composite design (CCD) of the response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize and model the simultaneous NH(4)-N and SOP recovery from WAS alkaline fermentation liquid. Under the optimum conditions, the predicted and experimental recovery efficiency was respectively 73.4 and 75.7% with NH(4)-N, and 82.0 and 83.2% with SOP, which suggested that the developed models described the experiments well. After NH(4)-N and SOP recovery, the alkaline fermentation liquid was added to municipal wastewater, and the influence of volume ratio of fermentation liquid to municipal wastewater (FL/MW) on biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal was investigated. The addition of fermentation liquid didn't significantly affect nitrification. Both SOP and total nitrogen (TN) removal were increased with fermentation liquid, but there was no significant increase at FL/MW greater than 1/35. Compared to the blank test, the removal efficiency of SOP and TN at FL/MW=1/35 was improved from 44.0 to 92.9%, and 63.3 to 83.2%, respectively. The enhancement of phosphorus and nitrogen removal was mainly attributed to the increase of influent SCFA, or rather, the increase of intracellular polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) which served as the carbon and energy sources for denitrification and phosphorus uptake. The addition of alkaline fermentation liquid to municipal wastewater, however, increased the effluent COD, which was caused mainly by the increase of influent humic acid, not protein or carbohydrate.

  3. [Effects of nitrogen application rates and straw returning on nutrient balance and grain yield of late sowing wheat in rice-wheat rotation].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Shan; Shi, Zu-liang; Yang, Si-jun; Gu, Ke-jun; Dai, Ting-bo; Wang, Fei; Li, Xiang; Sun, Ren-hua

    2015-09-01

    Field experiments were conducted to study the effects of nitrogen application rates and straw returning on grain yield, nutrient accumulation, nutrient release from straw and nutrient balance in late sowing wheat. The results showed that straw returning together with appropriate application of nitrogen fertilizer improved the grain yield. Dry matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium accumulation increased significantly as the nitrogen application rate increased. At the same nitrogen application rate (270 kg N · hm(-2)), the dry matter, phosphorus and potassium accumulation of the treatment with straw returning were higher than that without straw returning, but the nitrogen accumulation was lower. Higher-rate nitrogen application promoted straw decomposition and nutrient release, and decreased the proportion of the nutrient released from straw after jointing. The dry matter, phosphorus and potassium release from straw showed a reverse 'N' type change with the wheat growing, while nitrogen release showed a 'V' type change. The nutrient surplus increased significantly with the nitrogen application rate. At the nitrogen application rate for the highest grain yield, nitrogen and potassium were surplus significantly, and phosphorus input could keep balance. It could be concluded that as to late sowing wheat with straw returning, applying nitrogen at 257 kg · hm(-2) and reducing potassium fertilizer application could improve grain yield and reduce nutrients loss.

  4. Isolation of phytase-producing bacteria from Himalayan soils and their effect on growth and phosphorus uptake of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea).

    PubMed

    Kumar, Vinod; Singh, Prashant; Jorquera, Milko A; Sangwan, Punesh; Kumar, Piyush; Verma, A K; Agrawal, Sanjeev

    2013-08-01

    Phytase-producing bacteria (PPB) is being investigated as plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to improve the phosphorus (P) nutrition and growth of plants grown in soil with high phytate content. Phytate is dominant organic P forms in many soils and must be hydrolyzed to be available for plants. Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) is a plant with economic importance in agriculture and phytoremediation, therefore biotechnological tools to improve growth and environmental stress tolerance are needed. In this study, we isolated and characterized PPB from Himalayan soils and evaluated their effect on growth and P uptake by B. juncea under greenhouse conditions. Sixty five PPB were isolated and based on phytate hydrolysis, three efficient PPB were chosen and identified as Acromobacter sp. PB-01, Tetrathiobacter sp. PB-03 and Bacillus sp. PB-13. Selected PPB showed ability to grow at wide range of pH, temperature and salt concentrations as well as to harbour diverse PGPR activities, such as: solubilization of insoluble Ca-phosphate (193-642 μg ml(-1)), production of phytohormone indole acetic acid (5-39 μg ml(-1)) and siderophore. Tetrathiobacter sp. PB-03 and Bacillus sp. PB-13 showed 50 and 70 % inhibition of phytopathogen Rhizoctonia solani, respectively. Greenhouse potting assay also showed that the bacterization of B. juncea seeds with Tetrathiobacter sp. PB-03 and Bacillus sp. PB-13 significantly increased the biomass and P content in 30 days old seedlings. This study reveals the potential of PPB as PGPR to improve the growth of B. juncea.

  5. Oxygen isotopes as a tracer of phosphate sources and cycling in aquatic systems (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Young, M. B.; Kendall, C.; Paytan, A.

    2013-12-01

    The oxygen isotopic composition of phosphate can provide valuable information about sources and processes affecting phosphorus as it moves through hydrologic systems. Applications of this technique in soil and water have become more common in recent years due to improvements in extraction methods and instrument capabilities, and studies in multiple aquatic environments have demonstrated that some phosphorus sources may have distinct isotopic compositions within a given system. Under normal environmental conditions, the oxygen-phosphorus bonds in dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP) can only be broken by enzymatic activity. Biological cycling of DIP will bring the phosphate oxygen into a temperature-dependent equilibrium with the surrounding water, overprinting any existing isotopic source signals. However, studies conducted in a wide range of estuarine, freshwater, and groundwater systems have found that the phosphate oxygen is often out of biological equilibrium with the water, suggesting that it is common for at least a partial isotopic source signal to be retained in aquatic systems. Oxygen isotope analysis on various potential phosphate sources such as synthetic and organic fertilizers, animal waste, detergents, and septic/wastewater treatment plant effluents show that these sources span a wide range of isotopic compositions, and although there is considerable overlap between the source groups, sources may be isotopically distinct within a given study area. Recent soil studies have shown that isotopic analysis of phosphate oxygen is also useful for understanding microbial cycling across different phosphorus pools, and may provide insights into controls on phosphorus leaching. Combining stable isotope information from soil and water studies will greatly improve our understanding of complex phosphate cycling, and the increasing use of this isotopic technique across different environments will provide new information regarding anthropogenic phosphate inputs and controls on biological cycling within hydrologic systems.

  6. High-frequency phosphorus and nitrate measurements for improved statutory water quality monitoring and management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bieroza, Magdalena

    2017-04-01

    High-frequency nutrient (phosphorus and nitrogen) monitoring using wet-chemistry analysers and optical sensors has revolutionised the collection of biogeochemical data from streams, rivers and lakes. Matching the nutrient measurement time with timescales of hydrological responses has revealed biogeochemical patterns and nutrient hydrological responses not observed previously. Capturing a wider range of nutrient concentrations compared to traditional coarse resolution sampling enables more accurate estimation of mean concentrations and loads and thus improved water body classification. However, to date the scientific insights from the high-frequency nutrient monitoring studies have not been translated into policy and operational responses. The pertinent question is where and how often to measure nutrients to satisfy statutory monitoring requirements for the Water Framework Directive and the Nitrates Directive. Therefore this paper discusses how the reduced data uncertainty and improved process understanding obtained with the high-frequency measurements can improve statutory nutrient monitoring, using case studies from England and Sweden.

  7. Spatiotemporal dynamics of phosphorus release, oxygen consumption and greenhouse gas emissions after localised soil amendment with organic fertilisers.

    PubMed

    Christel, Wibke; Zhu, Kun; Hoefer, Christoph; Kreuzeder, Andreas; Santner, Jakob; Bruun, Sander; Magid, Jakob; Jensen, Lars Stoumann

    2016-06-01

    Organic fertilisation inevitably leads to heterogeneous distribution of organic matter and nutrients in soil, i.e. due to uneven surface spreading or inhomogeneous incorporation. The resulting localised hotspots of nutrient application will induce various biotic and abiotic nutrient turnover processes and fixation in the residue sphere, giving rise to distinct differences in nutrient availability, soil oxygen content and greenhouse gas (GHG) production. In this study we investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics of the reaction of manure solids and manure solids char with soil, focusing on their phosphorus (P) availability, as current emphasis on improving societal P efficiency through recycling waste or bio-based fertilisers necessitates a sound understanding of their behaviour. Soil layers amended at a constant P application rate with either pig manure solids or char made from pig manure solids were incubated for three weeks between layers of non-amended, P-depleted soil. Spatial and temporal changes in and around the amendment layers were simultaneously investigated in this study using a sandwich sensor consisting of a planar oxygen optode and multi-element diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) gels, combined with GHG emission measurements. After three weeks of incubation, the soil containing a layer amended with manure solids had a lower overall O2 content and had emitted significantly more CO2 than the non-amended control or the char-amended soil. The P availability from manure solids was initially higher than that from the char, but decreased over time, whereas from the char-amended layer P availability increased in the same period. In both treatments, increases in P availability were confined to the amended soil layer and did not greatly affect P availability in the directly adjacent soil layers during the three-week incubation. These results highlight the importance of placing organic P fertilisers close to where the plant roots will grow in order to facilitate optimal fertiliser use efficiency. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Soil bacterial and fungal diversity differently correlated with soil biochemistry in alpine grassland ecosystems in response to environmental changes.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yong; Dong, Shikui; Gao, Qingzhu; Liu, Shiliang; Ganjurjav, Hasbagan; Wang, Xuexia; Su, Xukun; Wu, Xiaoyu

    2017-03-06

    To understand effects of soil microbes on soil biochemistry in alpine grassland ecosystems under environmental changes, we explored relationships between soil microbial diversity and soil total nitrogen, organic carbon, available nitrogen and phosphorus, soil microbial biomass and soil enzyme activities in alpine meadow, alpine steppe and cultivated grassland on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau under three-year warming, enhanced precipitation and yak overgrazing. Soil total nitrogen, organic carbon and NH 4 -N were little affected by overgrazing, warming or enhanced precipitation in three types of alpine grasslands. Soil microbial biomass carbon and phosphorus along with the sucrase and phosphatase activities were generally stable under different treatments. Soil NO 3 -N, available phosphorus, urease activity and microbial biomass nitrogen were increased by overgrazing in the cultivated grassland. Soil bacterial diversity was positively correlated with, while soil fungal diversity negatively with soil microbial biomass and enzyme activities. Soil bacterial diversity was negatively correlated with, while soil fungal diversity positively with soil available nutrients. Our findings indicated soil bacteria and fungi played different roles in affecting soil nutrients and microbiological activities that might provide an important implication to understand why soil biochemistry was generally stable under environmental changes in alpine grassland ecosystems.

  9. Soil bacterial and fungal diversity differently correlated with soil biochemistry in alpine grassland ecosystems in response to environmental changes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Yong; Dong, Shikui; Gao, Qingzhu; Liu, Shiliang; Ganjurjav, Hasbagan; Wang, Xuexia; Su, Xukun; Wu, Xiaoyu

    2017-03-01

    To understand effects of soil microbes on soil biochemistry in alpine grassland ecosystems under environmental changes, we explored relationships between soil microbial diversity and soil total nitrogen, organic carbon, available nitrogen and phosphorus, soil microbial biomass and soil enzyme activities in alpine meadow, alpine steppe and cultivated grassland on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau under three-year warming, enhanced precipitation and yak overgrazing. Soil total nitrogen, organic carbon and NH4-N were little affected by overgrazing, warming or enhanced precipitation in three types of alpine grasslands. Soil microbial biomass carbon and phosphorus along with the sucrase and phosphatase activities were generally stable under different treatments. Soil NO3-N, available phosphorus, urease activity and microbial biomass nitrogen were increased by overgrazing in the cultivated grassland. Soil bacterial diversity was positively correlated with, while soil fungal diversity negatively with soil microbial biomass and enzyme activities. Soil bacterial diversity was negatively correlated with, while soil fungal diversity positively with soil available nutrients. Our findings indicated soil bacteria and fungi played different roles in affecting soil nutrients and microbiological activities that might provide an important implication to understand why soil biochemistry was generally stable under environmental changes in alpine grassland ecosystems.

  10. Soil bacterial and fungal diversity differently correlated with soil biochemistry in alpine grassland ecosystems in response to environmental changes

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Yong; Dong, Shikui; Gao, Qingzhu; Liu, Shiliang; Ganjurjav, Hasbagan; Wang, Xuexia; Su, Xukun; Wu, Xiaoyu

    2017-01-01

    To understand effects of soil microbes on soil biochemistry in alpine grassland ecosystems under environmental changes, we explored relationships between soil microbial diversity and soil total nitrogen, organic carbon, available nitrogen and phosphorus, soil microbial biomass and soil enzyme activities in alpine meadow, alpine steppe and cultivated grassland on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau under three-year warming, enhanced precipitation and yak overgrazing. Soil total nitrogen, organic carbon and NH4-N were little affected by overgrazing, warming or enhanced precipitation in three types of alpine grasslands. Soil microbial biomass carbon and phosphorus along with the sucrase and phosphatase activities were generally stable under different treatments. Soil NO3-N, available phosphorus, urease activity and microbial biomass nitrogen were increased by overgrazing in the cultivated grassland. Soil bacterial diversity was positively correlated with, while soil fungal diversity negatively with soil microbial biomass and enzyme activities. Soil bacterial diversity was negatively correlated with, while soil fungal diversity positively with soil available nutrients. Our findings indicated soil bacteria and fungi played different roles in affecting soil nutrients and microbiological activities that might provide an important implication to understand why soil biochemistry was generally stable under environmental changes in alpine grassland ecosystems. PMID:28262753

  11. Factors Influencing Divergent Patterns of Phosphorus Availability in NY and PA Biogeochemical `Hotspots'

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saia, S. M.; Hofmeister, K.; Regan, J. M.; Buda, A. R.; Carrick, H. J.; Walter, M. T.

    2016-12-01

    Anthropogenic alteration of the soil phosphorus (P) cycle leads to subsequent water quality issues in agricultural dominated watersheds. In the humid Northeastern United States (NE US), variably saturated areas can generate surface runoff that transports P and stimulates biogeochemical processes; these hydrologically dynamic locations are often called biogeochemical `hotspots'. Many studies have evaluated nitrogen and carbon cycling in biogeochemical hot spots but few have focused on P. We hypothesized seasonally wet parts of the landscape (i.e., hotspots) have smaller biologically available P pools because runoff events frequently carry away nutrients like P. To test this hypothesis, we generated soil wetness index (SWI) maps from soil (SURRGO) and elevation (LiDAR rescaled to 3 m) data and used these maps to direct seasonal soil sampling near Klingerstown, Pennsylvania (PA) and Ithaca, New York (NY). We collected 5cm deep soil samples in PA (bimonthly) and NY (monthly) along soil moisture gradients for a range of land cover types (forest, fallow, and cropped) from May through October. We measured soil moisture in the field and percent organic matter (OM), pH, and three increasingly strong soil P extractions (dilute-salt-extractable P, oxalate-extractable P, and total-extractable P) in the laboratory. Our results indicated a negative relationship between dilute-salt-extractable P concentrations and SWI in PA and no relationship between these same variables in NY. We also found positive relationships between each of the three P extractions in PA but only a positive relationship between oxalate-extractable P and total-extractable P in NY. Our findings in PA support our hypothesis; namely, less biologically available P (i.e. dilute-salt-extractable P) is found in wetter areas of the landscape. However, divergent P availability patterns in NY point to further complexities and confounding variables in our understanding in soil P processes. Further studies will look into the importance of environmental variables such as OM and pH on P patterns under changing soil moisture regimes. The knowledge gained from this study will improve our understanding of P cycling in biogeochemical hotspots and can be used to improve the effectiveness of agricultural management practices in the NE US.

  12. Programmatic Life Cycle Environmental Assessment for Smoke/Obscurants. Volume 2. Red, White, and Plasticized White Phosphorus

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-07-01

    data on toxic effects of unreacted P4 on soil systems are available. (3) Aquatic systems . Aquatic toxicity data on WP are presented in section IV.f...elevated phosphorus levels in aquatic systems will cause adverse effects . Phosphoric acids may lower water pH in systems with low water hardness. A pH...eutrophication of the system , will cause detrimental effects on the fish population. Fish kills can occur over the winter due to low oxygen levels. The

  13. Concentrations, loads, and yields of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and suspended sediment and bacteria concentrations in the Wister Lake Basin, Oklahoma and Arkansas, 2011-13

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Buck, Stephanie D.

    2014-01-01

    The Poteau Valley Improvement Authority uses Wister Lake in southeastern Oklahoma as a public water supply. Total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and suspended sediments from agricultural runoff and discharges from wastewater treatment plants and other sources have degraded water quality in the lake. As lake-water quality has degraded, water-treatment cost, chemical usage, and sludge production have increased for the Poteau Valley Improvement Authority. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Poteau Valley Improvement Authority, investigated and summarized concentrations of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, suspended sediment, and bacteria (Escherichia coli and Enterococcus sp.) in surface water flowing to Wister Lake. Estimates of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and suspended sediment loads, yields, and flow-weighted mean concentrations of total phosphorus and total nitrogen concentrations were made for the Wister Lake Basin for a 3-year period from October 2010 through September 2013. Data from water samples collected at fixed time increments during base-flow conditions and during runoff conditions at the Poteau River at Loving, Okla. (USGS station 07247015), the Poteau River near Heavener, Okla. (USGS station 07247350), and the Fourche Maline near Leflore, Okla. (USGS station 07247650), water-quality stations were used to evaluate water quality over the range of streamflows in the basin. These data also were collected to estimate annual constituent loads and yields by using regression models. At the Poteau River stations, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and suspended sediment concentrations in surface-water samples were significantly larger in samples collected during runoff conditions than in samples collected during base-flow conditions. At the Fourche Maline station, in contrast, concentrations of these constituents in water samples collected during runoff conditions were not significantly larger than concentrations during base-flow conditions. Flow-weighted mean total phosphorus concentrations at all three stations from 2011 to 2013 were several times larger than the Oklahoma State Standard for Scenic Rivers (0.037 milligrams per liter [mg/L]), with the largest flow-weighted phosphorus concentrations typically being measured at the Poteau River at Loving, Okla., station. Flow-weighted mean total nitrogen concentrations did not vary substantially between the Poteau River stations and the Fourche Maline near Leflore, Okla., station. At all of the sampled water-quality stations, bacteria (Escherichia coli and Enterococcus sp.) concentrations were substantially larger in water samples collected during runoff conditions than in water samples collected during base-flow conditions from 2011 to 2013. Estimated annual loads of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and suspended sediment in the Poteau River stations during runoff conditions ranged from 82 to 98 percent of the total annual loads of those constituents. Estimated annual loads of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and suspended sediment in the Fourche Maline during runoff conditions ranged from 86 to nearly 100 percent of the total annual loads. Estimated seasonal total phosphorus loads generally were smallest during base-flow and runoff conditions in autumn. Estimated seasonal total phosphorus loads during base-flow conditions tended to be largest in winter and during runoff conditions tended to be largest in the spring. Estimated seasonal total nitrogen loads tended to be smallest in autumn during base-flow and runoff conditions and largest in winter during runoff conditions. Estimated seasonal suspended sediment loads tended to be smallest during base-flow conditions in the summer and smallest during runoff conditions in the autumn. The largest estimated seasonal suspended sediment loads during runoff conditions typically were in the spring. The estimated mean annual total phosphorus yield was largest at the Poteau River at Loving, Okla., water-quality station. The estimated mean annual total phosphorus yield was largest during base flow at the Poteau River at Loving, Okla., water-quality station and at both of the Poteau River water-quality stations during runoff conditions. The estimated mean annual total nitrogen yields were largest at the Poteau River water-quality stations. Estimated mean annual total nitrogen yields were largest during base-flow and runoff conditions at the Poteau River at Loving, Okla., water-quality station. The estimated mean annual suspended sediment yield was largest at the Poteau River near Heavener, Okla., water-quality station during base-flow and runoff conditions. Flow-weighted mean concentrations indicated that total phosphorus inputs from the Poteau River Basin in the Wister Lake Basin were larger than from the Fourche Maline Basin. Flow-weighted mean concentrations of total nitrogen did not vary spatially in a consistent manner. The Poteau River and the Fourche Maline contributed estimated annual total phosphorus loads of 137 to 278 tons per year (tons/yr) to Wister Lake. Between 89 and 95 percent of the annual total phosphorus loads were transported to Wister Lake during runoff conditions. The Poteau River and the Fourche Maline contributed estimated annual total nitrogen loads of 657 to 1,294 tons/yr, with 86 to 94 percent of the annual total nitrogen loads being transported to Wister Lake during runoff conditions. The Poteau River and the Fourche Maline contributed estimated annual total suspended sediment loads of 110,919 to 234,637 tons/yr, with 94 to 99 percent of the annual suspended sediment loads being transported to Wister Lake during runoff conditions. Most of the total phosphorus and suspended sediment were delivered to Wister Lake during runoff conditions in the spring. The majority of the total nitrogen was delivered to Wister Lake during runoff conditions in winter.

  14. Model-experiment interaction to improve representation of phosphorus limitation in land models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Norby, R. J.; Yang, X.; Cabugao, K. G. M.; Childs, J.; Gu, L.; Haworth, I.; Mayes, M. A.; Porter, W. S.; Walker, A. P.; Weston, D. J.; Wright, S. J.

    2015-12-01

    Carbon-nutrient interactions play important roles in regulating terrestrial carbon cycle responses to atmospheric and climatic change. None of the CMIP5 models has included routines to represent the phosphorus (P) cycle, although P is commonly considered to be the most limiting nutrient in highly productive, lowland tropical forests. Model simulations with the Community Land Model (CLM-CNP) show that inclusion of P coupling leads to a smaller CO2 fertilization effect and warming-induced CO2 release from tropical ecosystems, but there are important uncertainties in the P model, and improvements are limited by a dearth of data. Sensitivity analysis identifies the relative importance of P cycle parameters in determining P availability and P limitation, and thereby helps to define the critical measurements to make in field campaigns and manipulative experiments. To improve estimates of P supply, parameters that describe maximum amount of labile P in soil and sorption-desorption processes are necessary for modeling the amount of P available for plant uptake. Biochemical mineralization is poorly constrained in the model and will be improved through field observations that link root traits to mycorrhizal activity, phosphatase activity, and root depth distribution. Model representation of P demand by vegetation, which currently is set by fixed stoichiometry and allometric constants, requires a different set of data. Accurate carbon cycle modeling requires accurate parameterization of the photosynthetic machinery: Vc,max and Jmax. Relationships between the photosynthesis parameters and foliar nutrient (N and P) content are being developed, and by including analysis of covariation with other plant traits (e.g., specific leaf area, wood density), we can provide a basis for more dynamic, trait-enabled modeling. With this strong guidance from model sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, field studies are underway in Puerto Rico and Panama to collect model-relevant data on P supply and demand functions. New FACE and soil warming experiments in P-limited ecosystems in subtropical Australia, and tropical Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Panama will provide important benchmarks for the performance of P-enabled models under future conditions.

  15. Factors affecting phosphorus transport at a conventionally-farmed site in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1992-95

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Galeone, Daniel G.

    1996-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Land and Water Conservation of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection conducted a cooperative study to determine the effects of manure application and antecedent soil-phosphorus concentrations on the transport of phosphorus from the soil of a typical farm site in Lancaster County, Pa., from September 1992 to March 1995. The relation between concentrations of soil phosphorus and phosphorus transport needs to be identified because excessive phosphorus concentrations in surface-water bodies promote eutrophication.The objective of the study was to quantify and determine the significance of chemical, physical, and hydrologic factors that affected phosphorus transport. Three study plots less than 1 acre in size were tilled and planted in silage corn. Phosphorus in the form of liquid swine and dairy manure was injected to a depth of 6-8 inches on two of the three study plots in May 1993 and May 1994. Plot 1 received no inputs of phosphorus from manure while plots 2 and 3 received an average of 56 and 126 kilograms of phosphorus per acre, respectively, from the two manure applications. No other fertilizer was applied to any of the study plots. From March 30, 1993, through December 31, 1993, and March 10, 1994, through August 31, 1994 (the study period), phosphorus and selected cations were measured in precipitation, manure, soil, surface runoff, subsurface flow (at 18 inches below land surface), and corn plants before harvest. All storm events that yielded surface runoff and subsurface flow were sampled. Surface runoff was analyzed for dissolved (filtered through a 0.45-micron filter) and total concentrations. Subsurface flow was only analyzed for dissolved constituents. Laboratory soil-flask experiments and geochemical modeling were conducted to determine the maximum phosphate retention capacity of sampled soils after manure applications and primary mineralogic controls in the soils that affect phosphate equilibrium processes.Physical characteristics, such as particle-size distributions in soil, the suspended sediment and particle-size distribution in surface runoff, and surface topography, were quantified. Hydrologic characteristics, such as precipitation intensity and duration, volumes of surface runoff, and infiltration rates of soil, were also monitored during the study period. Volumes of surface runoff differed by plot.Volumes of surface runoff measured during the study period from plots 1 (0.43 acres), 2 (0.23 acres), and 3 (0.28 acres) were 350,000, 350,000, and 750,000 liters per acre, respectively. About 90 percent of the volume of surface runoff occurred after October 1993 because of the lack of intense precipitation from March 30, 1993, through November 30, 1993. For any one precipitation amount, volumes of surface runoff increased with an increase in the maximum intensity of precipitation and decreased with an increase in storm duration. The significantly higher volume of surface runoff for plot 3 relative to plots 1 and 2 was probably caused by lower infiltration rates on plot 3.Soil concentrations of plant-available phosphorus (PAP) for each study plot were high (31-60 parts per million) to excessive (greater than 60 parts per million) for each depth interval (0-6, 6-12, and 12- 24 inches) and sampling period except for some samples collected at depths of 12-24 inches. The high levels of PAP before manure applications made it difficult to detect any changes in the concentration of soil PAP caused by manure applications. Manure applications to the study area prior to this study resulted in relatively high concentrations of soil PAP; however, the manure applications to plot 3 during the study period did cause an increase in the soil concentration of PAP after the second manure application. The percentages of total phosphorus in plant-available and inorganic forms were about 5 and 80 percent, respectively, in the 0-24--inch depth interval of soil on the study plots. Concentrations of total phosphorus on sand, silt, and clay particles from soil were 700, 1,000, and 3,400 parts per million, respectively. About 70 percent of the total mass of phosphorus in soil to a depth of 24 inches was associated with silt and clay particles.Soil-flask experiments indicated that soils from the study plots were not saturated with respect to phosphorus. Soils had the capacity to retain 694 to 1,160 milligrams of phosphorus per kilogram of soil. The measured retention capacity probably exceeded the actual retention capacity of soil because laboratory conditions optimized the contact time between soil and test solutions.Geochemical modeling indicated that the primary mineralogical controls on the concentration of dissolved phosphorus in surface runoff and subsurface flow were aluminum and iron oxides and strengite (if it exists). Aluminum and iron oxides bind phosphate in solution and strengite is an iron-phosphate mineral. The mineralization of organic phosphorus into dissolved inorganic forms could also supply phosphorus to surface runoff and subsurface flow.Phosphorus inputs to the plots during the study period were from precipitation and manure. Phosphorus inputs from precipitation were negligible. The loads of phosphorus to the plots from manure applications in May 1993 and May 1994 were 112 and 251 kilograms per acre for plots 2 and 3, respectively; about 60 percent of the load occurred in 1994.Phosphorus outputs in surface runoff differed between study plots. The cumulative yields of total phosphorus during the study period for plots 1, 2, and 3 were 1.12, 1.24, and 1.69 kilograms per acre, respectively. Differences between plots were primarily evident for dissolved yields of phosphorus. The percentage of the total phosphorus output in surface runoff that was in the dissolved phase varied from 6 percent for plot 1 to 26 percent for plot 3.The cumulative yields of dissolved phosphorus from plots 2 and 3 were 135 and 500 percent greater, respectively, than the dissolved yield from plot 1. Even though volumes of surface runoff were different on the plots, the primary cause of the difference between plots in the yield of dissolved phosphorus in surface runoff was differences in the concentration of dissolved phosphorus. After the second manure application, concentrations of dissolved phosphorus in surface runoff on plots 2 and 3 were significantly higher than the concentration for plot 1.An increase in the concentration of dissolved phosphorus in subsurface flow from plots 2 and 3 was measured after manure applications. The mean concentrations of dissolved phosphorus in subsurface flow after the first manure application were 0.29, 0.57, and 1.45 milligrams per liter of phosphorus for plots 1, 2, and 3, respectively.The loss of dissolved phosphorus in surface runoff was related to the soil concentration of PAP. The model relating dissolved phosphorus in surface runoff to soil PAP indicated that concentrations of dissolved phosphorus in surface runoff would exceed 0.1 milligram per liter if soil concentrations of PAP exceeded 9 parts per million; this PAP concentration was exceeded by each study plot. Over 50 percent of the variation of dissolved phosphorus in surface runoff was explained by soil concentrations of PAP in the 0-6-inch depth interval.The loss of suspended phosphorus in surface runoff was primarily affected by the particle-size distribution of suspended sediment in surface runoff. Surface runoff was enriched with fines relative to the soil matrix. Generally, over 90 percent of sediment in runoff was comprised of silt and clay particles; only 50-60 percent of particle sizes from the intact soil matrix were in the silt- to clay-size range. Concentrations of suspended phosphorus in surface runoff were not significantly related to soil concentrations of total phosphorus in the 0-6-inch depth interval.Concentrations of dissolved phosphorus in subsurface flow were also related to soil concentrations of PAP. The relation indicated that dissolved concentrations of phosphorus in subsurface flow would exceed 0.1 milligram per liter if soil concentrations of PAP in the 0-6-inch depth interval of soil were greater than 49 parts per million; this PAP concentration was exceeded by each study plot.The significant relation of high concentrations of dissolved phosphorus in water to soil concentrations of PAP indicated that soils with comparable concentrations of soil PAP would be potential sources of dissolved phosphorus to surface water and subsurface water tables. The percentage of the total phosphorus lost from a system in the dissolved form increased as soil concentrations of PAP increased. This indicates that best-management practices to reduce phosphorus losses from this system not only need to target suspended forms of phosphorus but also dissolved forms. Practices aimed at reducing the loss of dissolved phosphorus from the system increase in importance with an increase in soil concentrations of PAP.

  16. Effect of sulphur and phosphorus on yield, quality and nutrient status of pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan).

