P Concentrations in Environmental Samples
Dana Zimmer, Karen Baumann
Even if the total element concentrations should always be determined in environmental samples, the bioavailability or binding form of an element is very often of particular interest. Therefore, different wet-chemical and spectroscopic methods exist to determine the phosphorus forms in environmental samples.
An overview of P binding forms in soils as well as restrictions and difficulties in determination is presented by Cade-Menun and Liu (2013) and is briefly presented here:
In soils, P occurs as organically and inorganically bound P. Inorganic P forms are orthophosphates, pyrophosphates and polyphosphates. At natural pH values in soils, orthophosphates exist as H2PO4– or HPO42−. Polyphosphates are chains of orthophosphates with a length of at least two and up to more than 100 orthophosphate groups (pyrophosphate). Organic P is subdivided into orthophosphate monoesters, orthophosphate diesters and phosphonates, based on binding of P to C (see also Turner et al 2005). The general structure of the orthophosphate monoesters is ROPO32− (with R being an organic residue), with one orthophosphate per C. They include sugar phosphates (e.g. glucose 6-phosphate), mononucleotides and inositol phosphates. Orthophosphate diesters [R1O(R2O)PO2−, with R1 and R2 being C-residues] have two C per orthophosphate. This includes nucleic acids, phospholipids and lipoteichoic acids. Phosphonates are differentiated from other organic P forms because they have a direct C-P-bond (no ester bond via O). Their general structure is RP(O)(OH)2 and includes 2-aminoethylphosphonic acid (AEP), antibiotics such as Fosfomycin and agrochemicals such as the herbicide glyphosate. Organic polyphosphates such as nicotinamide adenosine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) contain both monoesters and polyphosphate groups.
There are different methods for characterising P in soils such as wet-chemical (e.g. sequential extractions (e.g. Hedley et al. 1982)) and single extractions, which try to characterise different P binding forms, different bioavailability/P-binding (e.g. DL-extract, oxalate-extract) but also spectroscopic methods (e.g. 31P-NMR), which determine the P binding forms directly. Wet-chemical methods like the sequential P extraction are operationally defined (see also Bacon and Davidson 2008, Rennert 2019) and do not represent the true binding forms in soil. The extracted P pools base on solubility of P compounds in the extracting agents. Additionally, the extracting agents can change the binding forms of the element during extraction (see also Bacon and Davidson 2008, Negassa and Leinweber 2009). When interpreting the results of such extractions, such as the double lactate (DL) extract for estimating plant-available P (estimation necessary P for fertilisation), it is preferred to call it "DL-extractable P" instead of "plant available P".
For sequential extraction procedures such as the Hedley fractionations, the extracts are mainly differentiated colorimetrically (e.g. molybdenum blue) by measuring "inorganic P" (Pi) and calculating "organic P" (Po) as the difference to total P (e.g. by ICP) . These terms are not precise either, since the colorimetric analysis does not determine all inorganic P. Only the orthophosphate P can be determined, which reacts with the colour reagent. Complex inorganic P forms such as pyrophosphates and polyphosphates as well as colloidal P forms cannot react with the colour reagent and are assigned to the organic P pool although they do not contain C (see also Condron and Newman 2011). Conversely, the low pH value of the colour reagent can degrade organic P and polyphosphates to orthophosphates which in turn appear as inorganic P. For these reasons, the terms "molybdate-reactive P" and "non-reactive P" are the more correct terms (Haygarth and Sharpley 2000, Felgentreu et al. 2018).
