Effects of different dosing modes of calcium nitrate on P locking in sediment and nutrient concentrations in waters

Sediment is an endogenous pollution source, which often leads water systems to eutrophication due to the release of nutrients, especially phosphorus (P). Calcium nitrate (CN) was dosed to the water systems under different modes to control P release from the sediments in this study. A 63-day static laboratory test was conducted to explore the effects of intermittent dosing and one-time dosing modes of CN on P locking in the sediment and the concentrations of nitrogen (N) and P in waters. Results showed that 89% total phosphorus (TP) in the overlying water and 91% TP in the interstitial water of sediment were reduced in the intermittent dosing reactor, which were 4% and 13% higher than those in the one-time dosing reactor, respectively. Thus, the concentration of TP in the overlying water of the dosing reactors was both below 0.1 mg/L during the whole experiment. Meanwhile, the mean values of oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) in the sediment increased to − 110.7 ± 42.02 mV when CN was added intermittently, which were significantly higher than those of the one-time dosing reactor (− 158.3 ± 44.61 mV) and control reactor (− 320.7 ± 0.05 mV). Compared with one-time dosing mode, the intermittent dosing not only reduced the maximum concentrations of NO₂⁻-N from 9.21 to 1.79 mg/L and NO₃⁻-N from 92.42 to 27.58 mg/L but also shorten their retention time in the overlying water, which might depress the toxic threats to aquatic animals in water environments. Therefore, the intermittent dosing of CN could not only improve the P locking effect but also minimize the risks to aquatic animals in water environments under the premise of reasonable dosage selected. In a word, this research provided an effective operation mode for locking P with CN in the heavily polluted water bodies, which is also advantageous to avoid toxic threats to aquatic animals in water environment.