    PubMed

    Deshbhratar, P B; Singh, P K; Jambhulkar, A P; Ramteke, D S

    2010-11-01

    A field experiment was conducted to study the impact of Sulphur(S) and Phosphorus (P) on yield, nutrient status of soil and their contents in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) during the year 2008-2009. Seven treatments were studied in Factorial Randomized Block Design with three replications. The treatment combinations were derived from three levels of sulphur (0, 20 and 40 kg S ha(-1)) and four levels of phosphorus (0, 25, 50 and 75 kg ha(-1)). The experimental soil was medium black, slightly calcareous, clay in texture and slightly alkaline in reaction. The results indicated a significant increase in grain yield (14.81 q ha(-1)) and straw yield (41.26 q ha(-1)) of pigeonpea after 20 kg S ha(-1) and 50 kg P2O5 ha(-1) treatment with common dose of nitrogen @ 30 kg ha(-1). The increase in grain and straw yield was 102.77 and 52.87% as compare to higher over control. Maximum number of pods plant(-1), maximum number of grains pod and test weight by this treatment was also observed as compared to control. Application of S and P improved soil fertility status and S alone did not influence P availability. Hence, in order to maintain the fertility status of the soil at high level, combine application of 20 kg S ha(-1) with 50 kg P2O5 ha(-1) is essential. The residual fertility status of soil is advocated for rainfed pigeonpea crop grown on vertisol in Vidarbha region.

  17. A model study of warming-induced phosphorus-oxygen feedbacks in open-ocean oxygen minimum zones on millennial timescales

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Niemeyer, Daniela; Kemena, Tronje P.; Meissner, Katrin J.; Oschlies, Andreas

    2017-05-01

    Observations indicate an expansion of oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) over the past 50 years, likely related to ongoing deoxygenation caused by reduced oxygen solubility, changes in stratification and circulation, and a potential acceleration of organic matter turnover in a warming climate. The overall area of ocean sediments that are in direct contact with low-oxygen bottom waters also increases with expanding OMZs. This leads to a release of phosphorus from ocean sediments. If anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions continue unabated, higher temperatures will cause enhanced weathering on land, which, in turn, will increase the phosphorus and alkalinity fluxes into the ocean and therefore raise the ocean's phosphorus inventory even further. A higher availability of phosphorus enhances biological production, remineralisation and oxygen consumption, and might therefore lead to further expansions of OMZs, representing a positive feedback. A negative feedback arises from the enhanced productivity-induced drawdown of carbon and also increased uptake of CO2 due to weathering-induced alkalinity input. This feedback leads to a decrease in atmospheric CO2 and weathering rates. Here, we quantify these two competing feedbacks on millennial timescales for a high CO2 emission scenario. Using the University of Victoria (UVic) Earth System Climate Model of intermediate complexity, our model results suggest that the positive benthic phosphorus release feedback has only a minor impact on the size of OMZs in the next 1000 years. The increase in the marine phosphorus inventory under assumed business-as-usual global warming conditions originates, on millennial timescales, almost exclusively (> 80 %) from the input via terrestrial weathering and causes a 4- to 5-fold expansion of the suboxic water volume in the model.

  18. Phosphorus recovery from biogas slurry by ultrasound/H2O2 digestion coupled with HFO/biochar adsorption process.

    PubMed

    He, Xuemeng; Zhang, Tao; Ren, Hongqiang; Li, Guoxue; Ding, Lili; Pawlowski, Lucjan

    2017-02-01

    Phosphorus (P) recovery from biogas slurry has recently attracted considerable interest. In this work, ultrasound/H 2 O 2 digestion coupled with ferric oxide hydrate/biochar (HFO/biochar) adsorption process was performed to promote P dissolution, release, and recovery from biogas slurry. The results showed that the optimal total phosphorus release efficiency was achieved at an inorganic phosphorus/total phosphorus ratio of 95.0% at pH 4, 1mL of added H 2 O 2 , and ultrasonication for 30min. The P adsorption by the HFO/biochar followed pseudo second-order kinetics and was mainly controlled by chemical processes. The Langmuir-Freundlich model matched the experimental data best for P adsorption by HFO/biochar at 298 and 308K, whereas the Freundlich model matched best at 318K. The maximum amount of P adsorbed was 220mg/g. The process was endothermic, spontaneous, and showed an increase in disorder at the solid-liquid interface. The saturated adsorbed HFO/biochar continually releases P and is most suitable for use in an alkaline environment. The amount of P released reached 29.1mg/g after five extractions. P mass balance calculation revealed that 11.3% of the total P can be made available. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  19. Heavy metal adsorption changes of EAF steel slag after phosphorus adsorption.

    PubMed

    Song, Guanling; Cao, Lijing; Chen, Xiao; Hou, Wenhua; Wang, Qunhui

    2012-01-01

    A kind of electric arc furnace (EAF) steel slag was phosphated, and its isothermal and dynamic adsorptions of copper, cadmium, and lead ions were measured to determine if heavy metal adsorption changes after phosphorus adsorption. The surface area increased greatly after the slag was phosphated. Isothermal adsorption experiments showed that the theoretical Q(max) of the EAF steel slag on Cu(2+), Cd(2+), and Pb(2+) improved 59, 50, and 89% respectively after it was phosphated. Dynamic adsorption results showed that the greatest adsorption capacities of unit volume of Cu(2+), Cd(2+), and Pb(2+) were 2.2, 1.8, and 1.8 times that of the column packed with original EAF steel slag when the column was packed with phosphate EAF steel slag at the same heavy metal ion concentration. The breakthrough time, the exhaustion time and elution efficiency of the column also increased when the column was packed with phosphated EAF steel slag compared with that packed with original EAF steel slag. Phosphorus adsorption could further improve the heavy metal ion adsorption of the EAF steel slag.

  20. Improving municipal wastewater nitrogen and phosphorous removal by feeding sludge fermentation products to sequencing batch reactor (SBR).

    PubMed

    Yuan, Yue; Liu, Jinjin; Ma, Bin; Liu, Ye; Wang, Bo; Peng, Yongzhen

    2016-12-01

    This study presents a novel strategy to improve the removal efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus from municipal wastewater by feeding sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with sludge alkaline fermentation products as carbon sources. The performances of two SBRs treating municipal wastewater (one was fed with sludge fermentation products; F-SBR, and the other without sludge fermentation products; B-SBR) were compared. The removal efficiencies of total nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (PO 4 3- -P) were found to be 82.9% and 96.0% in F-SBR, while the corresponding values in B-SBR were 55.9% (TN) and -6.1% (PO 4 3- -P). Illumina MiSeq sequencing indicated that ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (Nitrosomonadaceae and Nitrosomonas) and denitrifying polyphosphate accumulating organisms (Dechloromonas) were enriched in F-SBR, which resulted in NO 2 - -N accumulation and denitrifying phosphorus removal via nitrite (DPRN). Moreover, feeding of sludge fermentation products reduced 862.1mg VSS/d of sludge in the F-SBR system (volume: 10L). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Identification of phosphorus emission hotspots in agricultural catchments

    PubMed Central

    Kovacs, Adam; Honti, Mark; Zessner, Matthias; Eder, Alexander; Clement, Adrienne; Blöschl, Günter

    2012-01-01

    An enhanced transport-based management approach is presented, which is able to support cost-effective water quality management with respect to diffuse phosphorus pollution. Suspended solids and particulate phosphorus emissions and their transport were modeled in two hilly agricultural watersheds (Wulka River in Austria and Zala River in Hungary) with an improved version of the catchment-scale PhosFate model. Source and transmission areas were ranked by an optimization method in order to provide a priority list of the areas of economically efficient (optimal) management alternatives. The model was calibrated and validated at different gauges and for various years. The spatial distribution of the emissions shows that approximately one third of the catchment area is responsible for the majority of the emissions. However, only a few percent of the source areas can transport fluxes to the catchment outlet. These effective source areas, together with the main transmission areas are potential candidates for improved management practices. In accordance with the critical area concept, it was shown that intervention with better management practices on a properly selected small proportion of the total area (1–3%) is sufficient to reach a remarkable improvement in water quality. If soil nutrient management is also considered in addition to water quality, intervention on 4–12% of the catchment areas can fulfill both aspects. PMID:22771465

  2. Long-term balancing selection at the Phosphorus Starvation Tolerance 1 (PSTOL1) locus in wild, domesticated and weedy rice (Oryza).

    PubMed

    Vigueira, Cynthia C; Small, Linda L; Olsen, Kenneth M

    2016-04-22

    The ability to grow in phosphorus-depleted soils is an important trait for rice cultivation in many world regions, especially in the tropics. The Phosphorus Starvation Tolerance 1 (PSTOL1) gene has been identified as underlying the ability of some cultivated rice varieties to grow under low-phosphorus conditions; however, the gene is absent from other varieties. We assessed PSTOL1 presence/absence in a geographically diverse sample of wild, domesticated and weedy rice and sequenced the gene in samples where it is present. We find that the presence/absence polymorphism spans cultivated, weedy and wild Asian rice groups. For the subset of samples that carry PSTOL1, haplotype sequences suggest long-term selective maintenance of functional alleles, but with repeated evolution of loss-of-function alleles through premature stops and frameshift mutations. The loss-of-function alleles have evolved convergently in multiple rice species and cultivated rice varieties. Greenhouse assessments of plant growth under low- and high-phosphorus conditions did not reveal significant associations with PSTOL1 genotype variation; however, the striking signature of balancing selection at this locus suggests that further phenotypic characterizations of PSTOL1 allelic variants is warranted and may be useful for crop improvement. These findings suggest balancing selection for both functional and non-functional PSTOL1 alleles that predates and transcends Asian rice domestication, a pattern that may reflect fitness tradeoffs associated with geographical variation in soil phosphorus content.

  3. Regime Shifts in Shallow Lakes: Responses of Cyanobacterial Blooms to Watershed Agricultural Phosphorus Loading Over the Last ~100 Years.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vermaire, J. C.; Taranu, Z. E.; MacDonald, G. K.; Velghe, K.; Bennett, E.; Gregory-Eaves, I.

    2015-12-01

    Rapid changes in ecosystem states have occurred naturally throughout Earth's history. However, environmental changes that have taken place since the start of the Anthropocene may be destabilizing ecosystems and increasing the frequency of regime shifts in response to abrupt changes in external drivers or local intrinsic dynamics. To evaluate the relative influence of these forcers and improve our understanding of the impact of future change, we examined the effects of historical catchment phosphorus loading associated with agricultural land use on lake ecosystems, and whether this caused a shift from a stable, clear-water, regime to a turbid, cyanobacteria-dominated, state. The sedimentary pigments, diatom, and zooplankton (Cladocera) records from a currently clear-water shallow lake (Roxton Pond) and a turbid-water shallow lake (Petit lac Saint-François; PSF) were examined to determine if a cyanobacteria associated pigment (i.e. echinenone) showed an abrupt non-linear response to continued historical phosphorus load index (determined by phosphorus budget) over the last ~100 years. While PSF lake is presently in the turbid-water state, pigment and diatom analyses indicated that both lakes were once in the clear-water state, and that non-linear increases in catchment phosphorus balance resulted in an abrupt transition to cyanobacteria dominated states in each record. These results show that phosphorus loading has resulted in state shifts in shallow lake ecosystems that has been recorded across multiple paleolimnological indicators preserved in the sedimentary record.

  4. Urine separating sewage systems--environmental effects and resource usage.

    PubMed

    Jönsson, H

    2002-01-01

    Effects of urine separation on the environment and resource usage were estimated using the simulation package ORWARE. Measurements on the urine-separating system in the housing district Palsternackan in Stockholm and on the fertilising effect of the urine were used in the simulations. The tenants were at home 65% of the time and separated 65% of the urine. Under these conditions, urine separation decreased the waterborne emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus by 55% and 33% respectively. Compared to the conventional system, urine separation increased the flow from the wastewater system to agriculture of plant-available nitrogen by a factor of 28, phosphorus by a factor of 1.35 and potassium by a factor of 23. Urine is a well-balanced complete fertiliser with very low concentrations of heavy metals. Urine separation conserved energy as long as the urine was transported distances shorter than 221 km to the field with a truck and trailer. If all the urine had been separated and transported only 1 km, the energy saving would have been 36%. In this and in previous studies, urine separation proved to be an improvement over the conventional system as regards environmental effects and resource usage.

  5. Long-term changes in the phosphorus loading to and trophic state of the Salton Sea, California

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Robertson, Dale M.; Schladow, S.G.; Holdren, G.C.

    2008-01-01

    The Salton Sea (Sea) is a eutrophic to hypereutrophic lake characterized by high nutrient concentrations, low water clarity, and high biological productivity. Based on dissolved phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) concentrations and N:P ratios, P is typically the limiting nutrient in the Sea and, therefore, should be the primary nutrient of concern when considering management efforts. Flows in the major tributaries to the Sea have been measured since 1965, whereas total P (TP) concentrations were only measured intermittently by various agencies since 1968. These data were used to estimate annual P loading from 1965 to 2002. Annual loads have increased steadily from ???940,000 kg around 1968 to ???1,450,000 kg in 2002 (???55% increase), primarily a result of increased TP concentrations and loads in the New River. Although the eutrophic condition of the Salton Sea is of great concern, only limited nutrient data are available for the Sea. It is difficult to determine whether the eutrophic state of the Sea has degraded or possibly even improved slightly in response to the change in P loading because of variability in the data and changes in the sampling and analytical methodologies. ?? 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

  6. Development and Application of Regression Models for Estimating Nutrient Concentrations in Streams of the Conterminous United States, 1992-2001

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Spahr, Norman E.; Mueller, David K.; Wolock, David M.; Hitt, Kerie J.; Gronberg, JoAnn M.

    2010-01-01

    Data collected for the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment program from 1992-2001 were used to investigate the relations between nutrient concentrations and nutrient sources, hydrology, and basin characteristics. Regression models were developed to estimate annual flow-weighted concentrations of total nitrogen and total phosphorus using explanatory variables derived from currently available national ancillary data. Different total-nitrogen regression models were used for agricultural (25 percent or more of basin area classified as agricultural land use) and nonagricultural basins. Atmospheric, fertilizer, and manure inputs of nitrogen, percent sand in soil, subsurface drainage, overland flow, mean annual precipitation, and percent undeveloped area were significant variables in the agricultural basin total nitrogen model. Significant explanatory variables in the nonagricultural total nitrogen model were total nonpoint-source nitrogen input (sum of nitrogen from manure, fertilizer, and atmospheric deposition), population density, mean annual runoff, and percent base flow. The concentrations of nutrients derived from regression (CONDOR) models were applied to drainage basins associated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) River Reach File (RF1) to predict flow-weighted mean annual total nitrogen concentrations for the conterminous United States. The majority of stream miles in the Nation have predicted concentrations less than 5 milligrams per liter. Concentrations greater than 5 milligrams per liter were predicted for a broad area extending from Ohio to eastern Nebraska, areas spatially associated with greater application of fertilizer and manure. Probabilities that mean annual total-nitrogen concentrations exceed the USEPA regional nutrient criteria were determined by incorporating model prediction uncertainty. In all nutrient regions where criteria have been established, there is at least a 50 percent probability of exceeding the criteria in more than half of the stream miles. Dividing calibration sites into agricultural and nonagricultural groups did not improve the explanatory capability for total phosphorus models. The group of explanatory variables that yielded the lowest model error for mean annual total phosphorus concentrations includes phosphorus input from manure, population density, amounts of range land and forest land, percent sand in soil, and percent base flow. However, the large unexplained variability and associated model error precluded the use of the total phosphorus model for nationwide extrapolations.

  7. Source, movement, and effects of nitrogen and phosphorus in three ponds in the headwaters of Hop Brook, Marlborough, Massachusetts

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Briggs, John C.; Silvey, William D.

    1984-01-01

    The headwaters of Hop Brook near Marlborough, Massachusetts, contain a series of three in-line ponds--Hager Pond, Brist Millpond, and Carding Millpond--which receive over half of their surface-water inflow as effluent from the Marlborough Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant. These ponds have a history of summer algal blooms and fish kills. Water entering these ponds contains quantities of nitrogen and phosphorus far higher than the levels known to promote excessive growth of aquatic vegetation. As the water moves through the three ponds, nitrogen levels decrease. Although some nitrogen is lost to the atmosphere by denitrification, the bulk of the nitrogen probably is retained in the pond sediments. There is a net decrease in phosphorus in the water leaving Carding Millpond compared to the water entering Hager Pond. However, during most sampling periods, the phosphorus concentration of water leaving Carding Millpond is still above the level known to cause excessive growth of aquatic vegetation in lakes. During certain summer periods, there appears to be release of some phosphorus from the sediments in Carding and Grist Millponds. No improvement in water quality of the three ponds can be expected until the concentrations of nutrients entering Hager Pond are reduced to levels that will not support excessive growth of aquatic vegetation. (USGS)

  8. Passivation of hematite nanorod photoanodes with a phosphorus overlayer for enhanced photoelectrochemical water oxidation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiong, Dehua; Li, Wei; Wang, Xiaoguang; Liu, Lifeng

    2016-09-01

    Hematite (i.e., α-Fe2O3) nanorod photoanodes passivated with a phosphorus overlayer have been fabricated by decomposing sodium hypophosphite (NaH2PO2) at a low temperature over the hematite nanorod surface. Extensive scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffractometry and UV-vis spectroscopy characterizations confirm that conformal deposition of an amorphous phosphorus overlayer does not change the crystal structure, morphology, and optical absorption properties of hematite photoanodes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that phosphorus in the deposited overlayer exists in an oxidized state. Comprehensive steady-state polarization, transient photocurrent response, and impedance spectroscopy measurements as well as Mott-Schottky analysis manifest that the phosphorus overlayer is able to effectively passivate surface states and suppress electron-hole recombination, substantially enhancing the photocurrent for water oxidation. Combining the phosphorization treatment with two-step thermal activation, a photocurrent density of 1.1 mA cm-2 is achieved at 1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode under illumination of 100 mW cm-2, ca 55 times higher than that of the non-activated pristine hematite photoanode measured under the same conditions. The simple and fast phosphorization strategy we present here can be readily applied to passivate surfaces of other semiconductor photoelectrodes to improve their photoelectrochemical performance.

  9. 40 CFR 116.4 - Designation of hazardous substances.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 7664382 Orthophosphoric acid Phosphorus 7723140 Black phosphorus, red phosphorus, white phosphorus, yellow phosphorus Phosphorus oxychloride 10025873 Phosphoryl chloride, phosphorus chloride Phosphorus pentasulfide 1314803 Phosphoric sulfide, thiophosphoric anhydride, phosphorus persulfide Phosphorus trichloride 7719122...

  10. 40 CFR 116.4 - Designation of hazardous substances.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 7664382 Orthophosphoric acid Phosphorus 7723140 Black phosphorus, red phosphorus, white phosphorus, yellow phosphorus Phosphorus oxychloride 10025873 Phosphoryl chloride, phosphorus chloride Phosphorus pentasulfide 1314803 Phosphoric sulfide, thiophosphoric anhydride, phosphorus persulfide Phosphorus trichloride 7719122...

  11. Ecological effects of acid precipitation on primary producers

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Conway, H.L.; Hendrey, G.R.

    1981-01-01

    Non-acidic, oligotrophic lakes are typically dominated by golden-brown algae, diatoms and green algae. With increasing acidity, the number of species decrease and the species composition changes to dinoflagellates and golden-brown algae, with blue-green algae dominating in some cases. For macrophytic plants, dense stands of Sphagnum and Utricularia are found in some acidic lakes which may reduce nutrient availability and benthic regeneration. Hydrogen ion concentration does not appear to be as important as inorganic phosphorus in controlling primary production and biomass in acidic lakes. In acidic, oligotrophic lakes, benthic plants may have a competitive advantage over pelagic algae because of themore » high concentrations of inorganic carbon and phosphorus available to them in the sediment.« less

  12. Hydrothermal carbonization of food waste for nutrient recovery and reuse.

    PubMed

    Idowu, Ifeolu; Li, Liang; Flora, Joseph R V; Pellechia, Perry J; Darko, Samuel A; Ro, Kyoung S; Berge, Nicole D

    2017-11-01

    Food waste represents a rather large and currently underutilized source of potentially available and reusable nutrients. Laboratory-scale experiments evaluating the hydrothermal carbonization of food wastes collected from restaurants were conducted to understand how changes in feedstock composition and carbonization process conditions influence primary and secondary nutrient fate. Results from this work indicate that at all evaluated reaction times and temperatures, the majority of nitrogen, calcium, and magnesium remain integrated within the solid-phase, while the majority of potassium and sodium reside in the liquid-phase. The fate of phosphorus is dependent on reaction times and temperatures, with solid-phase integration increasing with higher reaction temperature and longer time. A series of leaching experiments to determine potential solid-phase nutrient availability were also conducted and indicate that, at least in the short term, nitrogen release from the solids is small, while almost all of the phosphorus present in the solids produced from carbonizing at 225 and 250°C is released. At a reaction temperature of 275°C, smaller fractions of the solid-phase total phosphorus are released as reaction times increase, likely due to increased solids incorporation. Using these data, it is estimated that up to 0.96% and 2.30% of nitrogen and phosphorus-based fertilizers, respectively, in the US can be replaced by the nutrients integrated within hydrochar and liquid-phases generated from the carbonization of currently landfilled food wastes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Combined effects of climate, restoration measures and slope position in change in soil chemical properties and nutrient loss across lands affected by the Wenchuan Earthquake in China.

    PubMed

    Lin, Yongming; Deng, Haojun; Du, Kun; Rafay, Loretta; Zhang, Guang-Shuai; Li, Jian; Chen, Can; Wu, Chengzhen; Lin, Han; Yu, Wei; Fan, Hailan; Ge, Yonggang

    2017-10-15

    The MS 8.0Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008 caused huge damage to land cover in the northwest of China's Sichuan province. In order to determine the nutrient loss and short term characteristics of change in soil chemical properties, we established an experiment with three treatments ('undestroyed', 'destroyed and treated', and 'destroyed and untreated'), two climate types (semi-arid hot climate and subtropical monsoon climate), and three slope positions (upslope, mid-slope, and bottom-slope) in 2011. Ten soil properties-including pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , alkaline hydrolysable nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium-were measured in surface soil samples in December 2014. Analyses were performed to compare the characteristics of 3-year change in soil chemical properties in two climate zones. This study revealed that soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, Ca 2+ content, alkaline hydrolysable nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium were significantly higher in subtropical monsoon climate zones than in semi-arid hot climate zones. However, subtropical monsoon climate zones had a higher decrease in soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, and alkaline hydrolysable nitrogen in 'destroyed and untreated' sites than in semi-arid hot climate zones. Most soil chemical properties exhibited significant interactions, indicating that they may degrade or develop concomitantly. 'Destroyed and treated' sites in both climate types had lower C:P and N:P ratios than 'destroyed and untreated' sites. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the first, second, and third principal components explained 76.53% of the variation and might be interpreted as structural integrity, nutrient supply availability, and efficiency of soil; the difference of soil parent material; as well as weathering and leaching effects. Our study indicated that the characteristics of short term change in soil properties were affected by climate types and treatments, but not slope positions. Our results provide useful information for the selection of restoration countermeasures in different climate types to facilitate ecological restoration and reconstruction strategies in earthquake-affected areas. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. 33 CFR 385.38 - Interim goals.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    .... (ii) Improvement in water quality; including: (A) Total phosphorus concentrations in the Everglades...) Increases in total spatial extent of restored wetlands; (B) Improvement in habitat quality; and (C... implementation process. In addition, interim goals will facilitate adaptive management and allow the Corps of...

  15. Spatial and Temporal Variations of Crop Fertilization and Soil Fertility in the Loess Plateau in China from the 1970s to the 2000s

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Xiaoying; Tong, Yanan; Gao, Yimin; Gao, Pengcheng; Liu, Fen; Zhao, Zuoping; Pang, Yan

    2014-01-01

    Increased fertilizer input in agricultural systems during the last few decades has resulted in large yield increases, but also in environmental problems. We used data from published papers and a soil testing and fertilization project in Shaanxi province during the years 2005 to 2009 to analyze chemical fertilizer inputs and yields of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) on the farmers' level, and soil fertility change from the 1970s to the 2000s in the Loess Plateau in China. The results showed that in different regions of the province, chemical fertilizer NPK inputs and yields of wheat and maize increased. With regard to soil nutrient balance, N and P gradually changed from deficit to surplus levels, while K deficiency became more severe. In addition, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, alkali-hydrolysis nitrogen, available phosphorus and available potassium increased during the same period. The PFP of N, NP and NPK on wheat and maize all decreased from the 1970s to the 2000s as a whole. With the increase in N fertilizer inputs, both soil total nitrogen and alkali-hydrolysis nitrogen increased; P fertilizer increased soil available phosphorus and K fertilizer increased soil available potassium. At the same time, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, alkali-hydrolysis nitrogen, available phosphorus and available potassium all had positive impacts on crop yields. In order to promote food safety and environmental protection, fertilizer requirements should be assessed at the farmers' level. In many cases, farmers should be encouraged to reduce nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer inputs significantly, but increase potassium fertilizer and organic manure on cereal crops as a whole. PMID:25380401

  16. Calcium and phosphorus supplementation of human milk for preterm infants.

    PubMed

    Harding, Jane E; Wilson, Jess; Brown, Julie

    2017-02-26

    Preterm infants are born with low skeletal stores of calcium and phosphorus. Preterm human milk provides insufficient calcium and phosphorus to meet the estimated needs of preterm infants for adequate growth. Supplementation of human milk with calcium and phosphorus may improve growth and development of preterm infants. To determine whether addition of calcium and phosphorus supplements to human milk leads to improved growth and bone metabolism of preterm infants without significant adverse effects. We used the standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group to search the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2016, Issue 3), MEDLINE via PubMed (1966 to 14 April 2016), Embase (1980 to 14 April 2016) and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL; 1982 to 14 April 2016). We also searched clinical trials databases (11 May 2016) and the reference lists of retrieved articles for randomised controlled trials and quasi-randomised trials. Randomised and quasi-randomised trials comparing supplementation of human milk with calcium and/or phosphorus versus no supplementation in hospitalised preterm infants were eligible for inclusion in this review. Two review authors (JB, JW) independently extracted data and assessed trial quality using standard methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. We reported dichotomous data as risk ratios (RRs) and continuous data as mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach to assess the quality of evidence. This is an update of a 2001 review that identified no eligible trials. One trial including 40 infants met the inclusion criteria for this review. Using GRADE criteria, we judged the quality of the evidence as low owing to risk of bias (inadequate reporting of methods of randomisation, allocation concealment and/or blinding) and imprecision (wide confidence intervals and data from a single small trial). We found no evidence of a difference between calcium and phosphorus supplementation versus no supplementation for neonatal growth outcomes (weight, length, head circumference) at any time point reported (two, four or six weeks postnatal age). At six weeks postnatal age, supplementation with calcium/phosphorus was associated with a decrease in serum alkaline phosphatase concentration (MD -56.85 IU/L, 95% CI -101.27 to -12.43; one randomised controlled trial (RCT); n = 40 infants). Investigators provided no data on growth at 12 to 18 months, neonatal fractures, feed intolerance, breastfeeding or any of the prespecified childhood outcomes for this review (fractures, growth, neurodevelopmental outcomes). We identified one small trial including only 40 infants that compared supplementation of human milk with calcium and phosphorus versus no supplementation in hospitalised preterm infants. We judged the evidence to be of low quality and found no evidence of differences between groups for clinically important outcomes including growth and fractures. Although serum alkaline phosphatase concentration was reduced in the group receiving supplementation at six weeks postnatal age, this difference is unlikely to be of clinical significance. We conclude that evidence is insufficient to determine whether benefit or harm ensues when human milk is supplemented with calcium and/or phosphorus for the hospitalised preterm infant. We see no advantage of conducting further trials of this intervention because with the advent of multi-component human milk fortifier, supplementation of human milk with calcium and/or phosphorus alone is no longer common practice. Future trials should consider assessing effects of multi-component fortifiers with different mineral compositions on clinically important outcomes during the neonatal period and in later childhood.

  17. How a phosphorus-acquisition strategy based on carboxylate exudation powers the success and agronomic potential of lupines (Lupinus, Fabaceae).

    PubMed

    Lambers, Hans; Clements, Jon C; Nelson, Matthew N

    2013-02-01

    Lupines (Lupinus species; Fabaceae) are an ancient crop with great potential to be developed further for high-protein feed and food, cover crops, and phytoremediation. Being legumes, they are capable of symbiotically fixing atmospheric nitrogen. However, Lupinus species appear to be nonmycorrhizal or weakly mycorrhizal at most; instead some produce cluster roots, which release vast amounts of phosphate-mobilizing carboxylates (inorganic anions). Other lupines produce cluster-like roots, which function in a similar manner, and some release large amounts of carboxylates without specialized roots. These traits associated with nutrient acquisition make lupines ideally suited for either impoverished soils or soils with large amounts of phosphorus that is poorly available for most plants, e.g., acidic or alkaline soils. Here we explore how common the nonmycorrhizal phosphorus-acquisition strategy based on exudation of carboxylates is in the genus Lupinus, concluding it is very likely more widespread than generally acknowledged. This trait may partly account for the role of lupines as pioneers or invasive species, but also makes them suitable crop plants while we reach "peak phosphorus".

  18. Quantification of the proliferation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in soil

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Ning; Lilje, Osu; McGee, Peter

    2013-04-01

    Good soil structure is important for sustaining agricultural production and preserving functions of the soil ecosystem. Soil aggregation is a critically important component of soil structure. Stable aggregates enable water infiltration, gas exchange for biological activities of plant roots and microorganisms, living space and surfaces for soil microbes, and contribute to stabilization of organic matter and storage of organic carbon (OC) in soil. Soil aggregation involves fine roots, organic matter and hyphae of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Hyphal proliferation is essential for soil aggregation and sequestration of OC in soil. We do not yet have a mechanism to directly quantify the density of hyphae in soil. Organic materials and available phosphorus are two of the major factors that influence fungi in soil. Organic materials are a source of energy for saprotrophic microbes. Fungal hyphae increase in the presence of organic matter. Phosphorus is an important element usually found in ecosystems. The low availability of phosphorus limits the biological activity of microbes. AM fungi benefit plants by delivering phosphorus to the root system. However, the density and the length of hyphae of AM fungi do not appear to be influenced by available phosphorus. A number of indirect methods have been used to visualize distribution of fungi in soil. Reliable analyses of soil are limited because of soil characteristics. Soils are fragile, and fragility limits opportunity for non-destructive analysis. The soil ecosystem is complex. Soil particles are dense and the density obscures the visualization of fungal hyphae. Fungal hyphae are relatively fine and information at the small scale (<250µm) is key to understanding how fungi respond to environmental stimuli. This experiment tested whether organic carbon (starch), phosphorus (K2HPO4) and their mixture influences proliferation of hyphae of AM fungi. Hyphae were quantified in an artificial soil matrix using micro-computer aided tomography. Micro-computer aided tomography provides three dimensional images of hyphal ramification through electron lucent materials and enables the visualization and quantification of hyphae. Starch and the mixture of starch plus K2HPO4, stimulated hyphal proliferation, while K2HPO4 alone did not change the density of hyphae. The images also indicate that fungal hyphae attached to the surfaces of the particles rather than grow through the spaces between them. The capacity to quantify hyphae in three-dimensional space allows a wide range of questions to now be addressed. Apart from studying mechanisms of carbon turnover, more complex processes may now be considered. Soil is commonly thought of as a black box. That black box is now a shade of grey.