References
Bacon JR, Davidson CM (2008) Is there a future for sequential chemical extraction? Analyst, 133, 25–46, DOI: 10.1039/b711896a
Cade-Menun B and Liu CW (2013) Solution Phosphorus-31 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of soils from 2005 to 2013: A review of sample preparation and experimental parameters. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 78, 19–37, DOI: 10.2136/sssaj2013.05.0187dgs
Condron LM, Newman S (2011) Revisiting the fundamentals of phosphorus fractionation of sediments and soils. J Soils Sediments 11, 830–840, DOI: 10.1007/s11368-011-0363-2
Felgentreu L, Nausch G, Bitschowsky F, Nausch M, Schulz-Bull D (2018) Colorimetric chemical differentiation and detection of phosphorus in eutrophic and high particulate waters: advantages of a new monitoring approach. Frontiers in Marine Science 5, article 212, DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2018.00212
Haygarth PM, Sharpley AN (2000) Terminology for phosphorus transfer. Environ. Qual. 29, 10–1, DOI: 10.2134/jeq2000.00472425002900010002x
Hedley MJ, Stewart JWB., Chauhan BS (1982) Changes in inorganic and organic soil phosphorus fractions by cultivation practices and by laboratory incubations. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 46, 970-976, DOI: 10.2136/sssaj1982.03615995004600050017x
Negassa W, and Leinweber P (2009) How does the Hedley sequential phosphorus fractionation reflect impacts of land use and management on soil phosphorus: A review. J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci. 172: 305–325, DOI: 10.1002/jpln.200800223
Rennert T (2019) Wet-chemical extractions to characterise pedogenic Al and Fe species – a critical review. Soil Res 57, 1–16, DOI: 10.1071/SR18299
Turner BL, Cade-Menun BJ, Condron LM, Newman S (2005a) Extraction of soil organic phosphorus. Talanta 66: 294–306, DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2004.11.012
For citation: Zimmer D, Baumann K (year of download) Chapter 1.1.1 P binding forms in soils (Version 1.0) in Zimmer D, Baumann K, Berthold M, Schumann R: Handbook on the Selection of Methods for Digestion and Determination of Total Phosphorus in Environmental Samples. DOI: 10.12754/misc-2020-0001
Karen Baumann, Dana Zimmer, Rhena Schumann
In nature, phosphorus (P) is almost exclusively found in apatite minerals (Ca5[(F,Cl,OH)(PO4)3]). Their total P concentrations vary between 2 to 16 % depending on their history of origins (Gwosdz 2006 cited in Killiches 2013, table 1.1). Apatites can be formed marine-sedimentary, magmatic or by guano deposition (Killiches 2013).
The marine sedimentary rock "rock phosphate" is a mixture of apatite and organic compounds. It can be found as nodules, crusts and concretions in marine clay minerals (Richter 1992) and has higher P concentrations compared to magmatic rocks (Killiches 2013). This rock phosphate develops through biological processes (e.g. accumulation of P from animal excrements, bones) or chemical processes such as precipitation from sea water. P-rich marine sedimentary rock is lifted up to the earth's surface by geological processes (Filippelli 2011). Therefore, most of it can be mined in open pits.
At the earth's surface phosphorite is build up, if phosphoric acid from seabird excrements is reacting with underlying limestone (Hintze 1933). This phosphorite is also called "guano" (Quechua: fertilizer). The fine-grained material consists of different phosphates such as apatite, limestone and organic compounds and has total P concentrations of 10 to 20 % (Filippelli et al. 2011).
In magmatic rock (e.g. granite), apatite minerals consist of microliths, microscopic inclusions or crystals in the main components feldspar, quartz and mica and/or they are in in druses of granite, developed by precipitation from solution (Roth 1883). Apatite concentrations are less than 1 % (= accessory rock contents) (Fiedler 2001).
Apatites can develop by biomineralisation (e.g. in soil, as dental plaque, in bones or coral skeleton). By this process apatite crystals precipitate well-ordered in reaction compartments (Mann & Ozin 1996). P concentrations of some products can be found in the respective chapter. Hydroxyapatite can be synthesized chemically from CaCl2 und Na2HPO4 in NaOH (Tiselius et al. 1956). High-purity hydroxyapatite can be used for chromatographic segregation material for biopolymers or for substation of bones (Tiselius et al. 1956, Damien & Parsons 1991).
