Effect of temperature on kinetics of phosphorus isotope sorption by soils

Sorption of water soluble P by soils may be approximated by a rapid plus a slow processes. The rapid process of P sorption was studied on samples of five characteristic Hungarian soil types (meadow soil from Hajduboszormeny, brown forest soil from Keszthely, chernozem soil from Oroshaza and sandy soil from Orbottyan), using 32P isotope technique. Kinetics of 32P sorption and the effect of temperature (0, 25, and 40oC) on the processes were investigated. The kinetic data were evaluated using the Christiansen equation. The activation energy and activation entropy of the processes were calculated from the temperature-dependence of the kinetic constants. The following conclusions were drawn: 1. The amount of sorbed P increases with increasing temperature, the increase is different in different soil types depending on soil characteristics. 2. Two processes of different velocity may be distinguished in the rapid P sorption under our experimental conditions. 3. The activation energy of the faster process is 25-50 kJ/mol. This suggests that film diffusion of phosphorus is the rate-limiting process in the first step of P sorption. 4. The activation energy of the slower process of rapid sorption is less than that of the faster process. 5. In contrast, the activation entropy of the slower process is twice as high (in absolute values) as that of the first, instantaneous process. The slower process is probably connected with a structural rearrangement of the sorption layer, i.e. the phosphorus becomes more firmly held. 6. This rearrangement is supported also by our previous studies on the reversibility of 32P sorption. (author)