  19. Phosphorus content as a function of soil aggregate size and paddy cultivation in highly weathered soils.

    PubMed

    Li, Baozhen; Ge, Tida; Xiao, Heai; Zhu, Zhenke; Li, Yong; Shibistova, Olga; Liu, Shoulong; Wu, Jinshui; Inubushi, Kazuyuki; Guggenberger, Georg

    2016-04-01

    Red soils are the major land resource in subtropical and tropical areas and are characterized by low phosphorus (P) availability. To assess the availability of P for plants and the potential stability of P in soil, two pairs of subtropical red soil samples from a paddy field and an adjacent uncultivated upland were collected from Hunan Province, China. Analysis of total P and Olsen P and sequential extraction was used to determine the inorganic and organic P fractions in different aggregate size classes. Our results showed that the soil under paddy cultivation had lower proportions of small aggregates and higher proportions of large aggregates than those from the uncultivated upland soil. The portion of >2-mm-sized aggregates increased by 31 and 20 % at Taoyuan and Guiyang, respectively. The total P and Olsen P contents were 50-150 and 50-300 % higher, respectively, in the paddy soil than those in the upland soil. Higher inorganic and organic P fractions tended to be enriched in both the smallest and largest aggregate size classes compared to the middle size class (0.02-0.2 mm). Furthermore, the proportion of P fractions was higher in smaller aggregate sizes (<2 mm) than in the higher aggregate sizes (>2 mm). In conclusion, soils under paddy cultivation displayed improved soil aggregate structure, altered distribution patterns of P fractions in different aggregate size classes, and to some extent had enhanced labile P pools.

  20. Effects of acidic deposition on in-lake phosphorus availability: a lesson from lakes recovering from acidification.

    PubMed

    Kopáček, Jiří; Hejzlar, Josef; Kaňa, Jiří; Norton, Stephen A; Stuchlík, Evžen

    2015-03-03

    Lake water concentrations of phosphorus (P) recently increased in some mountain areas due to elevated atmospheric input of P rich dust. We show that increasing P concentrations also occur during stable atmospheric P inputs in central European alpine lakes recovering from atmospheric acidification. The elevated P availability in the lakes results from (1) increasing terrestrial export of P accompanying elevated leaching of dissolved organic carbon and decreasing phosphate-adsorption ability of soils due to their increasing pH, and (2) decreasing in-lake P immobilization by aluminum (Al) hydroxide due to decreasing leaching of ionic Al from the recovering soils. The P availability in the recovering lakes is modified by the extent of soil acidification, soil composition, and proportion of till and meadow soils in the catchment. These mechanisms explain several conflicting observations of the acid rain effects on surface water P concentrations.

  1. Land-use intensification impact on phosphorus fractions in highly weathered tropical soils

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maranguit, Deejay; Guillaume, Thomas; Kuzyakov, Yakov

    2016-04-01

    Deforestation and land-use intensification in tropics have increased over the past decades, driven by the demand for agricultural products. Despite the fact that phosphorus (P) is one of the main limiting nutrients for agricultural productivity in the tropics, the effect of land-use intensification on P availability remains unclear. The objective was to assess the impacts of land-use intensification on soil inorganic and organic P fractions of different availability (Hedley sequential fractionation) and P stocks in highly weathered tropical soils. We compared the P availability under extensive land-use (rubber agroforest) and intensive land-use with moderate fertilization (rubber monoculture plantations) or high fertilization (oil palm monoculture plantations) in Indonesia. The phosphorus stock was dominated by inorganic forms (60 to 85%) in all land-use types. Fertilizer application increased easily-available inorganic P (i.e., H2O-Pi, NaHCO3-Pi) in intensive rubber and oil palm plantations compared to agroforest. However, the easily-available organic P (NaHCO3-extractable Po) was reduced by half under oil palm and rubber. The decrease of moderately available and non-available P by land-use intensification means that fertilization maintains only short-term soil fertility that is not sustainable in the long run due to the depletion of P reserves. The mechanisms of this P reserve depletion are: soil erosion (here assessed by C/P ratio), mineralization of soil organic matter (SOM) and export of P with yield products. Easily-available P fractions (i.e., H2O-Pi, NaHCO3-Pi and Po) and total organic P were strongly positively correlated with carbon content suggesting that SOM plays a critical role in maintaining P availability. Therefore, the ecologically based management is necessary in mitigating SOM losses to increase the sustainability of agricultural production in P limited highly weathered tropical soils.

  2. Established native perennial grasses out-compete an invasive annual grass regardless of soil water and nutrient availability

    Treesearch

    Christopher M. McGlone; Carolyn Hull Sieg; Thomas E. Kolb; Ty Nietupsky

    2012-01-01

    Competition and resource availability influence invasions into native perennial grasslands by nonnative annual grasses such as Bromus tectorum. In two greenhouse experiments we examined the influence of competition, water availability, and elevated nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability on growth and reproduction of the invasive annual grass B. tectorum and two...

  3. Ferrous iron phosphorus in sediments: development of a quantification method through 2,2'-bipyridine extraction.

    PubMed

    Li, Qingman; Wang, Xingxiang; Bartlett, Rebecca; Pinay, Gilles; Kan, Dan; Zhang, Wen; Sun, Jingxian

    2012-11-01

    The role of ferrous iron in the phosphorus cycle of an aquatic ecosystem is poorly understood because of a lack of suitable methods to quantitatively evaluate ferrous iron phosphorus (FIP) phases. Using sediments sampled from Fubao Bay of Dianchi Lake in China, a novel extraction method for FIP using 2,2'-bipyridine was explored. Total phosphorus and iron in the sediments ranged from 1.0 to 5.0 mg/g (dry weight) and 28.5 to 90.6 mg/g, respectively. Organic content (as indicated by loss on ignition or LOI) and iron(II) ranged from 3.1 to 27.0% and 26.5 to 64.9 mg/g, respectively. The dissolution dynamics of FIP extraction with a low solid/liquid ratio (1:25) indicated that a single application of 0.2% 2,2'-bipyridine extracted both iron(II) (Fe(II)) and phosphorus (as PO4(3-)) in sediments with different organic contents with low efficiency. The extraction efficiency of Fe(II) was improved by alteration of the solid/liquid ratio, but the effect was limited. However, addition of a 1:1000 solid/liquid ratio of 0.5 M potassium chloride to a 0.2% 2,2'-bipyridine solution significantly accelerated extraction of FIP with the release of Fe(II) and phosphorus toward equilibrium at approximately 150 hours. Further investigation demonstrated that 2,2'-bipyridine exhibited a higher selectivity in distinguishing FIP from phosphorus bound to ferric (Fe(III)) oxides or precipitated by calcium (Ca2+). Air-drying sediments significantly decreased the amount of extracted FIP, which indicates that fresh, wet sediment should be used in this type of FIP extraction. Based on experimental results using the proposed extraction protocol, (1) FIP in sediments of Fubao Bay had a predominant status in the lake sediment and accounted for 23.4 to 39.8% of total phosphorus, and (2) Fe(II)(FIP) released in the extraction is directly proportional to phosphorus(FIP) (Fe(II)(FIP) = 2.84 x P(FIP) + 0.0007; R2 = 0.97) with an average molar ratio of Fe(II)(FIP)/P(FIP) of 2.7. This study shows that FIP extraction with 2,2'-bipyridine is a robust method for releasing ferrous iron associated with phosphorus. Further, the high percentage of FIP in total phosphorus (40%) measured in the study site using this extraction method suggests that FIP might have been often underestimated in previous studies.

  4. Effects of a novel bacterial phytase expressed in Aspergillus Oryzae on digestibility of calcium and phosphorus in diets fed to weanling or growing pigs

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    In 2 experiments, 48 weanling (initial BW: 13.5 ± 2.4 kg, Exp. 1) and 24 growing pigs (initial BW: 36.2 ± 4.0 kg, Exp. 2) were used to determine effects of a novel bacterial 6-phytase expressed in Aspergillus oryzae on the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of phosphorus and calcium in corn-soybean meal diets fed to weanling and growing pigs. In Exp. 1 and 2, pigs were randomly allotted to 6 dietary treatments using a randomized complete block design and a balanced 2 period changeover design, respectively. In both experiments, 6 diets were formulated. The positive control diet was a corn-soybean meal diet with added inorganic phosphorus (Exp. 1: 0.42 and 0.86% standardized total tract digestible phosphorus and total calcium, respectively; Exp. 2: 0.32 and 0.79% standardized total tract digestible phosphorus and total calcium, respectively). A negative control diet and 4 diets with the novel phytase (Ronozyme HiPhos, DSM Nutritional Products Inc., Parsippany, NJ) added to the negative control diet at levels of 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 phytase units (FYT)/kg were also formulated. In Exp. 1, the ATTD of phosphorus was greater (P < 0.01) for the positive control diet (60.5%) than for the negative control diet (40.5%), but increased (linear and quadratic, P < 0.01) as phytase was added to the negative control diet (40.5% vs. 61.6%, 65.1%, 68.7%, and 68.0%). The breakpoint for the ATTD of phosphorus (68.4%) was reached at a phytase inclusion level of 1,016 FYT/kg. In Exp. 2, the ATTD of phosphorus was greater (P < 0.01) for the positive control diet (59.4%) than for the negative control diet (39.8%) and increased (linear and quadratic, P < 0.01) as phytase was added to the negative control diet (39.8% vs. 58.1%, 65.4%, 69.1%, and 72.8%). The breakpoint for the ATTD of phosphorus (69.1%) was reached at a phytase inclusion level of 801 FYT/kg. In conclusion, the novel bacterial 6-phytase improved the ATTD of phosphorus and calcium in both weanling and growing pigs. The optimum level of inclusion for this phytase is 800 to 1,000 FYT/kg of complete feed to maximize ATTD of phosphorus and calcium in weanling and growing pigs. PMID:23497607

  5. Effects of a novel bacterial phytase expressed in Aspergillus Oryzae on digestibility of calcium and phosphorus in diets fed to weanling or growing pigs.

    PubMed

    Almeida, Ferdinando Nielsen; Sulabo, Rommel Casilda; Stein, Hans Henrik

    2013-03-05

    In 2 experiments, 48 weanling (initial BW: 13.5 ± 2.4 kg, Exp. 1) and 24 growing pigs (initial BW: 36.2 ± 4.0 kg, Exp. 2) were used to determine effects of a novel bacterial 6-phytase expressed in Aspergillus oryzae on the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of phosphorus and calcium in corn-soybean meal diets fed to weanling and growing pigs. In Exp. 1 and 2, pigs were randomly allotted to 6 dietary treatments using a randomized complete block design and a balanced 2 period changeover design, respectively. In both experiments, 6 diets were formulated. The positive control diet was a corn-soybean meal diet with added inorganic phosphorus (Exp. 1: 0.42 and 0.86% standardized total tract digestible phosphorus and total calcium, respectively; Exp. 2: 0.32 and 0.79% standardized total tract digestible phosphorus and total calcium, respectively). A negative control diet and 4 diets with the novel phytase (Ronozyme HiPhos, DSM Nutritional Products Inc., Parsippany, NJ) added to the negative control diet at levels of 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 phytase units (FYT)/kg were also formulated. In Exp. 1, the ATTD of phosphorus was greater (P < 0.01) for the positive control diet (60.5%) than for the negative control diet (40.5%), but increased (linear and quadratic, P < 0.01) as phytase was added to the negative control diet (40.5% vs. 61.6%, 65.1%, 68.7%, and 68.0%). The breakpoint for the ATTD of phosphorus (68.4%) was reached at a phytase inclusion level of 1,016 FYT/kg. In Exp. 2, the ATTD of phosphorus was greater (P < 0.01) for the positive control diet (59.4%) than for the negative control diet (39.8%) and increased (linear and quadratic, P < 0.01) as phytase was added to the negative control diet (39.8% vs. 58.1%, 65.4%, 69.1%, and 72.8%). The breakpoint for the ATTD of phosphorus (69.1%) was reached at a phytase inclusion level of 801 FYT/kg. In conclusion, the novel bacterial 6-phytase improved the ATTD of phosphorus and calcium in both weanling and growing pigs. The optimum level of inclusion for this phytase is 800 to 1,000 FYT/kg of complete feed to maximize ATTD of phosphorus and calcium in weanling and growing pigs.

  6. Using decision analysis to choose phosphorus targets for Lake Erie.

    PubMed

    Anderson, R M; Hobbs, B F; Koonce, J F; Locci, A B

    2001-02-01

    Lake Erie water quality has improved dramatically since the degraded conditions of the 1960s. Additional gains could be made, but at the expense of further investment and reductions in fishery productivity. In facing such cross-jurisdictional issues, natural resource managers in Canada and the United States must grapple with conflicting objectives and important uncertainties, while considering the priorities of the public that live in the basin. The techniques and tools of decision analysis have been used successfully to deal with such decision problems in a range of environmental settings, but infrequently in the Great Lakes. The objective of this paper is to illustrate how such techniques might be brought to bear on an important, real decision currently facing Lake Erie resource managers and stakeholders: the choice of new phosphorus loading targets for the lake. The heart of our approach is a systematic elicitation of stakeholder preferences and an investigation of the degree to which different phosphorus-loading policies might satisfy ecosystem objectives. Results show that there are potential benefits to changing the historical policy of reducing phosphorus loads in Lake Erie. Copyright 2001 Springer-Verlag

  7. Effect of lubricant extreme-pressure additives on surface fatigue life of AISI 9310 spur gears

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Scibbe, H. W.; Townsend, D. P.; Aron, P. R.

    1984-01-01

    Surface fatigue tests were conducted with AISI 9310 spur gears using a formulated synthetic tetraester oil (conforming to MIL-L-23699 specifications) as the lubricant containing either sulfur or phosphorus as the EP additive. Four groups of gears were tested. One group of gears tested without an additive in the lubricant acted as the reference oil. In the other three groups either a 0.1 wt % sulfur or phosphorus additive was added to the tetraester oil to enhance gear surface fatigue life. Test conditions included a gear temperature of 334 K (160 F), a maximum Hertz stress of 1.71 GPa (248 000 psi), and a speed of 10,000 rpm. The gears tested with a 0.1 wt % phosphorus additive showed pitting fatigue life 2.6 times the life of gears tested with the reference tetraester based oil. Although fatigue lives of two groups of gears tested with the sulfur additive in the oil showed improvement over the control group gear life, the results, unlike those obtained with the phosphorus oil, were not considered to be statistically significant.

  8. Effects of Phosphorus Implantation on the Activation of Magnesium Doped in GaN

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Kuan-Ting; Chang, Shoou-Jinn; Wu, Sean

    2009-08-01

    The effects of phosphorus implantation on the activation of magnesium doped in GaN at different dopant concentration ratios have been systematically investigated. Hall effect measurements show that P implantation improves the hole concentration, and that this improvement is dependent on P/Mg dopant concentration ratio and annealing conditions. This phenomenon is attributable to the reduction in self-compensation that results from the formation of deep donors and the enhanced Mg atom activation, which is in reasonable agreement with the optical properties observed by photoluminescence measurements. In addition, a new photoluminescence peak resulting from P-related transitions is also observed, evidently owing to the recombination of electrons from the shallow native donors with holes previously captured by isoelectronic P traps.

  9. The fertilizing role of African dust in the Amazon rainforest: A first multiyear assessment based on data from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Hongbin; Chin, Mian; Yuan, Tianle; Bian, Huisheng; Remer, Lorraine A.; Prospero, Joseph M.; Omar, Ali; Winker, David; Yang, Yuekui; Zhang, Yan; Zhang, Zhibo; Zhao, Chun

    2015-03-01

    The productivity of the Amazon rainforest is constrained by the availability of nutrients, in particular phosphorus (P). Deposition of long-range transported African dust is recognized as a potentially important but poorly quantified source of phosphorus. This study provides a first multiyear satellite-based estimate of dust deposition into the Amazon Basin using three-dimensional (3-D) aerosol measurements over 2007-2013 from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP). The 7 year average of dust deposition into the Amazon Basin is estimated to be 28 (8-48) Tg a-1 or 29 (8-50) kg ha-1 a-1. The dust deposition shows significant interannual variation that is negatively correlated with the prior-year rainfall in the Sahel. The CALIOP-based multiyear mean estimate of dust deposition matches better with estimates from in situ measurements and model simulations than a previous satellite-based estimate does. The closer agreement benefits from a more realistic geographic definition of the Amazon Basin and inclusion of meridional dust transport calculation in addition to the 3-D nature of CALIOP aerosol measurements. The imported dust could provide about 0.022 (0.006-0.037) Tg P of phosphorus per year, equivalent to 23 (7-39) g P ha-1 a-1 to fertilize the Amazon rainforest. This out-of-basin phosphorus input is comparable to the hydrological loss of phosphorus from the basin, suggesting an important role of African dust in preventing phosphorus depletion on timescales of decades to centuries.

  10. Enhancing anaerobic digestibility and phosphorus recovery of dairy manure through microwave-based thermochemical pretreatment.

    PubMed

    Jin, Ying; Hu, Zhenhu; Wen, Zhiyou

    2009-08-01

    Anaerobic digestion and struvite precipitation are two effective ways of treating dairy manure for recovering biogas and phosphorus. Anaerobic digestion of dairy manure is commonly limited by slow fiber degradation, while struvite precipitation is limited by the availability of orthophosphate. The aim of this work is to study the possibility of using microwave-based thermochemical pretreatment to simultaneously enhance manure anaerobic digestibility (through fiber degradation) and struvite precipitation (through phosphorus solubilization). Microwave heating combined with different chemicals (NaOH, CaO, H(2)SO(4), or HCl) enhanced solubilization of manure and degradation of glucan/xylan in dairy manure. However, sulfuric acid-based pretreatment resulted in a low anaerobic digestibility, probably due to the sulfur inhibition and Maillard side reaction. The pretreatments released 20-40% soluble phosphorus and 9-14% ammonium. However, CaO-based pretreatment resulted in lower orthophosphate releases and struvite precipitation efficiency as calcium interferes with phosphate to form calcium phosphate. Collectively, microwave heating combined with NaOH or HCl led to a high anaerobic digestibility and phosphorus recovery. Using these two chemicals, the performance of microwave- and conventional-heating in thermochemical pretreatment was further compared. The microwave heating resulted in a better performance in terms of COD solubilization, glucan/xylan reduction, phosphorus solubilization and anaerobic digestibility. Lastly, temperature and heating time used in microwave treatment were optimized. The optimal values of temperature and heating time were 147 degrees C and 25.3 min for methane production, and 135 degrees C and 26 min for orthophosphate release, respectively.

  11. Copper-catalyzed, C-C coupling-based one-pot tandem reactions for the synthesis of benzofurans using o-iodophenols, acyl chlorides, and phosphorus ylides.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yunyun; Wang, Hang; Wan, Jie-Ping

    2014-11-07

    One-pot reactions involving acyl chlorides, phosphorus ylides, and o-iodophenols with copper catalysis have been established for the rapid synthesis of functionalized benzofurans. With all of these easily available and stable reactants, the construction of the target products has been accomplished via tandem transformations involving a key C-C coupling, leading to the formation of one C(sp(2))-C bond, one C(sp(2))-O bond, and one C ═ C bond.

  12. Effect of Intermittent Exposure to 3% CO2 on Respiration, Acid-Base Balance, and Calcium-Phosphorus Metabolism

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1978-03-01

    of the renal functions primarily involved in acid- base regulations are shown in Fig. 7. There was an immediate response to C02 breathing on the first...1965). Based on the available data, it is not possible to explain why the renal response was turned off on Day 2. At the fourth and fifth days... base balance, and calcium-phosphorus metabolism K. E. SCHAEFER, C. R. CAREY, J. H. DOUGHERTY, JR., C. MORGAN, and A. A. MESSIER Naval Submarine

  13. Catalyst-free synthesis of skipped dienes from phosphorus ylides, allylic carbonates, and aldehydes via a one-pot SN2' allylation-Wittig strategy.

    PubMed

    Xu, Silong; Zhu, Shaoying; Shang, Jian; Zhang, Junjie; Tang, Yuhai; Dou, Jianwei

    2014-04-18

    A catalyst-free allylic alkylation of stabilized phosphorus ylides with allylic carbonates via a regioselective SN2' process is presented. Subsequent one-pot Wittig reaction with both aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes as well as ketenes provides structurally diverse skipped dienes (1,4-dienes) in generally high yields and moderate to excellent stereoselectivity with flexible substituent patterns. This one-pot SN2' allylation-Wittig strategy constitutes a convenient and efficient synthetic method for highly functionalized skipped dienes from readily available starting materials.

  14. The need for an improved risk index for phosphorus losses to water from tile-drained agricultural land

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ulén, Barbro; Djodjic, Faruk; Etana, Araso; Johansson, Göran; Lindström, Jan

    2011-03-01

    SummaryA refined version of a conditional phosphorus risk index (PRI) for P losses to waters was developed based on monitoring and analyses of PRI factors from an agricultural catchment in Sweden. The catchment has a hummocky landscape of heavy glacial till overlying moraine and an overall balanced soil P level. Single P source factors and combinations of factors were tested and discussed together with water movement and water management factors important for catchments dominated by drained clay soils. An empirical relationship was established (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.861, p < 0.001) between phosphorus sorption index (PSI-CaCl 2), measured in a weak calcium chloride solution, and iron (Fe-AL) aluminium (Al-AL) and phosphorus (P-AL) in soil extract with acid ammonium lactate. Differing relationships were found for a field that had not received any manure in the last 15 years and a field that had received chicken litter very recently. In addition, a general relationship (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.839, p < 0.001) was found between the ratio of phosphorus extracted from fresh soil in water (Pw) to PSI-CaCl 2 and the degree of phosphorus saturation in lactate extract (DPS-AL). One exception was a single field, representing 7% of agricultural land in the catchment, that had been treated with glyphosate shortly before soil sampling. Saturated hydraulic conductivity (SHC) in heavy clay in contact with the moraine base (at 1 m depth) was on average 0.06 m day -1. In clay not in contact with moraine, SHC was significantly lower (mean 0.007 m day -1). A reduction in the present tile drain spacing (from 14-16 m to 11 m) is theoretically required to maintain satisfactory water discharge and groundwater level. Up to 10% of the arable land was estimated to be a potential source area for P, based on different indices. Parts of a few fields close to farm buildings (1% of total arable land) were identified as essential P source areas, with high DPS-AL values and low PSI-CaCl 2 values throughout the soil profile. A further 2% of arable land was identified as potential important transport areas, based on visible surface water rills or frequent water-ponded conditions. Fields comprising 10% of the total arable land in the catchment should be re-drained in the near future to improve water infiltration and avoid unnecessary channelised water flow. The need for an improved PRI for erosion and water transport is discussed.

  15. [Effects of phosphorus application rates and depths on P utilization and loss risk in a maize-soybean intercropping system].

    PubMed

    Zhao, Wei; Song, Chun; Zhou, Pan; Wang, Jia Yu; Xui, Feng; Ye, Fang; Wang, Xiao Chun; Yang, Wen Yu

    2018-04-01

    In order to explore the advantage of intercropping on phosphorus (P) efficient utilization and the reduction of soil P loss, a field experiment in a maize-soybean intercropping system, which included three P application (P 2 O 5 ) rates (CP: 168 kg·hm -2 ; RP 1 : 135 kg·hm -2 ; RP 2 : 101 kg·hm -2 ) and three P application depths (D 1 : applied in 5 cm depth; D 2 : applied in 15 cm depth; D 3 : 1/2 of P fertilizer applied in 5 cm depth and another 1/2 in 15 cm depth) was carried out to analyze the effects of P application rates and depth on crop aboveground biomass, grain yield, crop P uptake, soil total and available P contents, and soil P adsorption-desorption characteristics. Compared with control treatment, the aboveground biomass, grain yield, crop P uptake, soil total P, and available P content were increased significantly by P application, regardless of P rate and application depth. Under the same application depth, RP 1 had similar grain yield but higher crop P uptake compared with CP, and thus higher P apparent utilization efficiency. Under the same P application rate, the application depth of D 2 had the highest crop aboveground biomass, grain yield, P uptake, soil total P, and available P. According to the characteristic of soil P adsorption-desorption, the treatment with the rate of RP 1 and the depth of D 2 had the strongest soil P retention capacity, which had advantage in alleviating P loss. These results suggested that reducing application rate but increasing application depth of P fertilizer could improve P use efficiency and reduce soil P loss without sacrifice in crop production in maize-soybean relay intercropping system.

  16. [Variability of soil water soluble organic carbon content and its response to temperature change in green spaces along urban-to-rural gradient of Nanchang, China].

    PubMed

    Li, Pei-qing; Fang, Xiang-min; Chen, Fu-sheng; Wang, Fang-chao; Yu, Jin-rong; Wan, Song-ze; Li, Zu-yao

    2015-11-01

    Topsoil of green space including typical forest, shrub and grassland were collected to measure their water soluble organic carbon ( WSOC) before and after incubation of 30 days at 5, 15, 25, 35 and, 45 °C. The results showed the average values of WSOC were higher in urban than in rural green spaces, but the percentage of WSOC to total organic carbon (TOC) showed an opposite trend. No significant changes were found among the three green space types in WSOC and WSOC/TOC. Response of WSOC in green space to incubation temperature was generally highest in urban sites, followed by suburban sites, and lowest in rural sites at the incubation temperature of 5 °C, but showed an opposite trend at the temperature of 45 °C. Response coefficient of WSOC to temperature change was lower in forest and shrub than in grassland, but increased along the urban-rural gradient. Further analysis showed that WSOC positively correlated with TOC, total nitrogen and available phosphorus, and the response coefficient of WSOC to temperature change negatively correlated with available phosphorus. In summary, exogenous substances input might lead to the accumulation of WSOC in urban green space, however, urban environment was helpful to maintain the stability of WSOC, which might be due to the enrichment of available phosphorus in urban sites.

  17. Differential responses of soil nematode community to pig manure application levels in Ferric Acrisols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Yi-Ru; Li, Xiao-Gang; Zhou, Zhi-Gao; Zhang, Tao-Lin; Wang, Xing-Xiang

    2016-10-01

    Excessive pig manure application probably degrades arable soil quality in some intensive pig farming areas. The responses of the nematode community to dosages of pig manure were investigated in Ferric Acrisols under 3-season peanut monoculture. Varying dosages of manure (1.75, 3.5, 7, 14 and 28 t·ha-1·yr-1) in combination with chemical fertilizer were applied to field plots, and chemical fertilizer alone was also applied as a control. With increasing manure application, the abundance of bacterivores and omnivores-predators increased, the abundance of plant parasites decreased, and fungivores abundance exhibited hump-shaped variation. Simpson diversity index and plant parasite index/maturity index of the nematode communities increased to a maximum level at a manure application rate of 3.5 t·ha-1·yr-1 and then sharply decreased. The changes in the soil nematode community were further determined to be correlated with chemical properties; available phosphorus had the strongest quadratic correlation with the two indices, implying that available phosphorus had a better indicative effect than other soil properties to nematode community. Available phosphorus in soil was deduced from 49 to 64 mg·kg-1 with the best nematode communities. Our results emphasized the importance of regular applications of manure in agriculture field to balance nematode diversity and build healthy agro-ecosystems.

  18. Periphytic biofilms: A promising nutrient utilization regulator in wetlands.

    PubMed

    Wu, Yonghong; Liu, Junzhuo; Rene, Eldon R

    2018-01-01

    Low nutrient utilization efficiency in agricultural ecosystems is the main cause of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. Therefore, novel approaches should be explored to improve nutrient utilization in these ecosystems. Periphytic biofilms composed of microalgae, bacteria and other microbial organisms are ubiquitous and form a 'third phase' in artificial wetlands such as paddy fields. Periphytic biofilms play critical roles in nutrient transformation between the overlying water and soil/sediment, however, their contributions to nutrient utilization improvement and NPS pollution control have been largely underestimated. This mini review summarizes the contributions of periphytic biofilms to nutrient transformation processes, including assimilating and storing bioavailable nitrogen and phosphorus, fixing nitrogen, and activating occluded phosphorus. Future research should focus on augmenting the nitrogen fixing, phosphate solubilizing and phosphatase producing microorganisms in periphytic biofilms to improve nutrient utilization and thereby reduce NPS pollution production in artificial and natural wetland ecosystems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Phosphorus sorption and availability from biochars and soil/biochar mixtures

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    In an energy limited world, biomass may be converted to energy products through pyrolysis. A byproduct of this process is biochar. A better understanding is needed of the sorption characteristics of biochars which can influence the availability of plant essential nutrients and potential water contam...

  20. Hydrochemical processes in lowland rivers: insights from in situ, high-resolution monitoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wade, A. J.; Palmer-Felgate, E. J.; Halliday, S. J.; Skeffington, R. A.; Loewenthal, M.; Jarvie, H. P.; Bowes, M. J.; Greenway, G. M.; Haswell, S. J.; Bell, I. M.; Joly, E.; Fallatah, A.; Neal, C.; Williams, R. J.; Gozzard, E.; Newman, J. R.