In geology and mineralogy, P concentrations in mineral rock phosphates are determined by acid digestion (e.g. Aydin et al. 2009) or X-ray fluorescence analysis (e.g. Fabbi 1971).
| Matrix | Concentration (% P) |
Note | Reference | |
| Apatite minerals |
general mineral formula: Ca5[(F,Cl,OH)(PO4)3 |
2-16 | depending on origin |
Killiches (2013) |
| Phosphorite | marine sediment rock | 10-20 | typical: carbonate fluorine apatite |
Fillippelli et al. (2011) |
| Guano (bird excrements on limestone) | carbonate fluorine apatite |
Schenker (2012), Hintze (1933) |
||
| Magmatic rock |
in granite: often inclusion in other minerals | < 1 | typical: fluorine apatite |
Roth (1983), Fiedler (2001) |
References
Aydin I, Imamoglu S, Aydin F, Saydut A, Hamamci C (2009) Determination of mineral phosphate species in sedimentary phosphate rock in Mardin, SE Anatolia, Turkey by sequential extraction. Microchem J 91: 63-69, DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2008.08.001
Damien CJ, Parsons JR (1991) Bone graft and bone graft substitutes: A review of current technology and applications. J Appl Biomaterials 2: 187-208, DOI: 10.1002/jab.770020307
Fabbi BP (1971) Rapid X-Ray fluorescence determination of phosphorus in geologic samples. Appl Spectrosc 25: 41-43, DOI: 10.1366/000370271774371137
Fiedler HJ (2001) Böden und Bodenfunktionen. In Ökosystemen, Landschaften und Ballungsgebieten. Expert-Verlag, Renningen
Filippelli GM (2011) Phosphate rock formation and marine phosphorus geochemistry: The deep time perspective. Chemosphere 84: 759-766, DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2011.02.019
Hintze C (1933) Handbuch der Mineralogie. Borate, Aluminate und Ferrate. Phosphate, Arseniate, Antimoniate, Vanadate, Niobate und Tantalate. Vol. 1, Section 4 Half 1. Walter de Gruyter & Co-Verlag, Berlin
Killiches F (2013) Phosphat: Mineralischer Rohstoff und unverzichtbarer Nährstoff für die Ernährungssicherheit weltweit. Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Mann S, Ozin GA (1996) Synthesis of inorganic materials with complex form. Nature 382: 313-318, DOI: 10.1038/382313a0
Richter D (1992) Allgemeine Geologie. de Gruyter Verlag Berlin, New York. 4th extended ed.
Roth JLA (1883) Allgemeine und chemische Geologie. Vol. 2, Wilhelm Hertz Verlag, Berlin
Schenker F (2012) Phosphor und Phosphate. In: Rohstoffe der Erde. Skript ETHZ http://www.sgtk.ch/rkuendig/dokumente/Skript_RdE_2012_Seiten_51-73.pdf
Tiselius A, Hjertén S, Levin Ö (1956) Protein Chromatography on Calcium Phosphate Columns. Arch Biochem Biophys 65: 132-155, DOI: 10.1016/0003-9861(56)90183-7
For citation: Baumann K, Zimmer D, Schumann R (year of download) Chapter 1.2 Concentrations in Mineral Rock Phosphates (Version 1.0) in Zimmer D, Baumann K, Berthold M, Schumann R: Handbook on the Selection of Methods for Digestion and Determination of Total Phosphorus in Environmental Samples. DOI: 10.12754/misc-2020-0001
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Karen Baumann, Dana Zimmer, Simone Tränckner, Rhena Schumann
Sewage is water that has already been used (e.g. in households, in industry) and can therefore have an increased P load. Phosphorus in the effluent of a wastewater treatment plant is a key quality parameter in wastewater treatment.
Process water is water that is used for specific, usually industrial purposes and which has to meet certain requirements, e.g. in terms of its P content, often also in terms of lime content, conductivity and pH value. The desired water quality is achieved by eliminating or adding certain P-containing substances.
In Germany, the population-specific P load in municipal sewage is currently assumed to be 1.8 g TP per inhabitant per day (ATV-DVWKA 198). Industrial sewage is sector-specific. Donnert and Salecker (1999), for example, determined 159 mg TP l-1 in the sewage of a starch factory and 5 to 100 mg TP l-1 in the sewage of a car factory. Assuming such industrial effluents, this results in phosphorus contents in the influent of the wastewater treatment plants that can deviate significantly in some cases from the typical values listed in Table 1.5-1.
