A comparative study was conducted to investigate the adsorption characteristics of phosphorus (P) on two soil samples collected from a typical subtropical reservoir and to reveal the possible influence of alternating exposure and inundation on the P adsorption onto soil in a water level fluctuation zone. Short-term batch experiments were performed, and characterization methods, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, were also used. The P adsorption kinetics for both soils was best described by a pseudo-second order model (R 2 > 0.99). A modified Langmuir model described the P adsorption on both samples well, and low temperature increased the risk of releasing soil P into the overlying water. Low pH values were not conducive to the P adsorption process. It appeared that alternating exposure and inundation had no significant impact on the adsorption capacity of P onto soil from water level fluctuation zones in this research. pH, SEM, and FT-IR analyses demonstrated that Fe, Al, and Ca contained in the clay minerals of the soil played an important role in the adsorption of P onto soil from water level fluctuation zone.Abbreviations: BET, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller; EPC 0 , zero equilibrium phosphorus concentration value; FT-IR, Fourier transform infrared; NAP, native-adsorbed exchangeable phosphorus; SEM, scanning electron microscopy; XRF, X-ray fluorescence.
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