    2012-11-01

    This paper introduces new insights into the hydrochemical functioning of lowland river systems using field-based spectrophotometric and electrode technologies. The streamwater concentrations of nitrogen species and phosphorus fractions were measured at hourly intervals on a continuous basis at two contrasting sites on tributaries of the River Thames - one draining a rural catchment, the River Enborne, and one draining a more urban system, The Cut. The measurements complement those from an existing network of multi-parameter water quality sondes maintained across the Thames catchment and weekly monitoring based on grab samples. The results of the sub-daily monitoring show that streamwater phosphorus concentrations display highly complex dynamics under storm conditions dependent on the antecedent catchment wetness, and that diurnal phosphorus and nitrogen cycles occur under low flow conditions. The diurnal patterns highlight the dominance of sewage inputs in controlling the streamwater phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations at low flows, even at a distance of 7 km from the nearest sewage treatment works in the rural River Enborne. The time of sample collection is important when judging water quality against ecological thresholds or standards. An exhaustion of the supply of phosphorus from diffuse and multiple septic tank sources during storm events was evident and load estimation was not improved by sub-daily monitoring beyond that achieved by daily sampling because of the eventual reduction in the phosphorus mass entering the stream during events. The results highlight the utility of sub-daily water quality measurements and the discussion considers the practicalities and challenges of in situ, sub-daily monitoring.

  1. The effect of hydrogen peroxide on N/P ratio and phytoplankton diversity in Vannamei shrimp (litopeneus vanname) ponds in Banyuwangi, East Java

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Daruti, D. N.; Rozi; Rahayu, K.

    2018-04-01

    Abundance of plankton in a waters is influenced by environmental parameters and physiological characteristics. Complex factors support phytoplankton growth. They are light intensity, dissolved oxygen, temperature stratification, salinity and availability of nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen is an important element in the formation of chlorophyll, protoplasm, protein and nucleic acids. Observation of the three ponds in North Banyuwangi (Wongsorejo, Bangsring and Bulusan) and three ponds area of South Banyuwangi (Bomo, Jatisari and Badean). The observed parameters were NH4, NO2, NO3, PO4. Hidrogen peroxide effectively improve water quality, however it has a different effect in each different area.

  2. Phosphorus immobilization in micropores of drinking-water treatment residuals: implications for long-term stability.

    PubMed

    Makris, Konstantinos C; Harris, Willie G; O'Connor, George A; Obreza, Thomas A

    2004-12-15

    Drinking-water treatment residuals (WTRs) can immobilize excess soil phosphorus (P), but little is known about the long-term P retention by WTRs. To evaluate the long-term P sorption characteristics of one Fe- and one Al-based WTR, physicochemical properties pertinent to time-dependency and hysteresis of P sorption were assessed. This study also investigated the P sorption mechanisms that could affect the long-term stability of sorbed P by WTRs. Phosphorus sorption kinetics by the WTRs exhibited a slow phase that followed an initial rapid phase, as typically occurs with metal hydroxides. Phosphorus sorption maxima for both Fe- and Al-based WTRs exceeded 9100 mg of P kg(-1) and required a greater specific surface area (SSA) than would be available based on BET-N2 calculations. Electron microprobe analyses of cross-sectional, P-treated particles showed three-dimensional P sorption by WTRs. Carbon dioxide gas sorption was greater than N2, suggesting steric restriction of N2 diffusion by narrow micropore openings. Phosphorus-treated Co2 SSAs were reduced by P treatment, suggesting P sorption by micropores (5-20 A). Mercury intrusion porosimetry indicated negligible macroporosity (pores > 500 A). Slow P sorption kinetics by WTRs may be explained by intraparticle P diffusion in micropores. Micropore-bound P should be stable and immobilized over long periods.

  3. Physiological and molecular alterations in plants exposed to high [CO2] under phosphorus stress.

    PubMed

    Pandey, Renu; Zinta, Gaurav; AbdElgawad, Hamada; Ahmad, Altaf; Jain, Vanita; Janssens, Ivan A

    2015-01-01

    Atmospheric [CO2] has increased substantially in recent decades and will continue to do so, whereas the availability of phosphorus (P) is limited and unlikely to increase in the future. P is a non-renewable resource, and it is essential to every form of life. P is a key plant nutrient controlling the responsiveness of photosynthesis to [CO2]. Increases in [CO2] typically results in increased biomass through stimulation of net photosynthesis, and hence enhance the demand for P uptake. However, most soils contain low concentrations of available P. Therefore, low P is one of the major growth-limiting factors for plants in many agricultural and natural ecosystems. The adaptive responses of plants to [CO2] and P availability encompass alterations at morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular levels. In general low P reduces growth, whereas high [CO2] enhances it particularly in C3 plants. Photosynthetic capacity is often enhanced under high [CO2] with sufficient P supply through modulation of enzyme activities involved in carbon fixation such as ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco). However, high [CO2] with low P availability results in enhanced dry matter partitioning towards roots. Alterations in below-ground processes including root morphology, exudation and mycorrhizal association are influenced by [CO2] and P availability. Under high P availability, elevated [CO2] improves the uptake of P from soil. In contrast, under low P availability, high [CO2] mainly improves the efficiency with which plants produce biomass per unit P. At molecular level, the spatio-temporal regulation of genes involved in plant adaptation to low P and high [CO2] has been studied individually in various plant species. Genome-wide expression profiling of high [CO2] grown plants revealed hormonal regulation of biomass accumulation through complex transcriptional networks. Similarly, differential transcriptional regulatory networks are involved in P-limitation responses in plants. Analysis of expression patterns of some typical P-limitation induced genes under high [CO2] suggests that long-term exposure of plants to high [CO2] would have a tendency to stimulate similar transcriptional responses as observed under P-limitation. However, studies on the combined effect of high [CO2] and low P on gene expression are scarce. Such studies would provide insights into the development of P efficient crops in the context of anticipated increases in atmospheric [CO2]. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Effects of different mechanized soil fertilization methods on corn soil fertility under continuous cropping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shi, Qingwen; Wang, Huixin; Bai, Chunming; Wu, Di; Song, Qiaobo; Gao, Depeng; Dong, Zengqi; Cheng, Xin; Dong, Qiping; Zhang, Yahao; Mu, Jiahui; Chen, Qinghong; Liao, Wenqing; Qu, Tianru; Zhang, Chunling; Zhang, Xinyu; Liu, Yifei; Han, Xiaori

    2017-05-01

    Experiments for mechanized soil fertilization for corns were conducted in Faku demonstration zone. On this basis, we studied effects on corn soil fertility under continuous cropping due to different mechanized soil fertilization methods. Our study would serve as a theoretical basis further for mechanized soil fertilization improvement and soil quality improvement in brown soil area. Based on the survey of soil physical characteristics during different corn growth periods, we collected soil samples from different corn growth periods to determine and make statistical analysis accordingly. Stalk returning to field with deep tillage proved to be the most effective on available nutrient improvement for arable soil in the demonstration zone. Different mechanized soil fertilization methods were remarkably effective on total phosphorus improvement for arable soil in the demonstration zone, while less effective on total nitrogen or total potassium, and not so effective on C/N ratio in soil. Stalk returning with deep tillage was more favorable to improve content of organic matter in soil, when compared with surface application, and organic granular fertilizer more favorable when compared with decomposed cow dung for such a purpose, too.

  5. Chinese tallow trees (Triadica sebifera) from the invasive range outperform those from the native range with an active soil community or phosphorus fertilization.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Ling; Zhang, Yaojun; Wang, Hong; Zou, Jianwen; Siemann, Evan

    2013-01-01

    Two mechanisms that have been proposed to explain success of invasive plants are unusual biotic interactions, such as enemy release or enhanced mutualisms, and increased resource availability. However, while these mechanisms are usually considered separately, both may be involved in successful invasions. Biotic interactions may be positive or negative and may interact with nutritional resources in determining invasion success. In addition, the effects of different nutrients on invasions may vary. Finally, genetic variation in traits between populations located in introduced versus native ranges may be important for biotic interactions and/or resource use. Here, we investigated the roles of soil biota, resource availability, and plant genetic variation using seedlings of Triadica sebifera in an experiment in the native range (China). We manipulated nitrogen (control or 4 g/m(2)), phosphorus (control or 0.5 g/m(2)), soil biota (untreated or sterilized field soil), and plant origin (4 populations from the invasive range, 4 populations from the native range) in a full factorial experiment. Phosphorus addition increased root, stem, and leaf masses. Leaf mass and height growth depended on population origin and soil sterilization. Invasive populations had higher leaf mass and growth rates than native populations did in fresh soil but they had lower, comparable leaf mass and growth rates in sterilized soil. Invasive populations had higher growth rates with phosphorus addition but native ones did not. Soil sterilization decreased specific leaf area in both native and exotic populations. Negative effects of soil sterilization suggest that soil pathogens may not be as important as soil mutualists for T. sebifera performance. Moreover, interactive effects of sterilization and origin suggest that invasive T. sebifera may have evolved more beneficial relationships with the soil biota. Overall, seedlings from the invasive range outperformed those from the native range, however, an absence of soil biota or low phosphorus removed this advantage.

  6. Chinese Tallow Trees (Triadica sebifera) from the Invasive Range Outperform Those from the Native Range with an Active Soil Community or Phosphorus Fertilization

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Ling; Zhang, Yaojun; Wang, Hong; Zou, Jianwen; Siemann, Evan

    2013-01-01

    Two mechanisms that have been proposed to explain success of invasive plants are unusual biotic interactions, such as enemy release or enhanced mutualisms, and increased resource availability. However, while these mechanisms are usually considered separately, both may be involved in successful invasions. Biotic interactions may be positive or negative and may interact with nutritional resources in determining invasion success. In addition, the effects of different nutrients on invasions may vary. Finally, genetic variation in traits between populations located in introduced versus native ranges may be important for biotic interactions and/or resource use. Here, we investigated the roles of soil biota, resource availability, and plant genetic variation using seedlings of Triadica sebifera in an experiment in the native range (China). We manipulated nitrogen (control or 4 g/m2), phosphorus (control or 0.5 g/m2), soil biota (untreated or sterilized field soil), and plant origin (4 populations from the invasive range, 4 populations from the native range) in a full factorial experiment. Phosphorus addition increased root, stem, and leaf masses. Leaf mass and height growth depended on population origin and soil sterilization. Invasive populations had higher leaf mass and growth rates than native populations did in fresh soil but they had lower, comparable leaf mass and growth rates in sterilized soil. Invasive populations had higher growth rates with phosphorus addition but native ones did not. Soil sterilization decreased specific leaf area in both native and exotic populations. Negative effects of soil sterilization suggest that soil pathogens may not be as important as soil mutualists for T. sebifera performance. Moreover, interactive effects of sterilization and origin suggest that invasive T. sebifera may have evolved more beneficial relationships with the soil biota. Overall, seedlings from the invasive range outperformed those from the native range, however, an absence of soil biota or low phosphorus removed this advantage. PMID:24023930

  7. Freshwater bacteria release methane as a byproduct of phosphorus acquisition.

    PubMed

    Yao, Mengyin; Henny, Cynthia; Maresca, Julia A

    2016-09-30

    Freshwater lakes emit large amounts of methane, some of which is produced in oxic surface waters. Two potential pathways for aerobic methane production exist: methanogenesis in oxygenated water, which has been observed in some lakes, or demethylation of small organic molecules. Although methane is produced via demethylation in oxic marine environments, this mechanism of methane release has not yet been demonstrated in freshwater systems. Genes related to the C-P lyase pathway, which cleaves C-P bonds in phosphonate compounds, were found in a metagenomic survey of the surface water of Lake Matano, which is chronically P-starved and methane-rich. We demonstrate that four bacterial isolates from Lake Matano obtain P from methylphosphonate and release methane, and that this activity is repressed by phosphate. We further demonstrate that expression of phnJ, which encodes the enzyme that releases methane, is higher in the presence of methylphosphonate and lower when both methylphosphonate and phosphate are added. This gene is also found in most of the metagenomic data sets from freshwater environments. These experiments link methylphosphonate degradation and methane production with gene expression and phosphate availability in freshwater organisms, and suggest that some of the excess methane in the Lake Matano surface water, and in other methane-rich lakes, may be produced by P-starved bacteria. Methane is an important greenhouse gas, and contributes substantially to global warming. Although freshwater environments are known to release methane into the atmosphere, estimates of the amount of methane emitted by freshwater lakes vary from 8 to 73 Tg per year. Methane emissions are difficult to predict in part because the source of the methane can vary: it is the end product of the energy-conserving pathway in methanogenic archaea, which predominantly live in anoxic sediments or waters, but have also been identified in some oxic freshwater environments. More recently, methane release from small organic molecules has been observed in oxic marine environments. Here we show that demethylation of methylphosphonate may also contribute to methane release from lakes, and that phosphate can repress this activity. Since lakes are typically phosphorus-limited, some methane release in these environments may be a byproduct of phosphorus metabolism, rather than carbon or energy metabolism. Methane emissions from lakes are currently predicted using primary production, eutrophication status, extent of anoxia, and the shape and size of the lake; to improve prediction of methane emissions, phosphorus availability and sources may also need to be included in these models. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  8. Prebiotic phosphorus chemistry reconsidered

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schwartz, A. W.; Orgel, L. E. (Principal Investigator)

    1997-01-01

    The available evidence indicates that the origin of life on Earth certainly occurred earlier than 3.5 billion years ago and perhaps substantially earlier. The time available for the chemical evolution which must have preceded this event is more difficult to estimate. Both endogenic and exogenic contributions to chemical evolution have been considered; i.e., from chemical reactions in a primitive atmosphere, or by introduction in the interiors of comets and/or meteorites. It is argued, however, that the phosphorus chemistry of Earth's earliest hydrosphere, whether primarily exogenic or endogenic in origin, was most likely dominated by compounds less oxidized than phosphoric acid and its esters. A scenario is presented for the early production of a suite of reactive phosphonic acid derivatives, the properties of which may have foreshadowed the later appearance of biophosphates.

  9. Biological phosphorus cycling in dryland regions

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Belnap, Jayne; Bunemann, Else; Oberson, Astrid; Frossard, Emmanuel

    2011-01-01

    The relatively few studies done on phosphorus (P) cycling in arid and semiarid lands (drylands) show many factors that distinguish P cycling in drylands from that in more mesic regions. In drylands, most biologically relevant P inputs and losses are from the deposition and loss of dust. Horizontal and vertical redistribution of P is an important process. P is concentrated at the soil surface and thus vulnerable to loss via erosion. High pH and CaCO3 limit P bioavailability, and low rainfall limits microbe and plant ability to free abiotically bound P via exudates, thus making it available for uptake. Many invasive plants are able to access recalcitrant P more effectively than are native plants. As P availability depends on soil moisture and temperature, climate change is expected to have large impacts on P cycling

  10. The influence of wine-distillery waste compost on nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics and uptake by a melon crop in a shallow calcareous soil

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Requejo, M. I.; Villena, R.; Ribas, F.; Castellanos, M. T.; Cabello, M. J.; Arce, A.; Cartagena, M. C.

    2012-04-01

    In Mediterranean countries, the large quantity of organic wastes generated by the winery industry constitutes a serious environmental concern, due to its low pH and high content of phenolic compounds. This is accompanied by a seasonal production that makes their management difficult. Winery wastes are characterized by high organic matter contents, low electrical conductivity values and notable contents in macronutrients, so their use as organic amendments is a good management option for improving soil fertility. However, a composting treatment is necessary to convert these organic wastes into more stable, hygienic and humic-rich materials. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of the application of exhausted grape marc compost (composed of dealcoholized pulp, skins and stems) as fertilizer in soil nitrogen and phosphorus availability and uptake by a melon crop (Cucumis melo L.). This experiment was carried out from May to September 2011 in Ciudad Real (Spain). This area was designated "vulnerable zone" by the "Nitrates Directive" 91/676/CEE. The soil was a shallow sandy-loam (Alfisol Xeralf Petrocalcic Palexeralfs) with a depth of 0.60 m and a discontinuous petrocalcic horizon between 0.60 and 0.70 m, slightly basic (pH 7.9), poor in organic matter (0.20%), rich in potassium (407 ppm) and with a medium level of phosphorus (19.4 ppm). The experiment had a randomised complete block design, with four treatments consisted of four compost doses: 0 (D0), 6.7 (D1), 13.3 (D2) and 20 T compost ha-1 (D3), in order to determine the optimum dose to ensure nutrient demand, maximizing yield and minimizing nutrient losses. Acknowledgements This project has been supported by INIA-RTA2010-00110-C03-01.

  11. N-ViroTech--a novel process for the treatment of nutrient limited wastewaters.

    PubMed

    Slade, A H; Gapes, D J; Stuthridge, T R; Anderson, S M; Dare, P H; Pearson, H G W; Dennis, M

    2004-01-01

    As pulp and paper wastewaters are mostly deficient in nitrogen and phosphorus, historical practice has dictated that they cannot be effectively treated using microbiological processes without the addition of supplementary nutrients, such as urea and phosphoric acid. Supplementation is a difficult step to manage efficiently, requiring extensive post-treatment monitoring and some degree of overdosing to ensure sufficient nutrient availability under all conditions. As a result, treated wastewaters usually contain excess amounts of both nutrients, leading to potential impacts on the receiving waters such as eutrophication. N-ViroTech is a highly effective alternative treatment technology which overcomes this nutrient deficiency/excess paradox. The process relies on communities of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which are able to directly fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, thus satisfying their cellular nitrogen requirements. The process relies on manipulation of growth conditions within the biological system to maintain a nitrogen-fixing population whilst achieving target wastewater treatment performance. The technology has significant advantages over conventional activated sludge operation, including: Improved environmental performance. Nutrient loadings in the final treated effluent for selected nitrogen and phosphorus species (particularly ammonium and orthophosphate) may be reduced by over 90% compared to conventional systems; Elimination of nitrogen supplementation, and minimisation of phosphorus supplementation, thus achieving significant chemical savings and resulting in between 25% and 35% savings in operational costs for a typical system; Self-regulation of nutrient requirements, as the bacteria only use as much nitrogen as they require, allowing for substantially less operator intervention and monitoring. This paper will summarise critical performance outcomes of the N-ViroTech process utilising results from laboratory-, pilot-scale and recent alpha-adopter, full-scale trials.

  12. Detection of ultratrace phosphorus and sulfur by quadrupole ICPMS with dynamic reaction cell.

    PubMed

    Bandura, Dmitry R; Baranov, Vladimir I; Tanner, Scott D

    2002-04-01

    A method of detection of ultratrace phosphorus and sulfur that uses reaction with O2 in a dynamic reaction cell (DRC) to oxidize S+ and P+ to allow their detection as SO+ and PO+ is described. The method reduces the effect of polyatomic isobaric interferences at m/z = 31 and 32 by detecting P+ and S+ as the product oxide ions that are less interfered. Use of an axial field in the DRC improves transmission of the product oxide ions 4-6 times. With no axial field, detection limits (3sigma, 5-s integration) of 0.20 and 0.52 ng/mL, with background equivalent concentrations of 0.53 and 4.8 ng/mL, respectively, are achieved. At an optimum axial field potential (200 V), the detection limits are 0.06 ng/mL for P and 0.2 ng/mL for S, respectively. The method is used for determining the degree of phosphorylation of beta-casein, and regular and dephosphorylated alpha-caseins at 10-1000 fmol/microL concentration, with 5-10% v/v organic sample matrix (acetonitrile, formic acid, ammonium bicarbonate). The measured degree of phosphorylation for beta-casein (4.9 phosphorus atoms/molecule) and regular alpha-casein (8.8 phoshorus atoms/molecule) are in good agreement with the structural data for the proteins. The P/S ratio for regular alpha-casein (1.58) is in good agreement with the ratio of the number of phosphorylation sites to the number of sulfur-containing amino acid residues cysteine and methionine. The P/S ratio for commercially available dephosphorylated alpha-casein is measured at 0.41 (approximately 26% residual phosphate).

  13. Modeling a phosphorus credit trading program in an agricultural watershed.

    PubMed

    Corrales, Juliana; Naja, G Melodie; Bhat, Mahadev G; Miralles-Wilhelm, Fernando

    2014-10-01

    Water quality and economic models were linked to assess the economic and environmental benefits of implementing a phosphorus credit trading program in an agricultural sub-basin of Lake Okeechobee watershed, Florida, United States. The water quality model determined the effects of rainfall, land use type, and agricultural management practices on the amount of total phosphorus (TP) discharged. TP loadings generated at the farm level, reaching the nearby streams, and attenuated to the sub-basin outlet from all sources within the sub-basin, were estimated at 106.4, 91, and 85 mtons yr(-)(1), respectively. Almost 95% of the TP loadings reaching the nearby streams were attributed to agriculture sources, and only 1.2% originated from urban areas, accounting for a combined TP load of 87.9 mtons yr(-)(1). In order to compare a Least-Cost Abatement approach to a Command-and-Control approach, the most cost effective cap of 30% TP reduction was selected, and the individual allocation was set at a TP load target of 1.6 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) (at the nearby stream level). The Least-Cost Abatement approach generated a potential cost savings of 27% ($1.3 million per year), based on an optimal credit price of $179. Dairies (major buyer), ornamentals, row crops, and sod farms were identified as potential credit buyers, whereas citrus, improved pastures (major seller), and urban areas were identified as potential credit sellers. Almost 81% of the TP credits available for trading were exchanged. The methodology presented here can be adapted to deal with different forms of trading sources, contaminants, or other technologies and management practices. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Landscape planning for agricultural nonpoint source pollution reduction III: Assessing phosphorus and sediment reduction potential

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Diebel, M.W.; Maxted, J.T.; Robertson, Dale M.; Han, S.; Vander Zanden, M. J.

    2009-01-01

    Riparian buffers have the potential to improve stream water quality in agricultural landscapes. This potential may vary in response to landscape characteristics such as soils, topography, land use, and human activities, including legacies of historical land management. We built a predictive model to estimate the sediment and phosphorus load reduction that should be achievable following the implementation of riparian buffers; then we estimated load reduction potential for a set of 1598 watersheds (average 54 km2) in Wisconsin. Our results indicate that land cover is generally the most important driver of constituent loads in Wisconsin streams, but its influence varies among pollutants and according to the scale at which it is measured. Physiographic (drainage density) variation also influenced sediment and phosphorus loads. The effect of historical land use on present-day channel erosion and variation in soil texture are the most important sources of phosphorus and sediment that riparian buffers cannot attenuate. However, in most watersheds, a large proportion (approximately 70%) of these pollutants can be eliminated from streams with buffers. Cumulative frequency distributions of load reduction potential indicate that targeting pollution reduction in the highest 10% of Wisconsin watersheds would reduce total phosphorus and sediment loads in the entire state by approximately 20%. These results support our approach of geographically targeting nonpoint source pollution reduction at multiple scales, including the watershed scale. ?? 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

  15. Improvement of organics removal by bio-ceramic filtration of raw water with addition of phosphorus.

    PubMed

    Sang, Junqiang; Zhang, Xihui; Li, Lingzhi; Wang, Zhansheng

    2003-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of phosphorus addition on biological pretreatment of raw water. Experiments were conducted in pilot-scale bio-ceramic filters with raw water from a reservoir located in Beijing, China. The results demonstrated that phosphorus was the limiting nutrient for bacterial growth in the raw water investigated in this study. The measured values of bacterial regrowth potential (BRP) and biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC) of the raw water increased by 50-65% and 30-40% with addition of 50 microg of PO4(3-)-PL(-1), respectively. Addition of 25 microg of PO4(3-)-PL(-1) to the influent of bio-ceramic filter enhanced the percent removal of organics by 4.6, 5.7 and 15 percentage points in terms of COD(Mn), TOC and BDOC, respectively. Biomass in terms of phospholipid content increased by 13-22% and oxygen uptake rate (OUR) increased by 35-45%. The ratio of C:P for bacteria growth was 100:1.6 for the raw water used in this study. Since change of phosphorus concentrations can influence the performance of biological pretreatment and the biological stability of drinking water, this study is of substantial significance for waterworks in China. The role of phosphorus in biological processes of drinking water should deserve more attention.

  16. Small RNA profiling reveals phosphorus deficiency as a contributing factor in symptom expression for citrus huanglongbing disease.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Hongwei; Sun, Ruobai; Albrecht, Ute; Padmanabhan, Chellappan; Wang, Airong; Coffey, Michael D; Girke, Thomas; Wang, Zonghua; Close, Timothy J; Roose, Mikeal; Yokomi, Raymond K; Folimonova, Svetlana; Vidalakis, Georgios; Rouse, Robert; Bowman, Kim D; Jin, Hailing

    2013-03-01

    Huanglongbing (HLB) is a devastating citrus disease that is associated with bacteria of the genus 'Candidatus Liberibacter' (Ca. L.). Powerful diagnostic tools and management strategies are desired to control HLB. Host small RNAs (sRNA) play a vital role in regulating host responses to pathogen infection and are used as early diagnostic markers for many human diseases, including cancers. To determine whether citrus sRNAs regulate host responses to HLB, sRNAs were profiled from Citrus sinensis 10 and 14 weeks post grafting with Ca. L. asiaticus (Las)-positive or healthy tissue. Ten new microRNAs (miRNAs), 76 conserved miRNAs, and many small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were discovered. Several miRNAs and siRNAs were highly induced by Las infection, and can be potentially developed into early diagnosis markers of HLB. miR399, which is induced by phosphorus starvation in other plant species, was induced specifically by infection of Las but not Spiroplasma citri that causes citrus stubborn-a disease with symptoms similar to HLB. We found a 35% reduction of phosphorus in Las-positive citrus trees compared to healthy trees. Applying phosphorus oxyanion solutions to HLB-positive sweet orange trees reduced HLB symptom severity and significantly improved fruit production during a 3-year field trial in south-west Florida. Our molecular, physiological, and field data suggest that phosphorus deficiency is linked to HLB disease symptomology.

  17. The FGF-23/klotho axis and its relationship with phosphorus, calcium, vitamin D, PTH, aldosterone, severity of disease, and outcome in hospitalised foals.

    PubMed

    Kamr, A M; Dembek, K A; Hildreth, B E; Morresey, P R; Rathgeber, R A; Burns, T A; Zaghawa, A A; Toribio, R E

    2018-04-16

    Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) and klotho are key regulators of vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) synthesis as well as phosphorus and calcium homeostasis; however, information on the FGF-23/klotho axis in healthy and hospitalised foals is lacking. The aims of this study were to measure serum FGF-23 and klotho concentrations and determine their association with serum phosphorus, total calcium (TCa), vitamin D metabolite [25(OH)D, 1,25(OH) 2 D], PTH, and aldosterone concentrations, disease severity, and mortality in hospitalised foals. Prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional study. A total of 91 foals ≤72 h old were classified as hospitalised (n = 81; 58 septic; 23 sick non-septic [SNS]) and healthy (n = 10). Blood samples were collected on admission. Hormone concentrations were determined by immunoassays. Serum FGF-23, PTH, phosphorus, and aldosterone concentrations were higher while klotho, 25(OH)D, 1,25(OH) 2 D, and TCa concentrations were lower in septic and SNS compared to healthy foals (P<0.05). In hospitalised and septic foals, increased FGF-23 and aldosterone concentrations were associated with high phosphorus and PTH but not with TCa and vitamin D metabolite concentrations. Hospitalised foals with the highest FGF-23 and lowest klotho concentrations were more likely to die (odds ratio (OR): 3.3; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1-10.3 and OR: 3.1; CI: 1.1-8.0, respectively). Blood gas, ionised calcium, blood culture information not being available for many foals, and use of the sepsis score to classify hospitalised foals. Imbalances in the FGF-23/klotho axis may contribute to mineral dyshomeostasis and disease progression in critically ill foals. Elevated FGF-23 and reduced klotho, together with high phosphorus and PTH concentrations suggests FGF-23 resistance. FGF-23 and klotho are good markers of disease severity and likelihood of mortality in hospitalised foals. Aldosterone may influence phosphorus and PTH dynamics in hospitalised foals. Routine measurement of phosphorus concentrations in sick foals is recommended. © 2018 EVJ Ltd.

  18. Changes in labile phosphorus forms during maturation of vermicompost enriched with phosphorus-solubilizing and diazotrophic bacteria.

    PubMed

    Busato, Jader G; Lima, Lívia S; Aguiar, Natália O; Canellas, Luciano P; Olivares, Fábio L

    2012-04-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the effect of N(2)-fixing and P-solubilizing bacteria during maturation of vermicompost on phosphorus availability. A bacterial suspension containing Burkholderia silvatlantica, Burkholderia spp. and Herbaspirillum seropedicae was applied at the initial stage of vermicomposting. At the end of the incubation time (120days), the nitrogen content had increased by18% compared to uninoculated vermicompost. Water-soluble P was 106% higher in inoculated vermicompost while resin-extractable P increased during the initial vermicomposting stage and was 21% higher at 60days, but was the same in inoculated and uninoculated mature compost. The activity of acid phosphatase was 43% higher in inoculated than uninoculated vermicompost. These data suggest that the introduction of the mixed culture had beneficial effects on vermicompost maturation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. The Prevalence of Phosphorus Containing Food Additives in Top Selling Foods in Grocery Stores

    PubMed Central

    León, Janeen B.; Sullivan, Catherine M.; Sehgal, Ashwini R.

