SORPTION AND DESORPTION OF ORTHOPHOSPHATE AND PYROPHOSPHATE BY MINERAL FRACTIONS OF SOILS, GOETHITE, AND KAOLINITE

Sorption-desorption reactions of orthophosphate (OP) and pyrophosphate (PP) were studied in two size fractions of Quebec soils (St. Bernard and Dalhousie) and minerals (goethite and kaolinite). Soil and mineral samples were fractionated into two separates (20.0-2.0-mu-m and 2.0-0.2-mu-m). The soils had similar mineral suites, but the St. Bernard have more vermiculite, chlorite, and quartz in the coarser fraction than the Dalhousie soil, perhaps an indication of different origin of parent material. Soil and goethite samples sorbed more OP than PP whereas kaolinite sorbed small but similar amounts of PP and OP. The PP and OP sorption was found to be significantly correlated with acid ammonium oxalate extractable Fe, but not with dithionite extractable Fe. Kaolinite desorbed similar amounts of OP and PP whereas more OP than PP was desorbed from soil and goethite samples. The degree of subsequent desorption seemed to be related to degree of sorption. The lack of similarity between sorption and desorption isotherms may indicate that sorption isotherms are of limited value in P fertilizer studies especially with regard to the estimation of subsequent P release in fertilized soils. Smaller particle sizes and their larger specific surface area resulted in higher OP and PP sorption compared with the coarser particle sizes. For OP sorption, the Langmuir equation yielded the closest fit in comparison to Freundlich and Temkin equations; the Freundlich equation gave the closest fit for PP sorption data. The Langmuir equation failed to fit desorption data.