Phosphorus readsorption on Occoquan sediments
The purpose of this investigation was to determine the extent of phosphorus readsorption on Occoquan sediments and the amount of subsequent removal because of settling of the particles with time. Occoquan sediments were placed in six polyurethane cylinders and submerged. In two separate experiments,...
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| Format: | Others |
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Virginia Tech
2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10919/43884 http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-07242012-040030/ |
| Summary: | The purpose of this investigation was to determine the extent of
phosphorus readsorption on Occoquan sediments and the amount of subsequent
removal because of settling of the particles with time. Occoquan
sediments were placed in six polyurethane cylinders and submerged. In two separate experiments, the cylinders were driven anaerobic,
which allowed phosphorus, previously bound in the sediments,
to release. The sedimentâ water system was then reaerated and mixed
with a porous air diffuser. Analyses were conducted before and after
the mixing period.
From the results obtained, the following conclusions were drawn:
phosphate readsorption occurred upon mixing the system, and as the
turbidity decreased, the phosphate concentration decreased; phosphate readsorption occurred in a twoâ step process; each suspension tended
toward equilibrium after mixing; interstitial waters contributed significant
amounts of phosphorus upon mixing of the sedimentâ water
systems; Occoquan sediments released variable amounts of phosphorus
even within samples from similar sites; sediments from the Occoquan
Creek arm contained less phosphorus than Bull Run sediments; and
sediments low in phosphorus concentrations removed greater amounts
of phosphorus in a shorter period of time. === Master of Science |
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