    2013-01-01

    Objective To determine the prevalence of phosphorus-containing food additives in best selling processed grocery products and to compare the phosphorus content of a subset of top selling foods with and without phosphorus additives. Design The labels of 2394 best selling branded grocery products in northeast Ohio were reviewed for phosphorus additives. The top 5 best selling products containing phosphorus additives from each food category were matched with similar products without phosphorus additives and analyzed for phosphorus content. Four days of sample meals consisting of foods with and without phosphorus additives were created and daily phosphorus and pricing differentials were computed. Setting Northeast Ohio Main outcome measures Presence of phosphorus-containing food additives, phosphorus content Results 44% of the best selling grocery items contained phosphorus additives. The additives were particularly common in prepared frozen foods (72%), dry food mixes (70%), packaged meat (65%), bread & baked goods (57%), soup (54%), and yogurt (51%) categories. Phosphorus additive containing foods averaged 67 mg phosphorus/100 gm more than matched non-additive containing foods (p=.03). Sample meals comprised mostly of phosphorus additive-containing foods had 736 mg more phosphorus per day compared to meals consisting of only additive-free foods. Phosphorus additive-free meals cost an average of $2.00 more per day. Conclusion Phosphorus additives are common in best selling processed groceries and contribute significantly to their phosphorus content. Moreover, phosphorus additive foods are less costly than phosphorus additive-free foods. As a result, persons with chronic kidney disease may purchase these popular low-cost groceries and unknowingly increase their intake of highly bioavailable phosphorus. PMID:23402914

  20. Identifying and Mitigating Potential Nutrient and Sediment Hot Spots under a Future Scenario in the Missouri River Basin

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wu, May; Zhang, Zhonglong

    Using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) for large-scale watershed modeling could be useful for evaluating the quality of the water in regions that are dominated by nonpoint sources in order to identify potential “hot spots” for which mitigating strategies could be further developed. An analysis of water quality under future scenarios in which changes in land use would be made to accommodate increased biofuel production was developed for the Missouri River Basin (MoRB) based on a SWAT model application. The analysis covered major agricultural crops and biofuel feedstock in the MoRB, including pasture land, hay, corn, soybeans, wheat,more » and switchgrass. The analysis examined, at multiple temporal and spatial scales, how nitrate, organic nitrogen, and total nitrogen; phosphorus, organic phosphorus, inorganic phosphorus, and total phosphorus; suspended sediments; and water flow (water yield) would respond to the shifts in land use that would occur under proposed future scenarios. The analysis was conducted at three geospatial scales: (1) large tributary basin scale (two: Upper MoRB and Lower MoRB); (2) regional watershed scale (seven: Upper Missouri River, Middle Missouri River, Middle Lower Missouri River, Lower Missouri River, Yellowstone River, Platte River, and Kansas River); and (3) eight-digit hydrologic unit (HUC-8) subbasin scale (307 subbasins). Results showed that subbasin-level variations were substantial. Nitrogen loadings decreased across the entire Upper MoRB, and they increased in several subbasins in the Lower MoRB. Most nitrate reductions occurred in lateral flow. Also at the subbasin level, phosphorus in organic, sediment, and soluble forms was reduced by 35%, 45%, and 65%, respectively. Suspended sediments increased in 68% of the subbasins. The water yield decreased in 62% of the subbasins. In the Kansas River watershed, the water quality improved significantly with regard to every nitrogen and phosphorus compound. The improvement was clearly attributable to the conversion of a large amount of land to switchgrass. The Middle Lower Missouri River and Lower Missouri River were identified as hot regions. Further analysis identified four subbasins (10240002, 10230007, 10290402, and 10300200) as being the most vulnerable in terms of sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus loadings. Overall, results suggest that increasing the amount of switchgrass acreage in the hot spots should be considered to mitigate the nutrient loads. The study provides an analytical method to support stakeholders in making informed decisions that balance biofuel production and water sustainability.« less

  1. Current and potential treatment options for hyperphosphatemia.

    PubMed

    Carfagna, Fabio; Del Vecchio, Lucia; Pontoriero, Giuseppe; Locatelli, Francesco

    2018-06-01

    Hyperphosphatemia is common in late stages of chronic kidney disease and is often associated with elevated parathormone levels, abnormal bone mineralization, extra-osseous calcification, and increased risk of cardiovascular events and death. Several classes of oral phosphate binders are available to help control plasma phosphorus levels. Although effective at lowering serum phosphorus, they all have safety, tolerability, and compliance issues that need to be considered when selecting which one to use. Areas covered: This paper reviews the most established treatment options for hyperphosphatemia, in patients with chronic kidney disease, focusing on the new inhibitors of active phosphate absorption. Expert opinion: The prevention and the treatment of hyperphosphatemia is today far to be satisfactory. Nonetheless, an extending range of phosphate binders are now available. Aluminum has potentially serious toxic risks. Calcium-based binders are very effective but can lead to hypercalcemia and/or positive calcium balance and progression of cardiovascular calcification. No long-term data are available for the new calcium acetate/magnesium combination product. Lanthanum is an effective phosphate binder, and long-term effects of tissue deposition seem clinically irrelevant. Sevelamer, appear to have profiles that would lead to pleiotropic effects and reduced progression of vascular calcification, and the main adverse events seen with these agents are gastrointestinal. Iron has a powerful capability of binding phosphate, thus numerous preparations are available, both with and without significant systemic absorption of the iron component. The inhibitors of active intestinal phosphate transport, with their very selective mechanism of action and low pill burden seem the most interesting approach; however, do not seem at present to be effective alone, in reducing serum phosphorus levels.

  2. COMPUTER PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION FOR THE ENHANCED STREAM WATER QUALITY MODEL QUAL2E

    EPA Science Inventory

    Presented in the manual are recent modifications and improvements to the widely used stream water quality model QUAL-II. Called QUAL2E, the enhanced model incorporates improvements in eight areas: (1) algal, nitrogen, phosphorus, and dissolved oxygen interactions; (2) algal growt...

  3. Effects of cathode electrolyte interfacial (CEI) layer on long term cycling of all-solid-state thin-film batteries

    DOE PAGES

    Wang, Ziying; Lee, Jungwoo Z.; Xin, Huolin L.; ...

    2016-05-30

    All-solid-state lithium-ion batteries have the potential to not only push the current limits of energy density by utilizing Li metal, but also improve safety by avoiding flammable organic electrolyte. However, understanding the role of solid electrolyte – electrode interfaces will be critical to improve performance. In this paper, we conducted long term cycling on commercially available lithium cobalt oxide (LCO)/lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON)/lithium (Li) cells at elevated temperature to investigate the interfacial phenomena that lead to capacity decay. STEM-EELS analysis of samples revealed a previously unreported disordered layer between the LCO cathode and LiPON electrolyte. This electrochemically inactive layer grewmore » in thickness leading to loss of capacity and increase of interfacial resistance when cycled at 80 °C. Finally, the stabilization of this layer through interfacial engineering is crucial to improve the long term performance of thin-film batteries especially under thermal stress.« less

  4. The economic impact of improving phosphate binder therapy adherence and attainment of guideline phosphorus goals in hemodialysis patients: a Medicare cost-offset model.

    PubMed

    Ramakrishnan, Karthik; Braunhofer, Peter; Newsome, Britt; Lubeck, Deborah; Wang, Steven; Deuson, Jennifer; Claxton, Ami J

    2014-12-01

    Hyperphosphatemia (serum phosphorus >5.5 mg/dL) in hemodialysis patients is a key factor in mineral and bone disorders and is associated with increased hospitalization and mortality risks. Treatment with oral phosphate binders offers limited benefit in achieving target serum phosphorus concentrations due to high daily pill burden (7-10 pills/day) and associated poor medication adherence. The economic value of improving phosphate binder adherence and increasing percent time in range (PTR) for target phosphorus concentrations has not been previously assessed in dialysis patients. The current retrospective analysis was conducted to summarize health care cost savings to United States (US) payers associated with improved phosphate binder adherence and increased PTR for target phosphorus concentrations in adult end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients receiving hemodialysis therapy. Phosphate binder adherence and PTR were derived from hemodialysis patients who were treated at a large dialysis organization between January 2007 and December 2011. Cost model inputs were derived from US Renal Data System data between July 2007 and December 2009. A cost-offset model was constructed to estimate monthly and annual incremental health care costs (total Medicare; inpatient, outpatient, and Medicare Part B) associated with different levels of phosphate binder adherence and PTR. Model inputs included number of ESRD patients, population adherence to phosphate binders, PTR associated with adherence to phosphate binders, and per-patient per-month cost associated with PTR. A base case model estimated monthly and annual costs of phosphate binder therapy in the population using estimated model inputs. The estimated adherence rate was used to determine number of patients in compliant and noncompliant groups. Monthly costs were calculated as the sum of per-patient per-month cost times the number of patients in adherent and nonadherent groups. Annual costs were monthly costs times 12 and assumed the same level of adherence, PTR, and per-patient per-month costs over time. To study the impact of improving phosphate binder adherence and PTR on cost outcomes, we hypothetically and simultaneously increased both base phosphate binders adherence and PTR for adherent patients (adherence/PTR: 10/20%, 20/40%, 30/60%). Monthly and annual costs were derived for each scenario and compared against the results of the base case model. One-way sensitivity analysis was performed to test model robustness. The base case model estimated total Medicare and inpatient costs of $5,152,342 and $1,435,644, respectively (N = 1,000). When base case model costs were compared to results of each extended model scenario, overall Medicare cost savings (range 0.3-1.9%) and inpatient cost savings (range 1.2-5.7%) were observed. The one-way sensitivity analysis indicated that results were sensitive to PTR for adherent and nonadherent patients and the factor used to increase adherence rate and PTR associated with adherence in the hypothetical scenarios. However, cost savings in overall Medicare costs and inpatient costs were still noted. Increasing phosphate binder adherence and improving phosphorus control were associated with increased cost savings in total Medicare costs and inpatient costs.

  5. Phosphorus Acquisition Efficiency Related to Root Traits: Is Mycorrhizal Symbiosis a Key Factor to Wheat and Barley Cropping?

    PubMed Central

    Campos, Pedro; Borie, Fernando; Cornejo, Pablo; López-Ráez, Juan A.; López-García, Álvaro; Seguel, Alex

    2018-01-01

    Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) are major crops cultivated around the world, thus playing a crucial role on human diet. Remarkably, the growing human population requires a significant increase in agricultural production in order to feed everybody. In this context, phosphorus (P) management is a key factor as it is component of organic molecules such as nucleic acids, ATP and phospholipids, and it is the most abundant macronutrient in biomass after nitrogen (N), although being one of the scarcest elements in the lithosphere. In general, P fertilization has low efficiency, as only a fraction of the applied P is acquired by roots, leaving a substantial amount to be accumulated in soil as not readily available P. Breeding for P-efficient cultivars is a relatively low cost alternative and can be done through two mechanisms: i) improving P use efficiency (PUE), and/or ii) P acquisition efficiency (PAE). PUE is related to the internal allocation/mobilization of P, and is usually represented by the amount of P accumulated per biomass. PAE relies on roots ability to acquire P from the soil, and is commonly expressed as the relative difference of P acquired under low and high P availability conditions. In this review, plant adaptations related to improved PAE are described, with emphasis on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis, which is generally accepted to enhance plant P acquisition. A state of the art (1980–2018) of AM growth responses and P uptake in wheat and barley is made to discuss about the commonly accepted growth promoting effect and P increased uptake by AM fungi and the contrasting evidence about the generally accepted lack of positive responses in both plant species. Finally, the mechanisms by which AM symbiosis can affect wheat and barley PAE are discussed, highlighting the importance of considering AM functional diversity on future studies and the necessity to improve PAE definition by considering the carbon trading between all the directly related PAE traits and its return to the host plant. PMID:29922321

  6. Phosphorus Acquisition Efficiency Related to Root Traits: Is Mycorrhizal Symbiosis a Key Factor to Wheat and Barley Cropping?

    PubMed

    Campos, Pedro; Borie, Fernando; Cornejo, Pablo; López-Ráez, Juan A; López-García, Álvaro; Seguel, Alex

    2018-01-01

    Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) and barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) are major crops cultivated around the world, thus playing a crucial role on human diet. Remarkably, the growing human population requires a significant increase in agricultural production in order to feed everybody. In this context, phosphorus (P) management is a key factor as it is component of organic molecules such as nucleic acids, ATP and phospholipids, and it is the most abundant macronutrient in biomass after nitrogen (N), although being one of the scarcest elements in the lithosphere. In general, P fertilization has low efficiency, as only a fraction of the applied P is acquired by roots, leaving a substantial amount to be accumulated in soil as not readily available P. Breeding for P-efficient cultivars is a relatively low cost alternative and can be done through two mechanisms: i) improving P use efficiency (PUE), and/or ii) P acquisition efficiency (PAE). PUE is related to the internal allocation/mobilization of P, and is usually represented by the amount of P accumulated per biomass. PAE relies on roots ability to acquire P from the soil, and is commonly expressed as the relative difference of P acquired under low and high P availability conditions. In this review, plant adaptations related to improved PAE are described, with emphasis on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis, which is generally accepted to enhance plant P acquisition. A state of the art (1980-2018) of AM growth responses and P uptake in wheat and barley is made to discuss about the commonly accepted growth promoting effect and P increased uptake by AM fungi and the contrasting evidence about the generally accepted lack of positive responses in both plant species. Finally, the mechanisms by which AM symbiosis can affect wheat and barley PAE are discussed, highlighting the importance of considering AM functional diversity on future studies and the necessity to improve PAE definition by considering the carbon trading between all the directly related PAE traits and its return to the host plant.

  7. Indicative capacity of NDVI in predictive mapping of the properties of plow horizons of soils on slopes in the south of Western Siberia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gopp, N. V.; Nechaeva, T. V.; Savenkov, O. A.; Smirnova, N. V.; Smirnov, V. V.

    2017-11-01

    The informativeness of NDVI for predictive mapping of the physical and chemical properties of plow horizons of soils on different slope positions within the first (280-310 m a.s.l.) and second (240-280 m a.s.l.) altitudinal steps has been examined. This index is uninformative for mapping soil properties in small hollows, whose factual width is less than the Landsat image resolution (30 m). In regression models, NDVI index explains 52% of variance in the content of humus; 35 and 24% of variance in the contents of total and nitrate nitrogen; 19 and 29% of variance in the contents of total and available phosphorus; 25 and 50% of variance in the contents of exchangeable calcium and manganese; and 30 and 29% of variance in the contents of fine silt and soil water, respectively. On the basis of the models obtained, prognostic maps of the soil properties have been developed. Spatial distribution patterns of NDVI calculated from Landsat 8 images (30-m resolution) serve as the cartographic base and the main indicator of the soil properties. The NDVI values and the contents of humus, physical clay (<0.01 mm) and fine silt particles, total and nitrate nitrogen, total phosphorus, and exchangeable calcium and manganese in the soils of the first altitudinal step are higher than those in the soils of the second altitudinal step. An opposite tendency has been found for the available phosphorus content: in the soils of the second altitudinal step and the hollow, its content is higher than that in the soils of the first altitudinal step by 1.8 and 2.4 times, respectively. Differences in the pH of soil water suspensions, easily available phosphorus, and clay in the soils of the compared topographic positions (first and second altitudinal steps and the hollow) are statistically unreliable.

  8. The prevalence of phosphorus-containing food additives in top-selling foods in grocery stores.

    PubMed

    León, Janeen B; Sullivan, Catherine M; Sehgal, Ashwini R

    2013-07-01

    The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of phosphorus-containing food additives in best-selling processed grocery products and to compare the phosphorus content of a subset of top-selling foods with and without phosphorus additives. The labels of 2394 best-selling branded grocery products in northeast Ohio were reviewed for phosphorus additives. The top 5 best-selling products containing phosphorus additives from each food category were matched with similar products without phosphorus additives and analyzed for phosphorus content. Four days of sample meals consisting of foods with and without phosphorus additives were created, and daily phosphorus and pricing differentials were computed. Presence of phosphorus-containing food additives, phosphorus content. Forty-four percent of the best-selling grocery items contained phosphorus additives. The additives were particularly common in prepared frozen foods (72%), dry food mixes (70%), packaged meat (65%), bread and baked goods (57%), soup (54%), and yogurt (51%) categories. Phosphorus additive-containing foods averaged 67 mg phosphorus/100 g more than matched nonadditive-containing foods (P = .03). Sample meals comprised mostly of phosphorus additive-containing foods had 736 mg more phosphorus per day compared with meals consisting of only additive-free foods. Phosphorus additive-free meals cost an average of $2.00 more per day. Phosphorus additives are common in best-selling processed groceries and contribute significantly to their phosphorus content. Moreover, phosphorus additive foods are less costly than phosphorus additive-free foods. As a result, persons with chronic kidney disease may purchase these popular low-cost groceries and unknowingly increase their intake of highly bioavailable phosphorus. Copyright © 2013 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. High pressure chemistry of red phosphorus by photoactivated simple molecules

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ceppatelli, Matteo; Bini, Roberto; Fanetti, Samuele; Caporali, Maria; Peruzzini, Maurizio

    2013-06-01

    High pressure (HP) is very effective in reducing intermolecular distances and inducing unexpected chemical reactions. In particular the photoactivation of the reactants in HP conditions can lead to very efficient and selective processes. The chemistry of phosphorus is currently based on the white molecular form. The red polymeric allotrope, despite more stable and much less toxic, has not attracted much attention so far. However, switching from the white to the red form would benefit any industrial procedure, especially from an environmental point of view. On the other side, water and ethanol are renewable, environmental friendly and largely available molecules, usable as reactants and photoactivators in HP conditions. Here we report a study on the HP photoinduced reactivity of red phosphorus with water and ethanol, showing the possibility of very efficient and selective processes, leading to molecular hydrogen and valuable phosphorus compounds. The reactions have been studied by means of FTIR and Raman spectroscopy and pressure has been generated using DAC and SAC. HP reactivity has been activated by the two-photon absorption of near-UV wavelengths and occured in total absence of solvents, catalysts and radical initiators, at room T and mild pressure conditions (0.2-1.5 GPa).

  10. Clusters of Monoisotopic Elements for Calibration in (TOF) Mass Spectrometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kolářová, Lenka; Prokeš, Lubomír; Kučera, Lukáš; Hampl, Aleš; Peňa-Méndez, Eladia; Vaňhara, Petr; Havel, Josef

    2017-03-01

    Precise calibration in TOF MS requires suitable and reliable standards, which are not always available for high masses. We evaluated inorganic clusters of the monoisotopic elements gold and phosphorus (Au n +/Au n - and P n +/P n -) as an alternative to peptides or proteins for the external and internal calibration of mass spectra in various experimental and instrumental scenarios. Monoisotopic gold or phosphorus clusters can be easily generated in situ from suitable precursors by laser desorption/ionization (LDI) or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). Their use offers numerous advantages, including simplicity of preparation, biological inertness, and exact mass determination even at lower mass resolution. We used citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles to generate gold calibration clusters, and red phosphorus powder to generate phosphorus clusters. Both elements can be added to samples to perform internal calibration up to mass-to-charge ( m/z) 10-15,000 without significantly interfering with the analyte. We demonstrated the use of the gold and phosphorous clusters in the MS analysis of complex biological samples, including microbial standards and total extracts of mouse embryonic fibroblasts. We believe that clusters of monoisotopic elements could be used as generally applicable calibrants for complex biological samples.

  11. Phytate destruction by yeast fermentation in whole wheat meals. Study of high-extraction rate meals.

    PubMed

    Reinhold, J G

    1975-01-01

    Destruction of phytate by yeast fermentation is compared in sponges prepared from Iranian whole wheat meals of different extraction rates. Phytate was destroyed rapidly in whole meals of 75 to 85 and 85 to 90 per cent extraction, but destruction was retarded in those of 95 to 100 per cent extraction. Production of acid-soluble phosphorus kept pace with phytate destruction in the two whole meals of lower extraction rates but was delayed with less-than-expected yield in those of 95 to 100 per cent rate. Unleavened whole meal bread contains little acid-soluble phosphorus. Leavened breads made from whole meals of slightly lower extraction rate average five times as much. Since phytate phosphorus appears to remain unavailable in the small intestine in many circumstances, dependece on unleavened whole meal bread may result in critically low intakes of available phosphorus when other sources are lacking in the diet. It is concluded that replacement of the whole meals of 95 to 100 per cent extraction rate, presently the main staple of the diet of rural Iran, by those of somewhat lower rate is an important preliminary to the introduction of leaven and fermentation into village bread-making methods.

  12. Limited phosphorus availability is the Achilles heel of tropical reef corals in a warming ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ezzat, Leïla; Maguer, Jean-François; Grover, Renaud; Ferrier-Pagès, Christine

    2016-08-01

    During the 20th century, seawater temperatures have significantly increased, leading to profound alterations in biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem processes. Elevated temperatures have also caused massive bleaching (symbiont/pigment loss) of autotrophic symbioses, such as in coral-dinoflagellate association. As symbionts provide most nutrients to the host, their expulsion during bleaching induces host starvation. However, with the exception of carbon, the nutritional impact of bleaching on corals is still unknown, due to the poorly understood requirements in inorganic nutrients during stress. We therefore assessed the uptake rates of nitrogen and phosphate by five coral species maintained under normal and thermal stress conditions. Our results showed that nitrogen acquisition rates were significantly reduced during thermal stress, while phosphorus uptake rates were significantly increased in most species, suggesting a key role of this nutrient. Additional experiments showed that during thermal stress, phosphorus was required to maintain symbiont density and photosynthetic rates, as well as to enhance the translocation and retention of carbon within the host tissue. These findings shed new light on the interactions existing between corals and inorganic nutrients during thermal stress, and highlight the importance of phosphorus for symbiont health.

  13. The effect of phosphate bio-fertilizer (Barvar-2) on the growth of marigold.

    PubMed

    Zaredost, Fatemeh; Hashemabadi, Davood; Ziyabari, Maryam Barari; Torkashvand, Ali Mohammadi; Kaviani, Behzad; Solimandarabi, Maryam Jadid; Zarchini, Mohammad

    2014-03-01

    The present study was conducted to study the individual and combined effect of bio-fertilizer (Barvar-2) and chemical phosphate fertilizer on the floral quality of marigold (Tagetes erecta L.). A factorial experiment was carried out which consisted of two factors: i) inoculation of seed, root and seed + root with bio-fertilizer (Barvar-2) and control; application of chemical phosphorus at 100 mg I(-1), 200 mg l(-1), 300 mg l(-1) and 400 mg l(-1) levels. In this study, flowering time, display life, fresh and dry weight of flower, available soil phosphorus, shoot phosphorus and carotenoid content were evaluated. Results showed that the combined effect of bio- and chemical fertilizer was insignificant (p < 1 and 5%) for most of the characteristics studied except for shoot phosphorus and carotenoid content in petals. The lowest time to flowering (64.67 days) was obtained in seeds and transplant roots inoculation to bio-fertilizer x 400 mg I(-1) P. Maximum display life (25.35), fresh weight (16.20 g), carotenoid content (3.903 mg g(-1) d. wt.) and concentration of P in shoots (0.352%) were observed in transplant roots inoculation to bio-fertilizer x 400 mg I(-1) P.

  14. Flamingos and drought as drivers of nutrients and microbial dynamics in a saline lake.

    PubMed

    Batanero, Gema L; León-Palmero, Elizabeth; Li, Linlin; Green, Andy J; Rendón-Martos, Manuel; Suttle, Curtis A; Reche, Isabel

    2017-09-22

    Waterbird aggregations and droughts affect nutrient and microbial dynamics in wetlands. We analysed the effects of high densities of flamingos on nutrients and microbial dynamics in a saline lake during a wet and a dry hydrological year, and explored the effects of guano on prokaryotic growth. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon, total phosphorus and total nitrogen in the surface waters were 2-3 fold higher during the drought and were correlated with salinity. Flamingos stimulated prokaryotic heterotrophic production and triggered cascading effects on prokaryotic abundance, viruses and dissolved nitrogen. This stimulus of heterotrophic prokaryotes was associated with soluble phosphorus inputs from guano, and also from sediments. In the experiments, the specific growth rate and the carrying capacity were almost twice as high after guano addition than in the control treatments, and were coupled with soluble phosphorus assimilation. Flamingo guano was also rich in nitrogen. Dissolved N in lake water lagged behind the abundance of flamingos, but the causes of this lag are unclear. This study demonstrates that intense droughts could lead to increases in total nutrients in wetlands; however, microbial activity is likely constrained by the availability of soluble phosphorus, which appears to be more dependent on the abundance of waterbirds.

  15. Limited phosphorus availability is the Achilles heel of tropical reef corals in a warming ocean.

    PubMed

    Ezzat, Leïla; Maguer, Jean-François; Grover, Renaud; Ferrier-Pagès, Christine

    2016-08-17

    During the 20(th) century, seawater temperatures have significantly increased, leading to profound alterations in biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem processes. Elevated temperatures have also caused massive bleaching (symbiont/pigment loss) of autotrophic symbioses, such as in coral-dinoflagellate association. As symbionts provide most nutrients to the host, their expulsion during bleaching induces host starvation. However, with the exception of carbon, the nutritional impact of bleaching on corals is still unknown, due to the poorly understood requirements in inorganic nutrients during stress. We therefore assessed the uptake rates of nitrogen and phosphate by five coral species maintained under normal and thermal stress conditions. Our results showed that nitrogen acquisition rates were significantly reduced during thermal stress, while phosphorus uptake rates were significantly increased in most species, suggesting a key role of this nutrient. Additional experiments showed that during thermal stress, phosphorus was required to maintain symbiont density and photosynthetic rates, as well as to enhance the translocation and retention of carbon within the host tissue. These findings shed new light on the interactions existing between corals and inorganic nutrients during thermal stress, and highlight the importance of phosphorus for symbiont health.

  16. Preparation of candidate reference materials for the determination of phosphorus containing flame retardants in styrene-based polymers.

    PubMed

    Roth, Thomas; Urpi Bertran, Raquel; Latza, Andreas; Andörfer-Lang, Katrin; Hügelschäffer, Claudia; Pöhlein, Manfred; Puchta, Ralph; Placht, Christian; Maid, Harald; Bauer, Walter; van Eldik, Rudi

    2015-04-01

    Candidate reference materials (RM) for the analysis of phosphorus-based flame retardants in styrene-based polymers were prepared using a self-made mini-extruder. Due to legal requirements of the current restriction for the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, focus now is placed on phosphorus-based flame retardants instead of the brominated kind. Newly developed analytical methods for the first-mentioned substances also require RMs similar to industrial samples for validation and verification purposes. Hence, the prepared candidate RMs contained resorcinol-bis-(diphenyl phosphate), bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate), triphenyl phosphate and triphenyl phosphine oxide as phosphorus-based flame retardants. Blends of polycarbonate and acrylonitrile-co-butadiene-co-styrene as well as blends of high-impact polystyrene and polyphenylene oxide were chosen as carrier polymers. Homogeneity and thermal stability of the candidate RMs were investigated. Results showed that the candidate RMs were comparable to the available industrial materials. Measurements by ICP/OES, FTIR and NMR confirmed the expected concentrations of the flame retardants and proved that analyte loss and degradation, respectively, was below the uncertainty of measurement during the extrusion process. Thus, the candidate RMs were found to be suitable for laboratory use.

  17. Linking the rise of atmospheric oxygen to growth in the continental phosphorus inventory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cox, Grant M.; Lyons, Timothy W.; Mitchell, Ross N.; Hasterok, Derrick; Gard, Matthew

    2018-05-01

    The concentration of atmospheric oxygen (pO2) is thought to have increased throughout Earth history, punctuated by rapid increases ca. 2.4 and 0.8 billion years ago near the beginning and end of the Proterozoic Eon. As photosynthesis is the largest source of free O2, the reigning paradigm of rising O2 levels centres around biologic metabolism. Here we show that the phosphorus content of igneous rocks correlates, in a first-order sense, with secular increases in O2 through time, suggesting that rising O2 levels are affected by long-term mantle cooling and its effect on the continental phosphorus inventory. Because phosphorus is the limiting nutrient for primary productivity, its availability has fundamental control over the efficiency of oxygenic photosynthesis, pointing to a previously unrecognized role of the solid Earth in biologic and atmospheric evolution. Furthermore, as many bio-essential elements are effectively incompatible in the mantle, this relationship has implications for any terrestrial planet. All planets will cool, and those with efficient plate tectonic convection will cool more rapidly. We are left concluding that the speed of such cooling may affect pattern of biological evolution on any habitable planet.

  18. Enhanced biological phosphorus removal with different carbon sources.

    PubMed

    Shen, Nan; Zhou, Yan

    2016-06-01

    Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) process is one of the most economical and sustainable methods for phosphorus removal from wastewater. However, the performance of EBPR can be affected by available carbon sources types in the wastewater that may induce different functional microbial communities in the process. Glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs) and polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) are commonly found by coexisting in the EBPR process. Predominance of GAO population may lead to EBPR failure due to the competition on carbon source with PAO without contributing phosphorus removal. Carbon sources indeed play an important role in alteration of PAOs and GAOs in EBPR processes. Various types of carbon sources have been investigated for EBPR performance. Certain carbon sources tend to enrich specific groups of GAOs and/or PAOs. This review summarizes the types of carbon sources applied in EBPR systems and highlights the roles of these carbon sources in PAO and GAO competition. Both single (e.g., acetate, propionate, glucose, ethanol, and amino acid) and complex carbon sources (e.g., yeast extract, peptone, and mixed carbon sources) are discussed in this review. Meanwhile, the environmental friendly and economical carbon sources that are derived from waste materials, such as crude glycerol and wasted sludge, are also discussed and compared.

  19. Manure derived biochar can successfully replace phosphate rock amendment in peatland restoration.

    PubMed

    Pouliot, Rémy; Hugron, Sandrine; Rochefort, Line; Godbout, Stéphane; Palacios, Joahnn H; Groeneveld, Elisabeth; Jarry, Isabelle

    2015-07-01

    Phosphate rock fertilization is commonly used in peatland restoration to promote the growth of Polytrichum strictum, a nurse plant which aids the establishment of Sphagnum mosses. The present study tested whether 1) phosphorus fertilization facilitates the germination of P. strictum spores and 2) biochar derived from local pig manure can replace imported phosphate rock currently used in peatland restoration. Various doses of biochar were compared to phosphate rock to test its effect directly on P. strictum stem regeneration (in Petri dishes in a growth chamber) and in a simulation of peatland restoration with the moss layer transfer technique (in mesocoms in a greenhouse). Phosphorus fertilization promoted the germination of P. strictum spores as well as vegetative stem development. Biochar can effectively replace phosphate rock in peatland restoration giving a new waste management option for rural regions with phosphorus surpluses. As more available phosphorus was present in biochar, an addition of only 3-9 g m(-2) of pig manure biochar is recommended during the peatland restoration process, which is less than the standard dose of phosphate rock (15 g m(-2)). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Potential phosphorus eutrophication mitigation strategy: Biochar carbon composition, thermal stability and pH influence phosphorus sorption.

