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Comparative study of phosphorus sorption characteristics and behaviours of Kilimanjaro-Pumice and Rungwe-Pumice wetland soils

Author Affiliations

  • 1Department of Environmental Engineering, P.O Box 35176, Ardhi University, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Int. Res. J. Environment Sci., Volume 7, Issue (8), Pages 8-15, August,22 (2018)

Abstract

Kilimanjaro-Pumice and Rungwe-Pumice soils are potential media for phosphorus removal in constructed wetlands. The characteristics and behaviours of these soils in phosphorus sorption were carried in batch experiments at laboratory scale by which three varied sizes of Kilimanjaro-Pumice and Rungwe-Pumice soils were tested. For the phosphorus sorption isotherms, the findings reveal that Kilimanjaro soil has high ability in sorbing phosphorus compared to Rungwe-Pumice soil. The capacities for the Kilimanjaro-Pumice and Rungwe-Pumice soils in phosphorus sorption were 2.50 and 2.20 grams Phosphorus per kilogram of soil, respectively. For finer (1-2mm) and courser (4-8mm) particle sizes; about fifty percent of sorption in Kilimanjaro soil occurred in the 18th and 20th hour, correspondingly, while for Rungwe-Pumice soil, it occurred in the 17th and 18th hour, correspondingly. They were no significant influence of temperature on sorption of phosphorus for the finer particle when compared to 2-4mm and 4-8mm particle sizes. Both Kilimanjaro-Pumice and Rungwe-Pumice soils have good capacity in reducing phosphorus from wastewater. They are suggested to be utilized as constructed wetlands soils for removal of phosphorus.

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