    PubMed

    Ngatia, L W; Hsieh, Y P; Nemours, D; Fu, R; Taylor, R W

    2017-08-01

    Phosphorus (P) eutrophication is a major pollution problem globally, with unprecedented amount of P emanating from agricultural sources. But little is known about the optimization of soil-biochar P sorption capacity. The study objective was to determine how biochar feedstocks and pyrolysis conditions influences carbon (C) thermal stability, C composition and pH and in turn influence the phosphorus sorption optimization. Biochar was produced from switchgrass, kudzu and Chinese tallow at 200, 300, 400, 500, 550, 650,750 °C. Carbon thermal stability was determined by multi-element scanning thermal analysis (MESTA), C composition was determined using solid state 13 C NMR. Phosphorus sorption was determined using a mixture of 10% biochar and 90% sandy soil after incubation. Results indicate increased P sorption (P < 0.0001) and decreased P availability (P < 0.0001) with increasing biochar pyrolysis temperature. However, optimum P sorption was feedstock specific with switchgrass indicating P desorption between 200 and 550 °C. Phosphorus sorption was in the order of kudzu > switchgrass > Chinese tallow. Total C, C thermal stability, aromatic C and alkalinity increased with elevated pyrolysis temperature. Biochar alkalinity favored P sorption. There was a positive relationship between high thermal stable C and P sorption for Kudzu (r = 0.62; P = 0.0346) and Chinese tallow (r = 0.73; P = 0.0138). In conclusion, biochar has potential for P eutrophication mitigation, however, optimum biochar pyrolysis temperature for P sorption is feedstock specific and in some cases might be out of 300-500 °C temperature range commonly used for agronomic application. High thermal stable C dominated by aromatic C and alkaline pH seem to favor P sorption. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Duration and intensity of shade differentially affects mycorrhizal growth- and phosphorus uptake responses of Medicago truncatula

    PubMed Central

    Konvalinková, Tereza; Püschel, David; Janoušková, Martina; Gryndler, Milan; Jansa, Jan

    2015-01-01

    Plant and fungal partners in arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis trade mineral nutrients for carbon, with the outcome of this relationship for plant growth and nutrition being highly context-dependent and changing with the availability of resources as well as with the specific requirements of the different partners. Here we studied how the model legume Medicago truncatula, inoculated or not with a mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis, responded to a gradient of light intensities applied over different periods of time, in terms of growth, phosphorus nutrition and the levels of root colonization by the mycorrhizal fungus. Short-term (6 d) shading, depending on its intensity, resulted in a rapid decline of phosphorus uptake to the shoots of mycorrhizal plants and simultaneous accumulation of phosphorus in the roots (most likely in the fungal tissues), as compared to the non-mycorrhizal controls. There was, however, no significant change in the levels of mycorrhizal colonization of roots due to short-term shading. Long-term (38 d) shading, depending on its intensity, provoked a multitude of plant compensatory mechanisms, which were further boosted by the mycorrhizal symbiosis. Mycorrhizal growth- and phosphorus uptake benefits, however, vanished at 10% of the full light intensity applied over a long-term. Levels of root colonization by the mycorrhizal fungus were significantly reduced by long-term shading. Our results indicate that even short periods of shade could have important consequences for the functioning of mycorrhizal symbiosis in terms of phosphorus transfer between the fungus and the plants, without any apparent changes in root colonization parameters or mycorrhizal growth response, and call for more focused research on temporal dynamics of mycorrhizal functioning under changing environmental conditions. PMID:25763002

  2. Entrapped Sediments as a Source of Phosphorus in Epilithic Cyanobacterial Proliferations in Low Nutrient Rivers

    PubMed Central

    Wood, Susanna A.; Depree, Craig; Brown, Logan; McAllister, Tara; Hawes, Ian

    2015-01-01

    Proliferations of the benthic mat-forming cyanobacteria Phormidium have been reported in rivers worldwide. Phormidium commonly produces natural toxins which pose a health risk to animal and humans. Recent field studies in New Zealand identified that sites with Phormidium proliferations consistently have low concentrations of water column dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP). Unlike other river periphyton, Phormidium mats are thick and cohesive, with water and fine sediment trapped in a mucilaginous matrix. We hypothesized that daytime photosynthetic activity would elevate pH inside the mats, and/or night time respiration would reduce dissolved oxygen. Either condition could be sufficient to facilitate desorption of phosphates from sediment incorporated within mats, thus allowing Phormidium to utilize it for growth. Using microelectrodes, optodes and pulse amplitude modulation fluorometry we demonstrated that photosynthetic activity results in elevated pH (>9) during daytime, and that night-time respiration causes oxygen depletion (<4 mg L-1) within mats. Water trapped within the mucilaginous Phormidium mat matrix had on average 320-fold higher DRP concentrations than bulk river water and this, together with elevated concentrations of elements, including iron, suggest phosphorus release from entrapped sediment. Sequential extraction of phosphorus from trapped sediment was used to investigate the role of sediment at sites on the Mangatainoka River (New Zealand) with and without Phormidium proliferations. Deposition of fine sediment (<63 μm) was significantly higher at the site with the most extensive proliferations and concentrations of biological available phosphorus were two- to four- fold higher. Collectively these results provide evidence that fine sediment can provide a source of phosphorus to support Phormidium growth and proliferation. PMID:26479491

  3. 49 CFR 172.330 - Tank cars and multi-unit tank car tanks.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... Hydrogen peroxide and peroxyacetic acid mixtures Nitric acid (other than red fuming) Phosphorus, amorphous Phosphorus, white dry or Phosphorus, white, under water or Phosphorus white, in solution, or Phosphorus, yellow dry or Phosphorus, yellow, under water or Phosphorus, yellow, in solution Phosphorus white, molten...

  4. 49 CFR 172.330 - Tank cars and multi-unit tank car tanks.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... Hydrogen peroxide and peroxyacetic acid mixtures Nitric acid (other than red fuming) Phosphorus, amorphous Phosphorus, white dry or Phosphorus, white, under water or Phosphorus white, in solution, or Phosphorus, yellow dry or Phosphorus, yellow, under water or Phosphorus, yellow, in solution Phosphorus white, molten...

  5. [Optimization and comparison of nitrogen and phosphorus removal by different aeration modes in oxidation ditch].

    PubMed

    Guo, Chang-Zi; Peng, Dang-Cong; Cheng, Xue-Mei; Wang, Dan

    2012-03-01

    The oxidation ditch operation mode was simulated by sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system with alternate stirring and aeration. The nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies were investigated in two different aeration modes: point aeration and step aeration. Experimental results show that oxygen is dissolved more efficiently in point aeration mode with a longer aerobic region in the same air supply capacity, but dissolved oxygen (DO) utilization efficiency for nitrogen and phosphorus removal is high in step aeration mode. Nitrification abilities of the two modes are equal with ammonia-nitrogen (NH4(+) -N) removal efficiency of 96.68% and 97.03%, respectively. Nitrifier activities are 4.65 and 4.66 mg x (g x h)(-1) respectively. When the ratio of anoxic zones and the aerobic zones were 1, the total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency of point aeration mode in 2, 4 or 7 partitions was respectively 60.14%, 47.93% and 33.7%. The total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiency was respectively 28.96%, 23.75% and 24.31%. The less the partitions, the higher the nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies, but it is in more favor of TN removal. As for step aeration mode with only one partitioning zone, the TN and TP removal efficiencies are respectively 64.21% and 49.09%, which is better than in point aeration mode, but more conducive to the improvement of TP removal efficiency. Under the condition of sufficient nitrification in step aeration mode, the nitrogen and phosphorus removal is better with the increase of anoxic zone. The removal efficiencies of TN and TP respectively rose to 73.94% and 54.18% when the ratio of anoxic zones and the aerobic zones was increased from 1 : 1 to 1. 8 : 1. As the proportion of anoxic zones was enlarged further, nitrification and operation stability were weakened so as to affect the nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies.

  6. Effect of long-term irrigation patterns on phosphorus forms and distribution in the brown soil zone.

    PubMed

    Liu, Chang; Dang, Xiuli; Mayes, Melanie A; Chen, Leilei; Zhang, Yulong

    2017-01-01

    Continuous application of P fertilizers under different irrigation patterns can change soil phosphorus (P) chemical behavior and increase soil P levels that are of environmental concern. To assess the effect of long-term different irrigation patterns on soil P fractions and availability, this study examined sequential changes in soil organic P and inorganic P from furrow irrigation (FI), surface drip irrigation (SUR), and subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) in the brown soil zone (0-60 cm) during 1998 to 2011. Analyses of soil P behavior showed that the levels of total P are frequently high on top soil layers. The total P (TP) contents of the entire soil profiles under three irrigation treatments were 830.2-3180.1 mg/kg. The contents of available P (AP) were 72.6-319.3 mg P/kg soil through soil profiles. The greatest TP and AP contents were obtained within the upper soil layers in FI. Results of Hedley's P fractionation indicate that HCl-P is a dominant form and the proportion to TP ranges from 29% to 43% in all three methods. The contents of various fractions of P were positively correlated with the levels of total carbon (TC), total inorganic carbon (TIC), and calcium (Ca), whereas the P fractions had negative correlation with pH in all soil samples. Regression models proved that NaHCO3-Po was an important factor in determining the amount of AP in FI. H2O-Po, NaHCO3-Po, and NaOH-Pi were related to available P values in SUR. NaHCO3-Po and NaOH-Po played important roles in SDI. The tomato yield under SUR was higher than SDI and FI. The difference of P availability was also controlled by the physicochemical soil properties under different irrigation schedule. SUR was a reasonable irrigation pattern to improve the utilization efficiency of water and fertilizer.

  7. Evaluation of FGD-gypsum to improve forage production and reduce phosphorus lossed from Piedmont soils

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Flue gas desulfurization gypsum (FGD-gypsum), a byproduct from coal fired electricity generators, has the potential for beneficial use in agricultural systems as a soil amendment. Similar to mined gypsum it can improve soil chemical and physical properties and increase crop productivity. FGD-gypsum ...

  8. Effect of aluminum phosphate on alkaline phosphatase activity of polyurethane foam immobilized cyanobacteria.

    PubMed

    Ramalingam, N; Prasanna, B Gowtham

    2006-09-01

    The impact of insoluble phosphorus such as aluminum and rock phosphate on alkaline phosphatase activity of polyurethane foam immobilized cyanobacteria was assessed. Polyurethane foam immobilized Nodularia recorded the highest alkaline phosphatase activity of 9.04 (m. mol p-nitrophenol released h(-1) mg(-1) protein) in vitro. A higher concentration of aluminum phosphate was recorded a 25% reduction in alkaline phosphatase activity, ammonia content, and available phosphorus in culture filtrate of polyurethane foam immobilized cyanobacteria. In general, immobilized cyanobacteria exhibited a higher alkaline phosphatase activity in rock phosphate than aluminum phosphate.

  9. A Mutation in the Dmp1 Gene Alters Phosphate Responsiveness in Mice

    PubMed Central

    Gerard-O'Riley, Rita L.; Acton, Dena; McQueen, Amie K.; Strobel, Isabel E.; Witcher, Phillip C.; Feng, Jian Q.; Econs, Michael J.

    2017-01-01

    Mutations in the dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1) gene cause autosomal recessive hypophosphatemic rickets (ARHR). Hypophosphatemia in ARHR results from increased circulating levels of the phosphaturic hormone, fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23). Similarly, elevated FGF23, caused by mutations in the PHEX gene, is responsible for the hypophosphatemia in X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH). Previously, we demonstrated that a Phex mutation in mice creates a lower set point for extracellular phosphate, where an increment in phosphorus further stimulates Fgf23 production to maintain low serum phosphorus levels. To test the presence of the similar set point defect in ARHR, we generated 4- and 12-week-old Dmp1/Galnt3 double knockout mice and controls, including Dmp1 knockout mice (a murine model of ARHR), Galnt3 knockout mice (a murine model of familial tumoral calcinosis), and phenotypically normal double heterozygous mice. Galnt3 knockout mice had increased proteolytic cleavage of Fgf23, leading to low circulating intact Fgf23 levels with consequent hyperphosphatemia. In contrast, Dmp1 knockout mice had little Fgf23 cleavage and increased femoral Fgf23 expression, resulting in hypophosphatemia and low femoral bone mineral density (BMD). However, introduction of the Galnt3 null allele to Dmp1 knockout mice resulted in a significant increase in serum phosphorus and normalization of BMD. This increased serum phosphorus was accompanied by markedly elevated Fgf23 expression and circulating Fgf23 levels, an attempt to reduce serum phosphorus in the face of improving phosphorus levels. These data indicate that a Dmp1 mutation creates a lower set point for extracellular phosphate and maintains it through the regulation of Fgf23 cleavage and expression. PMID:28005411

  10. Incidence of hypophosphatemia in advanced cancer patients: a recent report from a single institution.

    PubMed

    Yoshida, Taichi; Taguchi, Daiki; Fukuda, Koji; Shimazu, Kazuhiro; Inoue, Masahiro; Murata, Katsunori; Shibata, Hiroyuki

    2017-04-01

    Recent approval of molecular-targeted agents has contributed to improving the therapeutic outcomes of advanced cancer patients. However, they result in unusual adverse events that rarely occur with cytotoxic agents, such as hypertension, hypomagnesemia, and an acne-like rash. Although hypophosphatemia can be induced by various agents, some kinds of molecular-targeted agents are known to induce it. In addition, cancer survivors may be at a risk of hypophosphatemia. One hundred and seventy patients, who visited the Department of Clinical Oncology at Akita University from 1 April 2014 to 31 August 2016 were enrolled in this study after providing informed consent. Serum inorganic phosphorus levels were examined along with other routine clinical examinations. Correlation between the serum inorganic phosphorus level and other clinical data were also analyzed. Grade ≥2 severe hypophosphatemia (<2.5 mg/dL of phosphorus) was detected in 49.4% of patients, and grade ≥3 (<2.0 mg/dL of phosphorus) was observed in 22.9% patients. These results indicated that the presence of bone metastasis (p < 0.001), history of bone-modifying agents (p < 0.001) and molecular-targeted drugs (p = 0.001), and time from the date of the first visit to the date of minimum serum phosphorus level (p < 0.001) might correlate with hypophosphatemia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that disease duration might be a risk factor (p = 0.0466). As hypophosphatemia can be induced by various factors in advanced cancer patients, the serum phosphorus level of cancer patients at risk should be cautiously examined.

  11. A Mutation in the Dmp1 Gene Alters Phosphate Responsiveness in Mice.

    PubMed

    Ichikawa, Shoji; Gerard-O'Riley, Rita L; Acton, Dena; McQueen, Amie K; Strobel, Isabel E; Witcher, Phillip C; Feng, Jian Q; Econs, Michael J

    2017-03-01

    Mutations in the dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1) gene cause autosomal recessive hypophosphatemic rickets (ARHR). Hypophosphatemia in ARHR results from increased circulating levels of the phosphaturic hormone, fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23). Similarly, elevated FGF23, caused by mutations in the PHEX gene, is responsible for the hypophosphatemia in X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH). Previously, we demonstrated that a Phex mutation in mice creates a lower set point for extracellular phosphate, where an increment in phosphorus further stimulates Fgf23 production to maintain low serum phosphorus levels. To test the presence of the similar set point defect in ARHR, we generated 4- and 12-week-old Dmp1/Galnt3 double knockout mice and controls, including Dmp1 knockout mice (a murine model of ARHR), Galnt3 knockout mice (a murine model of familial tumoral calcinosis), and phenotypically normal double heterozygous mice. Galnt3 knockout mice had increased proteolytic cleavage of Fgf23, leading to low circulating intact Fgf23 levels with consequent hyperphosphatemia. In contrast, Dmp1 knockout mice had little Fgf23 cleavage and increased femoral Fgf23 expression, resulting in hypophosphatemia and low femoral bone mineral density (BMD). However, introduction of the Galnt3 null allele to Dmp1 knockout mice resulted in a significant increase in serum phosphorus and normalization of BMD. This increased serum phosphorus was accompanied by markedly elevated Fgf23 expression and circulating Fgf23 levels, an attempt to reduce serum phosphorus in the face of improving phosphorus levels. These data indicate that a Dmp1 mutation creates a lower set point for extracellular phosphate and maintains it through the regulation of Fgf23 cleavage and expression. Copyright © 2017 by the Endocrine Society.

  12. Changes in the Structure and Function of Microbial Communities in Drinking Water Treatment Bioreactors upon Addition of Phosphorus▿ †

    PubMed Central

    Li, Xu; Upadhyaya, Giridhar; Yuen, Wangki; Brown, Jess; Morgenroth, Eberhard; Raskin, Lutgarde

    2010-01-01

    Phosphorus was added as a nutrient to bench-scale and pilot-scale biologically active carbon (BAC) reactors operated for perchlorate and nitrate removal from contaminated groundwater. The two bioreactors responded similarly to phosphorus addition in terms of microbial community function (i.e., reactor performance), while drastically different responses in microbial community structure were detected. Improvement in reactor performance with respect to perchlorate and nitrate removal started within a few days after phosphorus addition for both reactors. Microbial community structures were evaluated using molecular techniques targeting 16S rRNA genes. Clone library results showed that the relative abundance of perchlorate-reducing bacteria (PRB) Dechloromonas and Azospira in the bench-scale reactor increased from 15.2% and 0.6% to 54.2% and 11.7% after phosphorus addition, respectively. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) experiments revealed that these increases started within a few days after phosphorus addition. In contrast, after phosphorus addition, the relative abundance of Dechloromonas in the pilot-scale reactor decreased from 7.1 to 0.6%, while Zoogloea increased from 17.9 to 52.0%. The results of this study demonstrated that similar operating conditions for bench-scale and pilot-scale reactors resulted in similar contaminant removal performances, despite dramatically different responses from microbial communities. These findings suggest that it is important to evaluate the microbial community compositions inside bioreactors used for drinking water treatment, as they determine the microbial composition in the effluent and impact downstream treatment requirements for drinking water production. This information could be particularly relevant to drinking water safety, if pathogens or disinfectant-resistant bacteria are detected in the bioreactors. PMID:20889793

  13. Decline in Chinese lake phosphorus concentration accompanied by shift in sources since 2006

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tong, Yindong; Zhang, Wei; Wang, Xuejun; Couture, Raoul-Marie; Larssen, Thorjørn; Zhao, Yue; Li, Jing; Liang, Huijiao; Liu, Xueyan; Bu, Xiaoge; He, Wei; Zhang, Qianggong; Lin, Yan

    2017-07-01

    Domestic wastewater and agricultural activities are important sources of nutrient pollutants such as phosphorus and nitrogen. Upon reaching freshwater, these nutrients can lead to extensive growth of harmful algae, which results in eutrophication. Many Chinese lakes are subject to such eutrophication, especially in highly polluted areas, and as such, understanding nutrient fluxes to these lakes offers insights into the varying processes governing pollutant fluxes as well as lake water quality. Here we analyse water quality data, recorded between 2006 and 2014 in 862 freshwater lakes in four geographical regions of China, to assess the input of phosphorus from human activity. We find that improvements in sanitation of both rural and urban domestic wastewater have resulted in large-scale declines in lake phosphorus concentrations in the most populated parts of China. In more sparsely populated regions, diffuse sources such as aquaculture and livestock farming offset this decline. Anthropogenic deforestation and soil erosion may also offset decreases in point sources of pollution. In the light of these regional differences, we suggest that a spatially flexible set of policies for water quality control would be beneficial for the future health of Chinese lakes.

  14. Contracting with outpatient hemodialysis patients to improve adherence to treatment.

    PubMed

    Laidlaw, J K; Beeken, J E; Whitney, F W; Reyes, A A

    1999-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between contingency contracting and adherence to prescribed therapy in outpatient chronic hemodialysis patients. A quasi-experimental, pretest/posttest design was used. The sample included 15 hemodialysis patients, 6 in the phosphorus group and 9 in the weight-gain group. The study was conducted at an outpatient hemodialysis center in a Midwestern rural state. Specific variables investigated were interdialytic weight gains and serum phosphorus levels that reflect adherence to fluid restrictions and to taking phosphate-binding medications. Weekly interviews were conducted with each patient and content analysis of interview data was completed to identify categories related to adherence and nonadherence. Pre- and postcontract weight gains and phosphorus levels were analyzed with a paired two sample t-test. The categories related to adherence and nonadherence included physiological, psychological, environmental, locus of control/self-control/self-praise, economical, medical, knowledge deficit, health benefits, family support, and social support. Adherence to taking phosphate-binding medication responded more favorably to contingency contracting than did adherence to fluid restrictions. Chronic outpatient hemodialysis patients in the sample responded to the use of contingency contracting and developed techniques to remember to take phosphate-binding medications in order to lower serum phosphorus medications.

  15. Removal of phosphorus from water by using volcanic ash soil (VAS): batch and column experiments.

    PubMed

    Nguyen, Huy Van; Maeda, Morihiro

    2016-09-01

    Using low-cost and naturally available materials is considered an optimal adsorbent for removing phosphorus (P) from water due to its simplicity and economic efficiency. This study examined the removal of P from water using volcanic ash soil (VAS) by batch and column experiments. The maximum adsorption capacity of P was 2.94 mg g -1 , estimated from the batch experiment according to a Langmuir isotherm. The column study showed a higher adsorption capacity of 5.57 mg g -1 . The breakthrough curve showed that influent water containing 2 mg L -1 P was completely purified by VAS within 1,230 pore volumes (PV). The breakthrough and saturation points of the curves were 3,100 PV and 14,875 PV, respectively. After an adsorption column was loaded with 20,508 PV, a regeneration procedure was developed to determine whether an ion exchange of P with chloride occurred or adsorbed P in the columns could be eluted. Approximately 20% of P was recovered from columns by desorption tests, regardless of NaCl solution or deionized water. Specific surface area and mineral concentrations are both important characteristics that improve the adsorption capacity of VAS. The present study suggests that VAS is a promising adsorbent to remove P in water.

  16. 40 CFR 422.20 - Applicability; description of the phosphorus consuming subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... phosphorus consuming subcategory. 422.20 Section 422.20 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Phosphorus Consuming Subcategory § 422.20 Applicability; description of the phosphorus consuming subcategory... manufacture of phosphoric acid, phosphorus pentoxide, phosphorus pentasulfide, phosphorus trichloride, and...

  17. 40 CFR 422.20 - Applicability; description of the phosphorus consuming subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... phosphorus consuming subcategory. 422.20 Section 422.20 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Phosphorus Consuming Subcategory § 422.20 Applicability; description of the phosphorus consuming subcategory... manufacture of phosphoric acid, phosphorus pentoxide, phosphorus pentasulfide, phosphorus trichloride, and...

  18. Cognitive changes after parathyroidectomy in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism.

    PubMed

    Chou, Fong-Fu; Chen, Jin-Bor; Hsieh, Kun-Chou; Liou, Chia-Wei

    2008-04-01

    Cognitive impairment was frequently reported in uremic patients with dialysis, but improvements of cognition after parathyroidectomy for symptomatic secondary hyperparathyroidism have never been reported before. Thirty-nine patients, who were successfully operated on with total parathyroidectomy plus autotransplantation were enrolled. Twenty-three dialysis patients, age >50 years, who had a serum level of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) greater than 650 pg/ml, and who did not undergo parathyroidectomy were selected as the control group. The mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and the clinical dementia rating (CDR) test were administered to all patients. Before the operation, educational level, symptoms of bone pain, skin itching, general weakness and insomnia were recorded and serum levels of calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase (Alk-ptase), iPTH, aluminum, and hemoglobin were measured in the study and control groups. At 12-week postoperatively, serum levels of calcium, phosphorus, Alk-ptase, iPTH, and aluminum were measured again and at 16-week postoperatively, the MMSE and the CDR test were administered again. In the control group, both MMSE and CDR test were administered again after the period or 16-week. Serum calcium level was only significant difference (p = 0.002), whereas clinical symptoms, gender, etiologies of secondary hyperparathyroidism, duration of dialysis, educational level, age, and serum levels of phosphorus, Alk-ptase, iPTH, aluminum, and hemoglobin were not significantly different between the two groups. The educational level was the only factor affecting MMSE scores (p = 0.003). In the study group, at 12-week postoperatively, symptoms improved significantly, serum levels of calcium, phosphorus, Alk-ptase, iPTH, and aluminum decreased significantly, and at 16-week postoperatively, MMSE scores increased from 25 +/- 5 (mean +/- SD) to 26 +/- 5 (p < 0.001) and CDR scales decreased significantly (p < 0.001). Neither MMSE scores nor CDR scales of the control group changed significantly after the 16-week period. Parathyroidectomy for symptomatic secondary hyperparathyroidism can improve cognition.

  19. QTL mapping of root traits in phosphorus-deficient soils reveals important genomic regions for improving NDVI and grain yield in barley.

    PubMed

    Gong, Xue; McDonald, Glenn

    2017-09-01

    Major QTLs for root rhizosheath size are not correlated with grain yield or yield response to phosphorus. Important QTLs were found to improve phosphorus efficiency. Root traits are important for phosphorus (P) acquisition, but they are often difficult to characterize and their breeding values are seldom assessed under field conditions. This has shed doubts on using seedling-based criteria of root traits to select and breed for P efficiency. Eight root traits were assessed under controlled conditions in a barley doubled-haploid population in soils differing in P levels. The population was also phenotyped for grain yield, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), grain P uptake and P utilization efficiency at maturity (PutE GY ) under field conditions. Several quantitative traits loci (QTLs) from the root screening and the field trials were co-incident. QTLs for root rhizosheath size and root diameter explained the highest phenotypic variation in comparison to QTLs for other root traits. Shared QTLs were found between root diameter and grain yield, and total root length and PutE GY . A common major QTL for rhizosheath size and NDVI was mapped to the HvMATE gene marker on chromosome 4H. Collocations between major QTLs for NDVI and grain yield were detected on chromosomes 6H and 7H. When results from BIP and MET were combined, QTLs detected for grain yield were also those QTLs found for NDVI. QTLs qGY5H, qGY6H and qGY7Hb on 7H were robust QTLs in improving P efficiency. A selection of multiple loci may be needed to optimize the breeding outcomes due to the QTL x Environment interaction. We suggest that rhizosheath size alone is not a reliable trait to predict P efficiency or grain yield.

  20. New insights into the role of phosphate-free lipids in anaerobic environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schubotz, F.; De Santiago Torio, A.; Kuehl, J.; Grant, C.; Rahn-Lee, L.; Arkin, A. P.; Deutschbauer, A. M.; Summons, R. E.; Bosak, T.

    2016-02-01

    Recent investigations have revealed an abundance of phosphate-free glycolipids and aminolipids, classically assigned to oxygenic phototrophs, in anoxic environments where anaerobic microorganisms prevail. Phosphorus-free lipids in oxic environments are thought to indicate an adaptation to phosphorus limitation, but their significance in anoxic environments is unclear, because these environments are not typically thought of as phosphorus-limited. We hypothesize that glycolipids and aminolipids play an overlooked and potentially integral role in anaerobic bacteria from marine and terrestrial environments and test this hypothesis in environmentally relevant model anaerobic deltaproteobacteria. None of the investigated strains of the sulfate-reducing genus Desulfovibrio synthesize glycolipids under normal growth conditions or during nitrogen limitation. However, when growing in phosphate-limited conditions, all investigated organisms undergo a nearly complete replacement of phospholipids by glycolipids. Some phosphate-starved organisms, such as D. fructosivorans, are also able to synthesize betaine lipids. Analyses of mutants of Desulfovibrio alaskensis G20 identify genes responsible for the biosynthesis of aminolipids (Dde_3661) and glycolipids (Dde_3613). Fitness experiments using tagged transposon mutant libraries of G20 identify these two genes and 90 other genes important for fitness of this organism during phosphate limitation. These experiments identify for the first time betaine lipids and glycolipids in sulfate-reducing bacteria and demonstrate the importance of these non-phosphorus lipids as substitute lipids in obligate anaerobes. These findings suggest that phosphorus availability limits microbial growth and activity in a more widespread range of environments than previously thought.

  1. Does microorganism stoichiometry predict microbial food web interactions after a phosphorus pulse?

    PubMed

    Carrillo, Presentación; Villar-Argaiz, Manuel; Medina-Sánchez, Juan M

    2008-08-01

    Knowledge of variations in microbial food web interactions resulting from atmospheric nutrient loads is crucial to improve our understanding of aquatic food web structure in pristine ecosystems. Three experiments mimicking atmospheric inputs at different nitrogen/phosphorus (N/P) ratios were performed in situ covering the seasonal biological succession of the pelagic zone in a high-mountain Spanish lake. In all experiments, abundance, biomass, algal cell biovolume, P-incorporation rates, P-cell quota, and N/P ratio of algae strongly responded to P-enrichment, whereas heterotrophic bacteria remained relatively unchanged. Ciliates were severely restricted when a strong algal exploitation of the available P (bloom growth or storage strategies) led to transient (mid-ice-free experiment) or chronic (late ice-free experiment) P-deficiencies in bacteria. In contrast, maximum development of ciliates was reached when bacteria remained P-rich (N/P < 20) and algae approached Redfield proportions (N/P approximately 16). Evidence of a higher P-incorporation rate supports the proposition that algae and bacteria shifted from a mainly commensalistic-mutualistic to a competitive relationship for the available P when bacterial P-deficiency increased, as reflected by their unbalanced N/P ratio (N/P > 20-24). Hence, the bacterial N/P ratio proved be a key factor to understand the algae-bacteria relationship and microbial food web development. This study not only demonstrates the interdependence of life history strategies, stoichiometric nutrient content, and growth but also supports the use of bacterial N/P thresholds for diagnosing ciliate development, a little-studied aspect worthy of further attention.

  2. Phosphorus feedbacks constraining tropical ecosystem responses to changes in atmospheric CO2 and climate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Xiaojuan; Thornton, Peter E.; Ricciuto, Daniel M.; Hoffman, Forrest M.

    2016-07-01

    The effects of phosphorus (P) availability on carbon (C) cycling in the Amazon region are investigated using CLM-CNP. We demonstrate that the coupling of P dynamics reduces the simulated historical terrestrial C sink due to increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([CO2]) by about 26%. Our exploratory simulations show that the response of tropical forest C cycling to increasing [CO2] depends on how elevated CO2 affects phosphatase enzyme production. The effects of warming are more complex, depending on the interactions between humidity, C, and nutrient dynamics. While a simulation with low humidity generally shows the reduction of net primary productivity (NPP), a second simulation with higher humidity suggests overall increases in NPP due to the dominant effects of reduced water stress and more nutrient availability. Our simulations point to the need for (1) new observations on how elevated [CO2] affects phosphatase enzyme production and (2) more tropical leaf-scale measurements under different temperature/humidity conditions with different soil P availability.

  3. Seedling growth responses to phosphorus reflect adult distribution patterns of tropical trees.

    PubMed

    Zalamea, Paul-Camilo; Turner, Benjamin L; Winter, Klaus; Jones, F Andrew; Sarmiento, Carolina; Dalling, James W

    2016-10-01

    Soils influence tropical forest composition at regional scales. In Panama, data on tree communities and underlying soils indicate that species frequently show distributional associations to soil phosphorus. To understand how these associations arise, we combined a pot experiment to measure seedling responses of 15 pioneer species to phosphorus addition with an analysis of the phylogenetic structure of phosphorus associations of the entire tree community. Growth responses of pioneers to phosphorus addition revealed a clear tradeoff: species from high-phosphorus sites grew fastest in the phosphorus-addition treatment, while species from low-phosphorus sites grew fastest in the low-phosphorus treatment. Traits associated with growth performance remain unclear: biomass allocation, phosphatase activity and phosphorus-use efficiency did not correlate with phosphorus associations; however, phosphatase activity was most strongly down-regulated in response to phosphorus addition in species from high-phosphorus sites. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that pioneers occur more frequently in clades where phosphorus associations are overdispersed as compared with the overall tree community, suggesting that selection on phosphorus acquisition and use may be strongest for pioneer species with high phosphorus demand. Our results show that phosphorus-dependent growth rates provide an additional explanation for the regional distribution of tree species in Panama, and possibly elsewhere. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

  4. Simulation of the dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus loads in different land uses in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region--based on the improved export coefficient model.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jinliang; Shao, Jing'an; Wang, Dan; Ni, Jiupai; Xie, Deti

    2015-11-01

    Nonpoint source pollution is one of the primary causes of eutrophication of water bodies. The concentrations and loads of dissolved pollutants have a direct bearing on the environmental quality of receiving water bodies. Based on the Johnes export coefficient model, a pollutant production coefficient was established by introducing the topographical index and measurements of annual rainfall. A pollutant interception coefficient was constructed by considering the width and slope of present vegetation. These two coefficients were then used as the weighting factors to modify the existing export coefficients of various land uses. A modified export coefficient model was created to estimate the dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus loads in different land uses in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region (TGRR) in 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010. The results show that the new land use export coefficient was established by the modification of the production pollution coefficient and interception pollution coefficient. This modification changed the single numerical structure of the original land use export coefficient and takes into consideration temporal and spatial differentiation features. The modified export coefficient retained the change structure of the original single land use export coefficient, and also demonstrated that the land use export coefficient was not only impacted by the change of land use itself, but was also influenced by other objective conditions, such as the characteristics of the underlying surface, amount of rainfall, and the overall presence of vegetation. In the five analyzed years, the simulation values of the dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus loads in paddy fields increased after applying the modification in calculation. The dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus loads in dry land comprised the largest proportions of the TGRR's totals. After modification, the dry land values showed an initial increase and then a decrease over time, but the increments were much smaller than those of the paddy field. The dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus loads in the woodland and meadow decreased after modification. The dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus loads in the building lot were the lowest but showed an increase with the progression of time. These results demonstrate that the modified export coefficient model significantly improves the accuracy of dissolved pollutant load simulation for different land uses in the TGRR, especially the accuracy of dissolved nitrogen load simulation.

  5. Nitrogen and phosphorus treatment of marine wastewater by a laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor with eco-friendly marine high-efficiency sediment.

    PubMed

    Cho, Seonghyeon; Kim, Jinsoo; Kim, Sungchul; Lee, Sang-Seob

    2017-06-22

    We screened and identified a NH 3 -N-removing bacterial strain, Bacillus sp. KGN1, and a [Formula: see text] removing strain, Vibrio sp. KGP1, from 960 indigenous marine isolates from seawater and marine sediment from Tongyeong, South Korea. We developed eco-friendly high-efficiency marine sludge (eco-HEMS), and inoculated these marine bacterial strains into the marine sediment. A laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system using the eco-HEMS for marine wastewater from land-based fish farms improved the treatment performance as indicated by 88.2% removal efficiency (RE) of total nitrogen (initial: 5.6 mg/L) and 90.6% RE of total phosphorus (initial: 1.2 mg/L) under the optimal operation conditions (food and microorganism (F/M) ratio, 0.35 g SCOD Cr /g mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS)·d; dissolved oxygen (DO) 1.0 ± 0.2 mg/L; hydraulic retention time (HRT), 6.6 h; solids retention time (SRT), 12 d). The following kinetic parameters were obtained: cell yield (Y), 0.29 g MLVSS/g SCOD Cr ; specific growth rate (µ), 0.06 d -1 ; specific nitrification rate (SNR), 0.49 mg NH 3 -N/g MLVSS·h; specific denitrification rate (SDNR), 0.005 mg [Formula: see text]/g MLVSS·h; specific phosphorus uptake rate (SPUR), 0.12 mg [Formula: see text]/g MLVSS·h. The nitrogen- and phosphorus-removing bacterial strains comprised 18.4% of distribution rate in the microbial community of eco-HEMS under the optimal operation conditions. Therefore, eco-HEMS effectively removed nitrogen and phosphorus from highly saline marine wastewater from land-based fish farms with improving SNR, SDNR, and SPUR values in more diverse microbial communities. DO: dissolved oxygen; Eco-HEMS: eco-friendly high efficiency marine sludge; F/M: food and microorganism ratio; HRT: hydraulic retention time; ML(V)SS: mixed liquor (volatile) suspended solids; NCBI: National Center for Biotechnology Information; ND: not determined; qPCR: quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction; RE: removal efficiency; SBR: sequencing batch reactor; SD: standard deviation; SDNR: specific denitrification rate; SNR: specific nitrification rate; SPUR: specific phosphate uptake rate; SRT: solids retention time; T-N: total nitrogen; T-P: total phosphorus; (V)SS: (volatile) suspended solids; w.w.: wet weight.

  6. Re-examining the phosphorus-protein dilemma: Does phosphorus restriction compromise protein status?

    PubMed Central

    St-Jules, David E; Woolf, Kathleen; Pompeii, Mary-Lou; Kalantar-Zadeh, Kamyar; Sevick, Mary Ann

    2015-01-01

    Dietary phosphorus restriction is recommended to help control hyperphosphatemia in hemodialysis (HD) patients, but many high-phosphorus foods are important sources of protein. In this review, we examine whether restricting dietary phosphorus compromises protein status in HD patients. Although dietary phosphorus and protein are highly correlated, phosphorus intakes can range up to 600 mg/day for a given energy and protein intake level. Further, the collinearity of phosphorus and protein may be biased because the phosphorus burden of food depends on: (1) the presence of phosphate additives; (2) food preparation method; and (3) bioavailability of phosphorus; which are often unaccounted for in nutrition assessments. Ultimately, we argue that clinically relevant reductions in phosphorus intake can be made without limiting protein intake by avoiding phosphate additives in processed foods, using wet cooking methods such as boiling, and if needed, substituting high-phosphorus foods for nutritionally-equivalent foods that are lower in bioavailable phosphorus. PMID:26873260

  7. Nutrient Loading and Algal Response in West Thompson Lake, Thompson, Connecticut, 2003-2005

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Morrison, Jonathan; Colombo, Michael J.

    2008-01-01

    Water quality and nutrient loads were characterized for parts of the Quinebaug River and West Thompson Lake in northeastern Connecticut during 2003 to 2005. The West Thompson Lake watershed is a mainly forested watershed that receives treated municipal wastewater from several point sources in Massachusetts. The lake is a flood-control reservoir formed in 1966 by impoundment of the Quinebaug River. Median concentrations of total phosphorus in two inflow (upstream) and one outflow (downstream) sampling stations on the Quinebaug River were higher than the nutrient criteria recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for rivers and streams in aggregate Ecoregion XIV. In general, concentrations of total phosphorus in West Thompson Lake also were above the nutrient criteria recommended by USEPA for lakes and impoundments in aggregate Ecoregion XIV. The trophic status of West Thompson Lake has changed since 1995 from a hypereutrophic lake to a eutrophic lake; however, the lake still has large algal blooms. These blooms are predominated by blue-green algae, with chlorophyll-a concentrations of more than 30 micrograms per liter and algal cell counts as high as 73,000 cells/mL. Water samples collected during the summer of 2005 identified phosphorus as the primary limiting nutrient early in the season, but algal growth is probably co-limited by phosphorus and nitrogen later in the season. Lake-bottom sediments were collected from several areas throughout the lake and ranged in thickness from less than 1 foot (ft) to more than 3 ft. Concentrations of phosphorus in sediments differed throughout the lake; the highest values were found in the middle of the lake. Concentrations of total phosphorus also increased from an average 1,800 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) in the upper layers of sediment to more than 6,000 mg/kg at depth in the sediment. Annual, seasonal, and monthly loads and yields of nutrients were calculated for the three sampling locations on the Quinebaug River to develop a nutrient mass-balance model (budget) for West Thompson Lake. The average annual yields of total phosphorus during 2000 to 2005 were 115 pounds per square mile per year (lb/mi2/yr) at Quinebaug (inflow station), 116 lb/mi2/yr at Red Bridge Road (inflow station), and 97.9 lb/mi2/yr at West Thompson (outflow station). The 18-percent decrease in the average annual yield of total phosphorus between the inflow station at Red Bridge Road and the outlet of West Thompson Lake at West Thompson indicates that a significant part of the phosphorus load is retained in the lake. Annual yields of total phosphorus at Quinebaug have decreased significantly since the 1980s, from 362 lb/mi2/yr (for 1981-1990) to 115 lb/mi2/yr (1996-2005). The annual net export of phosphorus in West Thompson Lake during water years 2000 to 2005 ranged from -36 percent (2005) to 1 percent (2002) of the incoming load. Seasonal mass-balance data for total phosphorus during the summers of 2000 to 2003, when streamflow was at or lower than normal, indicated a net export of phosphorus that ranged from 3.4 percent (2003) to 30.7 percent (2002) of the incoming load. During the summer of 2004, however, streamflows were much higher than normal, and there was a negative export of phosphorus in West Thompson Lake of -3.9 percent. The annual net export of nitrogen in West Thompson Lake during water years 2000 to 2005 ranged from -5 percent (2002) to 4 percent (2001) of the incoming load. No clear pattern was evident to relate total nitrogen export to seasonal variables or runoff. Removal of phosphorus during the summer by wastewater-treatment plants (WWTPs) in Massachusetts reduces the concentration and load of total phosphorus entering West Thompson Lake in the summer; however, the large amount of phosphorus retained in the lake during the other seasons, in addition to the phosphorus stored in the lake-bottom sediments, may become available to fuel algal blooms in the lake

  8. 15 CFR 770.2 - Item interpretations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...) (C.A.S. #10025-87-3) Phosphorus oxychloride Phosphonyl trichloride Phosphoric chloride Phosphoric trichloride Phosphoroxychloride Phosphoroxytrichloride Phosphorus chloride oxide Phosphorus monoxide trichloride Phosphorus oxide trichloride Phosphorus oxytrichloride Phosphorus trichloride oxide Phosphoryl...

  9. 15 CFR 770.2 - Item interpretations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...) (C.A.S. #10025-87-3) Phosphorus oxychloride Phosphonyl trichloride Phosphoric chloride Phosphoric trichloride Phosphoroxychloride Phosphoroxytrichloride Phosphorus chloride oxide Phosphorus monoxide trichloride Phosphorus oxide trichloride Phosphorus oxytrichloride Phosphorus trichloride oxide Phosphoryl...

  10. Osteopetrosis, hypophosphatemia, and phosphaturia in a young man: a case presentation and differential diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Mitri, Zahi; Tangpricha, Vin

    2012-01-01

    We report the case of a 30-year-old African-American male with osteopetrosis and hypophosphatemia, presenting with diffuse myalgias. Laboratory evaluation performed revealed a low serum phosphorus level with urinary phosphate wasting, low calcium, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, as well as elevated alkaline phosphatase. Skull and pelvic radiographs revealed high bone density consistent with high bone mass found on bone mineral density reports. PHEX gene mutation analysis was negative. Patient was started on calcium and phosphorus replacement, and he clinically improved. This paper will review the different subtypes of osteopetrosis, and the evaluation of hypophosphatemia.

  11. Study on removal efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural wastewater by subsurface flow constructed wetland

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ling, Zhen; Li, Jie

    2018-03-01

    Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetland Plant 5 kinds of perennial herbs, there are Canna, Water onion, Iris, Calamus, Reed. Foucs on Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetlands on agricultural wastewater nitrogen and phosphorus removal effect. Research results: Different plants TP removal efficiency from high to low is Iris> reed> calamus> water onion> canna.And TN removal efficiency from high to low is reed> water onion> iris> calamus> canna. Compared with the blank test land, Wetland plants improves TN removal and TP removal is higher than TN. Wetland plants can reduce the PH of experimental water.

  12. Study on slag forming mechanism of hot metal containing titanium in converter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, H. B.; Lv, Y. C.; Qin, L. Y.; Liu, Y.; Ma, C. W.; Kong, X. T.

    2017-09-01

    The use of titanium containing molten iron can expand the sources of raw materials, reduce the cost, but the process produce serious foaming slag, low dephosphorization proportion and the consumption of lime is high. The technicians have improved the operation process through experiments and solved the problem of efficient and smooth blowing of hot metal containing titanium. Through mine phase composition analysis of slag using SEM and EDS, the distribution of titanium and the regularity of phosphorus retention are found, and measures to prevent phosphorus recovery in the later stage of converter are put forward.

  13. Phosphorus Availability Alters the Effects of Silver Nanoparticles on Periphyton Growth and Stoichiometry

    PubMed Central

    Norman, Beth C.; Xenopoulos, Marguerite A.; Braun, Daniel; Frost, Paul C.

    2015-01-01

    Exposure to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) may alter the structure and function of freshwater ecosystems. However, there remains a paucity of studies investigating the effects of AgNP exposure on freshwater communities in the natural environment where interactions with the ambient environment may modify AgNP toxicity. We used nutrient diffusing substrates to determine the interactive effects of AgNP exposure and phosphorus (P) enrichment on natural assemblages of periphyton in three Canadian Shield lakes. The lakes were all phosphorus poor and spanned a gradient of dissolved organic carbon availability. Ag slowly accumulated in the exposed periphyton, which decreased periphyton carbon and chlorophyll a content and increased periphyton C:P and N:P in the carbon rich lakes. We found significant interactions between AgNP and P treatments on periphyton carbon, autotroph standing crop and periphyton stoichiometry in the carbon poor lake such that P enhanced the negative effects of AgNPs on chlorophyll a and lessened the impact of AgNP exposure on periphyton stoichiometry. Our results contrast with those of other studies demonstrating that P addition decreases metal toxicity for phytoplankton, suggesting that benthic and pelagic primary producers may react differently to AgNP exposure and highlighting the importance of in situ assays when assessing potential effects of AgNPs in fresh waters. PMID:26075715

  14. Effect of dietary phosphorus on the growth and body components of juvenile Synechogobius hasta

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, Zhi; Li, Xiaodong; Gong, Shiyuan; Xi, Wenqiu; Li, Yali

    2009-03-01

    The effect of dietary phosphorus on the growth and body components of juvenile Synechogobius hasta was determined. Different percentages of dietary phosphorus (0.63, 0.77, 0.93, 1.06, 1.22 and 1.36) were tested by feeding the fish (body weight, 15.81 g ± 0.32 g; 20 individuals each group; 3 groups each percentage) at a surplus of 5%-10% above satiation for 35 d. Dietary phosphorus did not significantly affect the specific growth rate, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and protein efficiency rate. Nitrogen retention was found to be the highest in fish fed the diet containing 1.06% of phosphorus; however, this was not significantly different from other diets. Fish fed the diet containing 0.93% of phosphorus showed the highest phosphorus retention; similar phosphorus retention rates were found in fish fed the diets containing 0.77% and 1.06% of phosphorus. Fish fed the diet containing the highest percentage of dietary phosphorus were found to contain the least whole body lipid, lower than fish fed other diets ( P<0.05). The protein content increased from 18.59% to 19.55% (although not significant) with the decrease of body lipid content ( P>0.05). The contents of the whole body ash, whole body phosphorus and vertebrae phosphorus increased with dietary phosphorus percentage up to 1.06 ( P<0.05), reaching a plateau after that. Dietary phosphorus did not significantly influence the muscle components (protein, lipid and moisture). Condition factor and hepatosomatic index were the highest in fish fed the diet containing 0.63% of dietary phosphorus; however, this was not significantly different from those of other diets. The second-order polynomial regression of phosphorus retention against dietary phosphorus identified a breakpoint at 0.88% of dietary phosphorus. However, the dietary requirement of phosphorus for maintaining maximum phosphorus storage determined by broken-line analysis of the contents of whole body phosphorus, and ash and vertebrae phosphorus was 1.06% of the diet.

  15. Small RNA Profiling Reveals Phosphorus Deficiency as a Contributing Factor in Symptom Expression for Citrus Huanglongbing Disease

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Hongwei; Sun, Ruobai; Jin, Hailing

    2013-01-01

    Huanglongbing (HLB) is a devastating citrus disease that is associated with bacteria of the genus ‘Candidatus Liberibacter’ (Ca. L.). Powerful diagnostic tools and management strategies are desired to control HLB. Host small RNAs (sRNA) play a vital role in regulating host responses to pathogen infection and are used as early diagnostic markers for many human diseases, including cancers. To determine whether citrus sRNAs regulate host responses to HLB, sRNAs were profiled from Citrus sinensis 10 and 14 weeks post grafting with Ca. L. asiaticus (Las)-positive or healthy tissue. Ten new microRNAs (miRNAs), 76 conserved miRNAs, and many small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were discovered. Several miRNAs and siRNAs were highly induced by Las infection, and can be potentially developed into early diagnosis markers of HLB. miR399, which is induced by phosphorus starvation in other plant species, was induced specifically by infection of Las but not Spiroplasma citri that causes citrus stubborn—a disease with symptoms similar to HLB. We found a 35% reduction of phosphorus in Las-positive citrus trees compared to healthy trees. Applying phosphorus oxyanion solutions to HLB-positive sweet orange trees reduced HLB symptom severity and significantly improved fruit production during a 3-year field trial in south-west Florida. Our molecular, physiological, and field data suggest that phosphorus deficiency is linked to HLB disease symptomology. PMID:23292880

  16. Nutrient additions in pristine Patagonian Sphagnum bog vegetation: can phosphorus addition alleviate (the effects of) increased nitrogen loads.

    PubMed

    Fritz, C; van Dijk, G; Smolders, A J P; Pancotto, V A; Elzenga, T J T M; Roelofs, J G M; Grootjans, A P

    2012-05-01

    Sphagnum-bog ecosystems have a limited capability to retain carbon and nutrients when subjected to increased nitrogen (N) deposition. Although it has been proposed that phosphorus (P) can dilute negative effects of nitrogen by increasing biomass production of Sphagnum mosses, it is still unclear whether P-addition can alleviate physiological N-stress in Sphagnum plants. A 3-year fertilisation experiment was conducted in lawns of a pristine Sphagnum magellanicum bog in Patagonia, where competing vascular plants were practically absent. Background wet deposition of nitrogen was low (≈ 0.1-0.2 g · N · m(-2) · year(-1)). Nitrogen (4 g · N · m(-2) · year(-1)) and phosphorus (1 g · P · m(-2) · year(-1)) were applied, separately and in combination, six times during the growing season. P-addition substantially increased biomass production of Sphagnum. Nitrogen and phosphorus changed the morphology of Sphagnum mosses by enhancing height increment, but lowering moss stem density. In contrast to expectations, phosphorus failed to alleviate physiological stress imposed by excess nitrogen (e.g. amino acid accumulation, N-saturation and decline in photosynthetic rates). We conclude that despite improving growth conditions by P-addition, Sphagnum-bog ecosystems remain highly susceptible to nitrogen additions. Increased susceptibility to desiccation by nutrients may even worsen the negative effects of excess nitrogen especially in windy climates like in Patagonia. © 2011 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

  17. Interacting Physical and Biological Processes Affecting Nutrient Transport Through Human Dominated Landscapes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Finlay, J. C.

    2015-12-01

    Human activities increasingly dominate biogeochemical cycles of limiting nutrients on Earth. Urban and agricultural landscapes represent the largest sources of excess nutrients that drive water quality degradation. The physical structure of both urban and agricultural watersheds has been extensively modified, and these changes have large impacts on water and nutrient transport. Despite strong physical controls over nutrient transport in human dominated landscapes, biological processes play important roles in determining the fates of both nitrogen and phosphorus. This talk uses examples from research in urban and agricultural watersheds in the Midwestern USA to illustrate interactions of physical and biological controls over nutrient cycles that have shifted nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) sources and cycling in unexpected ways in response to management changes. In urban watersheds, efforts to improve water quality have been hindered by legacy sources of phosphorus added to storm water through transport to drainage systems by vegetation. Similarly, reductions in field erosion in agricultural watersheds have not led to major reductions in phosphorus transport, because of continued release of biological sources of P. Where management of phosphorus has been most effective in reducing eutrophication of lakes, decreases in N removal processes have led to long term increases in N concentration and transport. Together, these examples show important roles for biological processes affecting nutrient movement in highly modified landscapes. Consideration of the downstream physical and biological responses of management changes are thus critical toward identification of actions that will most effectively reduce excess nutrients watersheds and coastal zones.

  18. Soil Biological Activity Contributing to Phosphorus Availability in Vertisols under Long-Term Organic and Conventional Agricultural Management

    PubMed Central

    Bhat, Nisar A.; Riar, Amritbir; Ramesh, Aketi; Iqbal, Sanjeeda; Sharma, Mahaveer P.; Sharma, Sanjay K.; Bhullar, Gurbir S.

    2017-01-01

    Mobilization of unavailable phosphorus (P) to plant available P is a prerequisite to sustain crop productivity. Although most of the agricultural soils have sufficient amounts of phosphorus, low availability of native soil P remains a key limiting factor to increasing crop productivity. Solubilization and mineralization of applied and native P to plant available form is mediated through a number of biological and biochemical processes that are strongly influenced by soil carbon/organic matter, besides other biotic and abiotic factors. Soils rich in organic matter are expected to have higher P availability potentially due to higher biological activity. In conventional agricultural systems mineral fertilizers are used to supply P for plant growth, whereas organic systems largely rely on inputs of organic origin. The soils under organic management are supposed to be biologically more active and thus possess a higher capability to mobilize native or applied P. In this study we compared biological activity in soil of a long-term farming systems comparison field trial in vertisols under a subtropical (semi-arid) environment. Soil samples were collected from plots under 7 years of organic and conventional management at five different time points in soybean (Glycine max) -wheat (Triticum aestivum) crop sequence including the crop growth stages of reproductive significance. Upon analysis of various soil biological properties such as dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, acid and alkaline phosphatase activities, microbial respiration, substrate induced respiration, soil microbial biomass carbon, organically managed soils were found to be biologically more active particularly at R2 stage in soybean and panicle initiation stage in wheat. We also determined the synergies between these biological parameters by using the methodology of principle component analysis. At all sampling points, P availability in organic and conventional systems was comparable. Our findings clearly indicate that owing to higher biological activity, organic systems possess equal capabilities of supplying P for crop growth as are conventional systems with inputs of mineral P fertilizers. PMID:28928758

  19. Recent progress in high-mobility thin-film transistors based on multilayer 2D materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hong, Young Ki; Liu, Na; Yin, Demin; Hong, Seongin; Kim, Dong Hak; Kim, Sunkook; Choi, Woong; Yoon, Youngki

    2017-04-01

    Two-dimensional (2D) layered semiconductors are emerging as promising candidates for next-generation thin-film electronics because of their high mobility, relatively large bandgap, low-power switching, and the availability of large-area growth methods. Thin-film transistors (TFTs) based on multilayer transition metal dichalcogenides or black phosphorus offer unique opportunities for next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices. Here, we review recent progress in high-mobility transistors based on multilayer 2D semiconductors. We describe the theoretical background on characterizing methods of TFT performance and material properties, followed by their applications in flexible, transparent, and optoelectronic devices. Finally, we highlight some of the methods used in metal-semiconductor contacts, hybrid structures, heterostructures, and chemical doping to improve device performance.

  20. [Effects of different vegetation restoration patterns on the diversity of soil nitrogen-fixing microbes in Hulunbeier sandy land, Inner Mongolia of North China].

    PubMed

    Li, Gang; Wang, Li-Juan; Li, Yu-Jie; Qiao, Jiang; Zhang, Hai-Fang; Song, Xiao-Long; Yang, Dian-Lin

    2013-06-01

    By using polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and sequence analysis, this paper studied the nifH gene diversity and community structure of soil nitrogen-fixing microbes in Hulunbeier sandy land of Inner Mongolia under four years management of five vegetation restoration modes, i. e., mixed-planting of Agropyron cristatum, Hedysarum fruticosum, Caragana korshinskii, and Elymus nutans (ACHE) and of Agropyron cristatum and Hedysarum fruticosum (AC), and mono-planting of Caragana korshinskii (UC), Agropyron cristatum (UA), and Hedysarum fruticosum (UH), taking the bare land as the control (CK). There existed significant differences in the community composition of nitrogen-fixing microbes among the five vegetation restoration patterns. The Shannon index of the nifH gene was the highest under ACHE, followed by under AC, UC, UA, and UH, and the lowest in CK. Except that UH and CK had less difference in the Shannon index, the other four vegetation restoration modes had a significantly higher Shannon index than CK (P < 0.05). The phylogenetic analysis showed that the soil nitrogen-fixing microbes under UA, UH, and UC were mainly of cyanobacteria, but the soil nitrogen-fixing microbes under AC and ACHE changed obviously, mainly of proteobacteria, and also of cyanobacteria. The canonical correlation analysis showed that the soil total phosphorus, available phosphorus, total nitrogen, and nitrate nitrogen contents under the five vegetation restoration modes had significant effects on the nitrogen-fixing microbial communities, and there existed significant correlations among the soil total phosphorus, available phosphorus, total nitrogen, and nitrate nitrogen. It was suggested that the variations of the community composition of soil nitrogen-fixing microbes under the five vegetation restoration modes were resulted from the interactive and combined effects of the soil physical and chemical factors.

  1. Impact of Soil Composition and Electrochemistry on Corrosion of Rock-cut Slope Nets along Railway Lines in China.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jiao; Chen, Zhaoqiong; Ai, Yingwei; Xiao, Jingyao; Pan, Dandan; Li, Wei; Huang, Zhiyu; Wang, Yumei

    2015-10-09

    Taking the slope of Suiyu Railway to study, the research separately studied soil resistivity, soil electrochemistry (corrosion potential, oxidization reduction potential, electric potential gradient and pH), soil anions (total soluble salt, Cl(-), SO4(2-) and ), and soil nutrition (moisture content, organic matter, total nitrogen, alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium) at different slope levels, and conducted corrosion grade evaluation on artificial soil according to its single index and comprehensive indexes. Compared with other factors, water has the biggest impact on the corrosion of slope protection net, followed by anion content. Total soluble salt has the moderate impact on the corrosion of slope protection net, and stray current has the moderate impact on the corrosion of mid-slope protection net. Comprehensive evaluation on the corrosive degree of soil samples indicates that the corrosion of upper slope is moderate, and the corrosion of mid-slope and lower slope is strong. Organic matter in soil is remarkably relevant to electric potential gradient. Available nitrogen, available potassium and available phosphorus are remarkably relevant to anions. The distribution of soil nutrient is indirectly relevant to slope type.

  2. Impact of Soil Composition and Electrochemistry on Corrosion of Rock-cut Slope Nets along Railway Lines in China

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Jiao; Chen, Zhaoqiong; Ai, Yingwei; Xiao, Jingyao; Pan, Dandan; Li, Wei; Huang, Zhiyu; Wang, Yumei

    2015-01-01

    Taking the slope of Suiyu Railway to study, the research separately studied soil resistivity, soil electrochemistry (corrosion potential, oxidization reduction potential, electric potential gradient and pH), soil anions (total soluble salt, Cl−, SO42− and ), and soil nutrition (moisture content, organic matter, total nitrogen, alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium) at different slope levels, and conducted corrosion grade evaluation on artificial soil according to its single index and comprehensive indexes. Compared with other factors, water has the biggest impact on the corrosion of slope protection net, followed by anion content. Total soluble salt has the moderate impact on the corrosion of slope protection net, and stray current has the moderate impact on the corrosion of mid-slope protection net. Comprehensive evaluation on the corrosive degree of soil samples indicates that the corrosion of upper slope is moderate, and the corrosion of mid-slope and lower slope is strong. Organic matter in soil is remarkably relevant to electric potential gradient. Available nitrogen, available potassium and available phosphorus are remarkably relevant to anions. The distribution of soil nutrient is indirectly relevant to slope type. PMID:26450811

  3. Effects of iron and calcium carbonate on contaminant removal efficiencies and microbial communities in integrated wastewater treatment systems.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Zhimiao; Song, Xinshan; Zhang, Yinjiang; Zhao, Yufeng; Wang, Bodi; Wang, Yuhui

    2017-12-01

    In the paper, we explored the influences of different dosages of iron and calcium carbonate on contaminant removal efficiencies and microbial communities in algal ponds combined with constructed wetlands. After 1-year operation of treatment systems, based on the high-throughput pyrosequencing analysis of microbial communities, the optimal operating conditions were obtained as follows: the ACW10 system with Fe 3+ (5.6 mg L -1 ), iron powder (2.8 mg L -1 ), and CaCO 3 powder (0.2 mg L -1 ) in influent as the adjusting agents, initial phosphorus source (PO 4 3- ) in influent, the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus (N/P) of 30 in influent, and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 1 day. Total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency and total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiency were improved significantly. The hydrolysis of CaCO 3 promoted the physicochemical precipitation in contaminant removal. Meanwhile, Fe 3+ and iron powder produced Fe 2+ , which improved contaminant removal. Iron ion improved the diversity, distribution, and metabolic functions of microbial communities in integrated treatment systems. In the treatment ACW10, the dominant phylum in the microbial community was PLANCTOMYCETES, which positively promoted nitrogen removal. After 5 consecutive treatments in ACW10, contaminant removal efficiencies for TN and TP respectively reached 80.6% and 57.3% and total iron concentration in effluent was 0.042 mg L -1 . Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Innovative Method for Separating Phosphorus and Iron from High-Phosphorus Oolitic Hematite by Iron Nugget Process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Han, Hongliang; Duan, Dongping; Wang, Xing; Chen, Siming

    2014-10-01

    This study puts forward a new method to separate phosphorus and iron from high-phosphorus oolitic hematite through iron nuggets process. Firstly, the physical, chemical, and microscopic characteristics of high-phosphorus oolitic hematite are investigated. Then, the reaction mechanisms of high-phosphorus hematite together with feasibility to separating phosphorus and iron by iron nugget process are discussed. Meanwhile, the experiments of high-phosphorus hematite used in rotary hearth furnace iron nugget processes are studied as well. The results indicate that the iron nugget process is a feasible and efficient method for iron and phosphorus separation of high-phosphorus oolitic hematite. The phosphorus content in iron nuggets is relatively low. Through the optimization of process parameters, the lowest of phosphorus in iron nuggets is 0.22 pct, the dephosphorization rate is above 86 pct, and the recovery of Fe is above 85 pct by the iron nugget process. This study aims to provide a theoretical and technical basis for economical and rational use of high-phosphorus oolitic hematite.

  5. Reexamining the Phosphorus-Protein Dilemma: Does Phosphorus Restriction Compromise Protein Status?

    PubMed

    St-Jules, David E; Woolf, Kathleen; Pompeii, Mary Lou; Kalantar-Zadeh, Kamyar; Sevick, Mary Ann

    2016-05-01

    Dietary phosphorus restriction is recommended to help control hyperphosphatemia in hemodialysis patients, but many high-phosphorus foods are important sources of protein. In this review, we examine whether restricting dietary phosphorus compromises protein status in hemodialysis patients. Although dietary phosphorus and protein are highly correlated, phosphorus intakes can range up to 600 mg/day for a given energy and protein intake level. Furthermore, the collinearity of phosphorus and protein may be biased because the phosphorus burden of food depends on: (1) the presence of phosphate additives, (2) food preparation method, and (3) bioavailability of phosphorus, which are often unaccounted for in nutrition assessments. Ultimately, we argue that clinically relevant reductions in phosphorus intake can be made without limiting protein intake by avoiding phosphate additives in processed foods, using wet cooking methods such as boiling, and if needed, substituting high-phosphorus foods for nutritionally equivalent foods that are lower in bioavailable phosphorus. Copyright © 2016 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Effect of systemic herbicides on N2-fixing and phosphate solubilizing microorganisms in relation to availability of nitrogen and phosphorus in paddy soils of West Bengal.

    PubMed

    Das, Amal Chandra; Debnath, Anjan

    2006-11-01

    A field experiment has been conducted with four systemic herbicides viz., butachlor [N-(butoxymethyl)-2-chloro-2',6'-diethyl-acetanilide], fluchloralin [N-(2-chloroethyl)-(2,6-dinitro-N-propyl-4-trifluoromethyl) aniline], oxadiazon [5-terbutyl-3-(2,4-dichloro-5-isopro poxyphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-one] and oxyfluorfen [2-chloro-1-(3-ethoxy-4-nitrophenyl)-4-(trifluoromethyl) benzene] at their recommended field rates (2.0, 1.5, 0.4 and 0.12kga.i.ha(-1), respectively) to investigate their effects on growth and activities of aerobic non-symbiotic N(2)-fixing bacteria and phosphate solubilizing microorganisms in relation to availability of nitrogen and phosphorus in the rhizosphere soils as well as yield of the rice crop (Oryza sativa L cv. IR-36). Application of herbicides, in general, highly stimulated the population and activities of the target microorganisms, which resulted in a greater amount of atmospheric nitrogen fixation and phosphate solubilization in the rhizosphere soils of the test crop. The greater microbial activities subsequently augmented the mineralization and availability of nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil solution, which in turn increased the yield of the crop. Among the herbicides, oxyfluorfen was most stimulative followed by fluchloralin and oxadiazon in augmenting the microbial activities in soil. Butachlor also accentuated the mineralization and availability of nitrogen due to higher incitement of non-symbiotic N(2)-fixing bacteria in paddy soil. The grain and straw yields of the crop were also significantly increased due to the application of oxyfluorfen (20.2% and 21%) followed by fluchloralin (13.1% and 15.4%) and butachlor (9.1% and 10.2%), respectively.

  7. Some physiological measurements on growth, pod yields and polyamines in leaves of chili plants (Capsicum annuum cv. Hua Reua) in relation to applied organic manures and chemical fertilisers.

    PubMed

    Rapatsa, J; Terapongtanakorn, S

    2010-03-15

    The experiment was carried out at the Faculty of Agriculture, Ubon Ratchathani University during November 2006 to July 2007. A Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four replications was used. Six treatments were allocated into two experimental fields, i.e., field A, animal manures added soil. Field B, chemical fertilizers added soil and both fields have been used for chili cultivation for more than 5 years and they belong to Warin soil series (Oxic Paleustults). The results showed that mean values of soil pH and organic matter % of field A were much higher than field B but mean values of nitrogen % and phosphorus were much higher for field B than field A. Exchangeable potassium were inadequately available in all treatments. All treatments of field B gave excessive amounts of available phosphorus at a toxic level. T3 of field A gave higher plant height, total dry weight plant(-1), pod fresh and dry weights plant(-1) than T5 of field B. Of overall results in terms of growth and yields of chili plants, field A gave much better advantages over field B. The CO2 uptake and CO2 in leaves were higher for field A than field B. Polyamines of putrescine (Put), spermidine (Spd) and spermine (Spm) of T2 were affected by stress conditions due to previous applied chemical fertilisers. Available phosphorus mean values in most treatments were excessively available. Amounts of polyamines in chili leaves due to the added organic manure and chemical fertilizers (T3 up to T6) were not cleared.

  8. Total and water-soluble phosphorus in broiler litter over three flocks with alum litter treatment and dietary inclusion of high available phosphorus corn and phytase supplementation.

    PubMed

    Miles, D M; Moore, P A; Smith, D R; Rice, D W; Stilborn, H L; Rowe, D R; Lott, B D; Branton, S L; Simmons, J D

    2003-10-01

    Three pen trials were conducted to determine the main effect of alum addition to litter on form of poultry litter P using a 2 x 2 factorial structure of the subunit treatments: diets including high available phosphorus/low phytate corn (HAPC) and phytase (PHYT). Male broilers (1,760 per flock) were grown to 42 d having starter diets with 0.45% available P and grower diets with 0.35% available P. In the first trial, total litter P (tP) was greatest for the yellow dent corn (YDC) diet (12 g/kg) and least for the HAPC and PHYT combination (H&P) diet (6.9 g/kg) with the individual PHYT and HAPC diets falling in between at 9.1 g/kg and 9.4 g/kg tP. Also in the first trial, the litter water-soluble P (wP) was highest for PHYT (2.8 g/kg), least for the HAPC and H&P diets (1.5 g/kg) with the YDC diet falling between (2.2 g/kg). Alum was added to the litter after the first experiment. In the second and third experiments, alum inclusion significantly reduced the wP when compared with the treatments with no alum. In the third trial, the least wP was present in the alum-HAPC treatment. Phytase, YDC, and HAPC diets with no alum litter treatment generated the most wP. Since these diets appear to have little or no difference with respect to quantity of wP, this work suggests that form of litter P generated by alternative diets should be considered as criteria when attempting to reduce P in broiler litter applied to land.

  9. Novel transgenic pigs with enhanced growth and reduced environmental impact

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Huaqiang; Liu, Dewu; Cai, Gengyuan; Li, Guoling; Mo, Jianxin; Wang, Dehua; Zhong, Cuili; Wang, Haoqiang; Sun, Yue; Shi, Junsong; Zheng, Enqin; Meng, Fanming; Zhang, Mao; He, Xiaoyan; Zhou, Rong; Zhang, Jian; Huang, Miaorong; Zhang, Ran; Li, Ning; Fan, Mingzhe; Yang, Jinzeng

    2018-01-01

    In pig production, inefficient feed digestion causes excessive nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen to be released to the environment. To address the issue of environmental emissions, we established transgenic pigs harboring a single-copy quad-cistronic transgene and simultaneously expressing three microbial enzymes, β-glucanase, xylanase, and phytase in the salivary glands. All the transgenic enzymes were successfully expressed, and the digestion of non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) and phytate in the feedstuff was enhanced. Fecal nitrogen and phosphorus outputs in the transgenic pigs were reduced by 23.2–45.8%, and growth rate improved by 23.0% (gilts) and 24.4% (boars) compared with that of age-matched wild-type littermates under the same dietary treatment. The transgenic pigs showed an 11.5–14.5% improvement in feed conversion rate compared with the wild-type pigs. These findings indicate that the transgenic pigs are promising resources for improving feed efficiency and reducing environmental impact. PMID:29784082

  10. Virtual phosphorus ore requirement of Japanese economy.

    PubMed

    Matsubae, Kazuyo; Kajiyama, Jun; Hiraki, Takehito; Nagasaka, Tetsuya

    2011-08-01

    Phosphorus is indispensable for agricultural production. Hence, the consumption of imported food indirectly implies the import of phosphorus resources. The global consumption of agricultural products depends on a small number of ore-producing countries. For sustainable management of phosphorus resources, the global supply and demand network should be clarified. In this study, we propose the virtual phosphorus ore requirement as a new indicator of the direct and indirect phosphorus requirements for our society. The virtual phosphorus ore requirement indicates the direct and indirect demands for phosphorus ore transformed into agricultural products and fertilizer. In this study, the virtual phosphorus ore requirement was evaluated for the Japanese economy in 2005. Importantly, the results show that our society requires twice as much phosphorus ore as the domestic demand for fertilizer production. The phosphorus contained in "eaten" agricultural products was only 12% of virtual phosphorus ore requirement. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Management of Natural and Added Dietary Phosphorus Burden in Kidney Disease

    PubMed Central

    Cupisti, Adamasco; Kalantar-Zadeh, Kamyar

    2018-01-01

    Phosphorus retention occurs from higher dietary phosphorus intake relative to its renal excretion or dialysis removal. In the gastrointestinal tract the naturally existing organic phosphorus is only partially (~60%) absorbable; however, this absorption varies widely and is lower for plant-based phosphorus including phytate (<40%) and higher for foods enhanced with inorganic-phosphorus-containing preservatives (>80%). The latter phosphorus often remains unrecognized by patients and health care professionals, even though it is widely used in contemporary diets, in particular low-cost foods. In a non-enhanced mixed diet, the digestible phosphorus is closely correlated with total protein content, making protein-rich foods a main source of natural phosphorus. Phosphorus burden is more appropriately limited in pre-dialysis patients who are on low protein diets (~0.6 g/kg/day), whereas dialysis patients who require higher protein intake (~1.2 g/kg/day) are subject to a higher dietary phosphorus load. An effective and patient-friendly approach to reduce phosphorus intake without depriving patients of adequate proteins is to educate patients to avoid foods with high phosphorus relative to protein such as egg yolk and those with high amounts of phosphorus-based preservatives such as certain soft drinks and enhanced cheese and meat. Protein-rich foods should be prepared by boiling, which reduces phosphorus as well as sodium and potassium content, or by other types of cooking induced demineralization. The dose of phosphorus-binding therapy should be adjusted separately for the amount and absorbability of phosphorus in each meal. Dietician counselling to address the foregoing aspects of dietary phosphorus management is instrumental for achieving reduction of phosphorus load. PMID:23465504

  12. The use of a hybrid Sequential Biofiltration System for the improvement of nutrient removal and PCB control in municipal wastewater.

    PubMed

    Kiedrzyńska, Edyta; Urbaniak, Magdalena; Kiedrzyński, Marcin; Jóźwik, Adam; Bednarek, Agnieszka; Gągała, Ilona; Zalewski, Maciej

    2017-07-14

    This article aims to evaluate the efficiency of an innovative hybrid Sequential Biofiltration System (SBS) for removing phosphorus and nitrogen and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from original municipal wastewater produced by a Wastewater Treatment Plant under authentic operating conditions. The hybrid SBS was constructed with two barriers, a geochemical (filtration beds with limestone, coal and sawdust) and a biological barrier (wetlands with Glyceria, Acorus, Typha, Phragmites), operating in parallel. Significant differences were found between inflow and outflow from the SBS with regard to wastewater contaminant concentrations, the efficiency of removal being 16% (max. 93%) for Total Phosphorus (TP), 25% (max. 93%) for Soluble Reactive Phosphorus (SRP), 15% (max. 97%) for Total Nitrogen (TN), 17% (max. 98%) for NO 3 - N, and 21% for PCB equivalency (PCB EQ). In the case of PCB EQ concentration, the highest efficiency of 43% was obtained using beds with macrophytes. The SBS removed a significant load of TP (0.415 kg), TN (3.136 kg), and PCB EQ (0.223 g) per square meter per year. The use of low-cost hybrid SBSs as a post-treatment step for wastewater treatment was found to be an effective ecohydrological biotechnology that may be used for reducing point source pollution and improving water quality.

  13. Sedimentation and occurrence and trends of selected nutrients, other chemical constituents, and cyanobacteria in bottom sediment, Clinton Lake, northeast Kansas, 1977-2009

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Juracek, Kyle E.

    2011-01-01

    A combination of available bathymetric-survey information and bottom-sediment coring was used to investigate sedimentation and the occurrence of selected nutrients (total nitrogen and total phosphorus), organic and total carbon, 25 trace elements, cyanobacterial akinetes, and the radionuclide cesium-137 in the bottom sediment of Clinton Lake, northeast Kansas. The total estimated volume and mass of bottom sediment deposited from 1977 through 2009 in the conservation (multi-purpose) pool of the reservoir was 438 million cubic feet and 18 billion pounds, respectively. The estimated sediment volume occupied about 8 percent of the conservation-pool, water-storage capacity of the reservoir. Sedimentation in the conservation pool has occurred about 70 percent faster than originally projected at the time the reservoir was completed. Water-storage capacity in the conservation pool has been lost to sedimentation at a rate of about 0.25 percent annually. Mean annual net sediment deposition since 1977 in the conservation pool of the reservoir was estimated to be 563 million pounds per year. Mean annual net sediment yield from the Clinton Lake Basin was estimated to be 1.5 million pounds per square mile per year. Typically, the bottom sediment sampled in Clinton Lake was at least 99 percent silt and clay. The mean annual net loads of total nitrogen and total phosphorus deposited in the bottom sediment of Clinton Lake were estimated to be 1.29 million pounds per year and 556,000 pounds per year, respectively. The estimated mean annual net yields of total nitrogen and total phosphorus from the Clinton Lake Basin were 3,510 pounds per square mile per year and 1,510 pounds per square mile per year, respectively. Throughout the history of Clinton Lake, total nitrogen concentrations in the deposited sediment generally were uniform and indicated consistent inputs to the reservoir over time. Likewise, total phosphorus concentrations in the deposited sediment generally were uniform. Although, for two of three coring sites, a possible positive trend in phosphorus deposition was indicated. The Wakarusa River possibly was a larger contributor of nitrogen and phosphorus to Clinton Lake than was Rock Creek. As a principal limiting factor for primary production in most freshwater environments, phosphorus is of particular importance because increased inputs can contribute to accelerated reservoir eutrophication and the production of algal toxins and taste-and-odor compounds. Trace-element concentrations in the bottom sediment of Clinton Lake generally were uniform over time. As is typical for eastern Kansas reservoirs, arsenic, chromium, and nickel concentrations typically exceeded the threshold-effects guidelines, which represent the concentrations above which toxic biological effects occasionally occur. Zinc concentrations frequently exceeded the threshold-effects guideline. Trace-element concentrations did not exceed the probable-effects guidelines (available for eight trace elements), which represent the concentrations above which toxic biological effects usually or frequently occur. Cyanobacterial akinetes (cyanobacteria resting stage) in the bottom sediment of Clinton Lake, combined with historical water-quality data on chlorophyll-a and total phosphorus concentrations, indicated that the reservoir likely has been eutrophic throughout most of its history. A statistically significant increase in cyanobacterial akinetes in the bottom sediment indicated that Clinton Lake may have become more eutrophic over the life of the reservoir. The increase in cyanobacterial akinetes may, in part, be related to a possible increase in total phosphorus concentrations.

  14. Concentrations and Loads of Nutrients and Suspended Sediments in Englesby Brook and Little Otter Creek, Lake Champlain Basin, Vermont, 2000-2005

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Medalie, Laura

    2007-01-01

    The effectiveness of best-management practices (BMPs) in improving water quality in Lake Champlain tributaries was evaluated from 2000 through 2005 on the basis of analysis of data collected on concentrations of total phosphorus and suspended sediment in Englesby Brook, an urban stream in Burlington, and Little Otter Creek, an agricultural stream in Ferrisburg. Data also were collected on concentrations of total nitrogen in the Englesby Brook watershed. In the winter of 2001-2002, one of three planned structural BMPs was installed in the urban watershed. At approximately the same time, a set of barnyard BMPs was installed in the agricultural watershed; however, the other planned BMPs, which included streambank fencing and nutrient management, were not implemented within the study period. At Englesby Brook, concentrations of phosphorus ranged from 0.024 to 0.3 milligrams per liter (mg/L) during base-flow and from 0.032 to 11.8 mg/L during high-flow conditions. Concentrations of suspended sediment ranged from 3 to 189 mg/L during base-flow and from 5 to 6,880 mg/L during high-flow conditions. An assessment of the effectiveness of an urban BMP was made by comparing concentrations and loads of phosphorus and suspended sediment before and after a golf-course irrigation pond in the Englesby Brook watershed was retrofitted with the objective of reducing sediment transport. Results from a modified paired watershed study design showed that the BMP reduced concentrations of phosphorus and suspended sediment during high-flow events - when average streamflow was greater than 3 cubic feet per second. While construction of the BMP did not reduce storm loads of phosphorus or suspended sediment, an evaluation of changes in slope of double-mass curves showing cumulative monthly streamflow plotted against cumulative monthly loads indicated a possible reduction in cumulative loads of phosphorus and suspended sediment after BMP construction. Results from the Little Otter Creek assessment of agricultural BMPs showed that concentrations of phosphorus ranged from 0.016 to 0.141 mg/L during base-flow and from 0.019 to 0.565 mg/L during high-flow conditions at the upstream monitoring station. Concentrations of suspended sediment ranged from 2 to 13 mg/L during base-flow and from 1 to 473 mg/L during high-flow conditions at the upstream monitoring station. Concentrations of phosphorus ranged from 0.018 to 0.233 mg/L during base-flow and from 0.019 to 1.95 mg/L during high-flow conditions at the downstream monitoring station. Concentrations of suspended sediment ranged from 10 to 132 mg/L during base-flow and from 8 to 1,190 mg/L during high-flow conditions at the downstream monitoring station. Annual loads of phosphorus at the downstream monitoring station were significantly larger than loads at the upstream monitoring station, and annual loads of suspended sediment at the downstream monitoring station were larger than loads at the upstream monitoring station for 4 out of 6 years. On a monthly basis, loads of phosphorus and suspended sediment at the downstream monitoring station were significantly larger than loads at the upstream monitoring station. Pairs of concentrations of phosphorus and monthly loads of phosphorus and suspended sediment from the upstream and downstream monitoring stations were evaluated using the paired watershed study design. The only significant reduction between the calibration and treatment periods was for monthly loads of phosphorus; all other evaluations showed no change between periods.

  15. Improving phosphorus uptake and wheat productivity by phosphoric acid application in alkaline calcareous soils.

    PubMed

    Akhtar, Muhammad; Yaqub, Muhammad; Naeem, Asif; Ashraf, Muhammad; Hernandez, Vicente Espinosa

    2016-08-01

    Low phosphorus (P) efficiency from existing granular fertilisers necessitates searching for efficient alternatives to improve wheat productivity in calcareous soil. Multi-location trials have shown that phosphoric acid (PA) produced 16% higher wheat grain over commercial P fertilisers, i.e. diammonium phosphate (DAP) and triple superphosphate (TSP). Methods of P application significantly influenced grain yield and the efficiency of methods was observed in the order: PA placement below seed > PA, DAP or TSP fertigation > DAP or TSP broadcast. The sub-surface application of PA produced highest grain yields (mean of all rates), i.e. 4669, 4158 and 3910 kg ha(-1) in Bagh, Bhalwal and Shahpur soil series, respectively. Phosphoric acid at 66 kg P2 O5 ha(-1) was found more effective in increasing gain yield over that of control. Trend in grain P uptake was found similar to that observed for grain yield. Maximum P uptake by grain was recorded at the highest P rate and the lowest at zero P. The significant increase in P uptake with P rates was generally related to the increase in yield rather than its concentration in grain. Phosphorus agronomic efficiency (PAE) and phosphorus recovery efficiency (PRE) were found higher at lower P rate (44 kg P2 O5 ha(-1) ) and decreased with P application. However, PA applied by the either method resulted in higher PAE and PRE compared to DAP and TSP. Phosphoric acid is suggested as an efficient alternative to commercial granular P fertilisers for wheat production in alkaline calcareous soils. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

  16. Nitrogen fixation in the activated sludge treatment of thermomechanical pulping wastewater: effect of dissolved oxygen.

    PubMed

    Slade, A H; Anderson, S M; Evans, B G

    2003-01-01

    N-ViroTech, a novel technology which selects for nitrogen-fixing bacteria as the bacteria primarily responsible for carbon removal, has been developed to treat nutrient limited wastewaters to a high quality without the addition of nitrogen, and only minimal addition of phosphorus. Selection of the operating dissolved oxygen level to maximise nitrogen fixation forms a key component of the technology. Pilot scale activated sludge treatment of a thermomechanical pulping wastewater was carried out in nitrogen-fixing mode over a 15 month period. The effect of dissolved oxygen was studied at three levels: 14% (Phase 1), 5% (Phase 2) and 30% (Phase 3). The plant was operated at an organic loading of 0.7-1.1 kg BOD5/m3/d, a solids retention time of approximately 10 d, a hydraulic retention time of 1.4 d and a F:M ratio of 0.17-0.23 mg BOD5/mg VSS/d. Treatment performance was very stable over the three dissolved oxygen operating levels. The plant achieved 94-96% BOD removal, 82-87% total COD removal, 79-87% soluble COD removal, and >99% total extractives removal. The lowest organic carbon removals were observed during operation at 30% DO but were more likely to be due to phosphorus limitation than operation at high dissolved oxygen, as there was a significant decrease in phosphorus entering the plant during Phase 3. Discharge of dissolved nitrogen, ammonium and oxidised nitrogen were consistently low (1.1-1.6 mg/L DKN, 0.1-0.2 mg/L NH4+-N and 0.0 mg/L oxidised nitrogen). Discharge of dissolved phosphorus was 2.8 mg/L, 0.1 mg/L and 0.6 mg/L DRP in Phases 1, 2 and 3 respectively. It was postulated that a population of polyphosphate accumulating bacteria developed during Phase 1. Operation at low dissolved oxygen during Phase 2 appeared to promote biological phosphorus uptake which may have been affected by raising the dissolved oxygen to 30% in Phase 3. Total nitrogen and phosphorus discharge was dependent on efficient secondary clarification, and improved over the course of the study as suspended solids discharge improved. Nitrogen fixation was demonstrated throughout the study using an acetylene reduction assay. Based on nitrogen balances around the plant, there was a 55, 354 and 98% increase in nitrogen during Phases 1, 2 and 3 respectively. There was a significant decrease in phosphorus between Phases 1 and 2, and Phase 3 of the study, as well as a significant increase in nitrogen between Phases 2 and 3 which masked the effect of changing the dissolved oxygen. Operation at low dissolved oxygen appeared to confer a competitive advantage to the nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

  17. Hydrology, water quality, and response to changes in phosphorus loading of Minocqua and Kawaguesaga Lakes, Oneida County, Wisconsin, with special emphasis on effects of urbanization

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Garn, Herbert S.; Robertson, Dale M.; Rose, William J.; Saad, David A.

    2010-01-01

    Minocqua and Kawaguesaga Lakes are 1,318- and 690-acre interconnected lakes in the popular recreation area of north-central Wisconsin. The lakes are the lower end of a complex chain of lakes in Oneida and Vilas Counties, Wis. There is concern that increased stormwater runoff from rapidly growing residential/commercial developments and impervious surfaces from the urbanized areas of the Town of Minocqua and Woodruff, as well as increased effluent from septic systems around their heavily developed shoreline has increased nutrient loading to the lakes. Maintaining the quality of the lakes to sustain the tourist-based economy of the towns and the area was a concern raised by the Minocqua/Kawaguesaga Lakes Protection Association. Following several small studies, a detailed study during 2006 and 2007 was done by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Minocqua/Kawaguesaga Lakes Protection Association through the Town of Minocqua to describe the hydrology and water quality of the lakes, quantify the sources of phosphorus including those associated with urban development and to better understand the present and future effects of phosphorus loading on the water quality of the lakes. The water quality of Minocqua and Kawaguesaga Lakes appears to have improved since 1963, when a new sewage-treatment plant was constructed and its discharge was bypassed around the lakes, resulting in a decrease in phosphorus loading to the lakes. Since the mid-1980s, the water quality of the lakes has changed little in response to fluctuations in phosphorus loading from the watershed. From 1986 to 2009, summer average concentrations of near-surface total phosphorus in the main East Basin of Minocqua Lake fluctuated from 0.009 mg/L to 0.027 mg/L but generally remained less than 0.022 mg/L, indicating that the lake is mesotrophic. Phosphorus concentrations from 1988 through 1996, however, were lower than the long-term average, possibly the result of an extended drought in the area. Water-quality data for Kawaguesaga Lake had a similar pattern to that of Minocqua Lake. Summer average chlorophyll a concentrations and Secchi depths also indicate that the lakes generally are mesotrophic but occasionally borderline eutrophic, with no long-term trends. During the study, major water and phosphorus sources were measured directly, and minor sources were estimated to construct detailed water and phosphorus budgets for the lakes for monitoring years (MY) 2006 and 2007. During these years, the Minocqua Thoroughfare contributed about 38 percent of the total inflow to the lakes, and Tomahawk Thoroughfare contributed 34 percent; near-lake inflow, precipitation, and groundwater contributed about 1, 16, and 11 percent of the total inflow, respectively. Water leaves the lakes primarily through the Tomahawk River outlet (83 percent) or by evaporation (14 percent), with minor outflow to groundwater. Total input of phosphorus to both lakes was about 3,440 pounds in MY 2006 and 2,200 pounds in MY 2007. The largest sources of phosphorus entering the lakes were the Minocqua and Tomahawk Thoroughfares, which delivered about 39 and 26 percent of the total, respectively. The near-lake drainage area, containing most of the urban and residential developments, disproportionately accounted for about 12 percent of the total phosphorus input but only about 1 percent of the total water input (estimated with WinSLAMM). The next largest contributions were from septic systems and precipitation, each contributing about 10 percent, whereas groundwater delivered about 4 percent of the total phosphorus input. Empirical lake water-quality models within BATHTUB were used to simulate the response of Minocqua and Kawaguesaga Lakes to 19 phosphorus-loading scenarios. These scenarios included the current base years (2006?07) for which lake water quality and loading were known, nine general increases or decreases in phosphorus loading from controllable external sources (inputs from the tributa

  18. Abrupt stop of deep water turnover with lake warming: Drastic consequences for algal primary producers.

    PubMed

    Yankova, Yana; Neuenschwander, Stefan; Köster, Oliver; Posch, Thomas

    2017-10-23

    After strong fertilization in the 20 th century, many deep lakes in Central Europe are again nutrient poor due to long-lasting restoration (re-oligotrophication). In line with reduced phosphorus and nitrogen loadings, total organismic productivity decreased and lakes have now historically low nutrient and biomass concentrations. This caused speculations that restoration was overdone and intended fertilizations are needed to ensure ecological functionality. Here we show that recent re-oligotrophication processes indeed accelerated, however caused by lake warming. Rising air temperatures strengthen thermal stabilization of water columns which prevents thorough turnover (holomixis). Reduced mixis impedes down-welling of oxygen rich epilimnetic (surface) and up-welling of phosphorus and nitrogen rich hypolimnetic (deep) water. However, nutrient inputs are essential for algal spring blooms acting as boost for annual food web successions. We show that repeated lack (since 1977) and complete stop (since 2013) of holomixis caused drastic epilimnetic phosphorus depletions and an absence of phytoplankton spring blooms in Lake Zurich (Switzerland). By simulating holomixis in experiments, we could induce significant vernal algal blooms, confirming that there would be sufficient hypolimnetic phosphorus which presently accumulates due to reduced export. Thus, intended fertilizations are highly questionable, as hypolimnetic nutrients will become available during future natural or artificial turnovers.

  19. High pressure chemistry of red phosphorus by photo-activated simple molecules

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ceppatelli, M.; Fanetti, S.; Bini, R.; Caporali, M.; Peruzzini, M.

    2014-05-01

    High pressure (HP) is very effective in reducing intermolecular distances and inducing unexpected chemical reactions. In addition the photo-activation of the reactants in HP conditions can lead to very efficient and selective processes. The chemistry of phosphorus is currently based on the white molecular form. The red polymeric allotrope, despite more stable and much less toxic, has not attracted much attention so far. However, switching from the white to the red form would benefit any industrial procedure, especially from an environmental point of view. On the other side, water and ethanol are renewable, environmental friendly and largely available molecules, usable as reactants and photo-activators in HP conditions. Here we report a study on the HP photo-induced reactivity of red phosphorus with water and ethanol, showing the possibility of very efficient and selective processes, leading to molecular hydrogen and valuable phosphorus compounds. The reactions have been studied by means of FTIR and Raman spectroscopy and pressure has been generated using membrane Diamond (DAC) and Sapphire (SAC) anvil cells. HP reactivity has been activated by the two-photon absorption of near-UV wavelengths and occurred in total absence of solvents, catalysts and radical initiators, at room T and mild pressure conditions (0.2-1.5 GPa).

  20. Nutrient budgets and trophic state in a hypersaline coastal lagoon: Lagoa de Araruama, Brazil

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Souza, Marcelo F. L.; Kjerfve, Björn; Knoppers, Bastiaan; Landim de Souza, Weber F.; Damasceno, Raimundo N.

    2003-08-01

    Lagoa de Araruama in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a hypersaline lagoon with salinity varying spatially from 45 to 56. We collected water samples during monthly cruises throughout the lagoon, and along the streams feeding the system, from April 1991 to March 1992. Nutrients and other water quality parameters exhibited great spatial and temporal variations. Mass balance calculations indicate large amounts of anthropogenic nutrient inputs. The data indicate that the lagoon currently is oligotrophic but is in a state of transition to become a mesotrophic system. Molar dissolved inorganic nitrogen:dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIN/DIP) varied between 2.2:1 and 659:1 with a volume-weighted average of 22:1. The high DIN/DIP ratio contrasts with that found in nearby lagoons, suggesting that phytoplankton primary production is limited by phosphorus in Lagoa de Araruama. The major loss of DIP is apparently driven by biological assimilation and diagenic reactions in the sediments. Calculations indicate that the lagoon is slightly net autotrophic at +0.9 mol C m -2 yr -1. This suggests that the biomass of the primary producers is restricted by phosphorus availability. Phosphorus retention in the sediment and the hypersaline state of the lagoon prevent changes in autotrophic communities and the formation of eutrophic conditions.

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