For treated sewage, there are minimum requirements for P concentrations when discharging sewage into bodies of water, which are regulated by the sewage regulation ("Abwasserverordnung", AbwV 31.03.1997) in Germany. For municipal sewage, a TP concentration of 2 mg l-1 in the effluent (water after clarification) must be complied with for sewage treatment plant size class 4 (approx. 10,000 population equivalents) and above, and 1 mg TP l-1 for sewage treatment plant size class 5 (approx. 100,000 population equivalents) and above. Operational sewage is also subject to official requirements regarding its discharge into the environment. Sector-specific minimum requirements are contained in the annexes to the AbwV. Further requirements may be formulated by the competent authorities for specific water bodies.
P can be removed from sewage biologically and/or chemically. In principle, microorganisms also absorb P from the sewage for their cell structure and metabolism when decomposing organic carbon compounds and build up biomass. In this way, P is biologically transferred from the sewage water into the sewage sludge, which can then be used as an organic fertilizer, in landscaping or can be used for thermal recycling, depending on its overall composition. Tränckner et al. (2016) state a biological elimination efficiency for P of 47 % in relation to the inflow value. Special process management (anaerobic, aerobic cycles) can double the biological P elimination (Cramer et al. 2018). However, as P retention in biological processes often cannot be operated with a sufficiently high degree of efficiency or sufficient process stability, P is usually additionally precipitated by using metal salts (SEG 2014). Examples of TP concentrations in sewage and its treatment products can be found in Table 1.5-1.
| Example | Type | TP (mg l-1 for water, mg kg-1 for sludge and ash) |
Source |
| All wastewater treatment plants in Germany |
Before clarification | 0,9 – 12,4 | DWA-Leistungs- vergleich 2016 |
| After clarification | 0,41 – 0,84 | ||
| All wastewater treatment plants in Baden-Württemberg |
Before clarification | 5,9 | MUV-BM (2003) |
| After clarification | 1,7 | ||
| After clarification with phosphate precipitation |
0,7 | ||
| Sewage sludge (2006) | 24,5 | UBA (2013) | |
| Ash | From household sewage | 40-130 | Regeneration station Stuttgart |
In particular, the P concentration in sewage sludge depends on the P concentration in the sewage to be treated and thus on its source (urban/ industrial area). It is also influenced by the effectiveness of the biological and chemical processes during the treatment process.
Increased requirements are placed on water with regard to water quality if it is used in industrial plants (e.g. power plants) for the industrial manufacture of products (e.g. medicines) or in laboratories (chemical analysis). The elimination of P is achieved through the use of various processes, such as reverse osmosis or the ion exchange process. Quality differences between these different process waters are defined by the conductivity of the respective water (Table 1.5-2) and checked also using blank value target charts for the analyte concentrations (TP or phosphate) (Chapter 6.3).
| Matrix | Conductivity | Source |
| Distilled water | 0,5-5 | Regeneration station Stuttgart |
| Process water in power plants | < 0,2 | |
| Ultrapure water for analysis | < 0,055 | |
| P addition to drinking water (K2HPO4, KH2PO4, K4(PO4)2, K3PO4 Na2H2PO4, NaH2PO4, Na2HPO4, Na4(PO4)2, Na3PO4, Potassium tripolyphosphate, Sodium polyphosphate, Sodium polyphosphate, H3PO4, Phosphonic acid) |
27901 | Trinkwasserverordnung 2001, UBA 2012 |
1 Or 2,2 mg l-1 as the limit value for addition to drinking water against corrosion according to the "Liste der Aufbereitungsstoffe und Desinfektionsverfahren gemäß § 11 der TrinkwV (19. Änderung)" (UBA 2017)
On the other hand, chemicals containing P can also be added to water, for example to minimize the corrosion of pipes. Orthophosphates have an anti-corrosion effect on ferrous materials such as cast iron, steel, and galvanized steel as well as copper materials and lead (quoted in Schmidt 2009). The precipitation of lime (calcite) in pipes is delayed by polyphosphate (Schmidt 2009). If the P-containing chemicals are added to drinking water, they must be listed in Section 11 of the Drinking Water Regulation ("Trinkwasserverordnung") 2001 and must not exceed the maximum addition concentrations specified there (polyphosphates < 2.2 mg P l-1 UBA 2017) (Table 1.5-2). Other industrial applications of P-containing reagents include biological nitrate removal, inhibition of membrane blockage and, of course, as buffers for pH adjustment (UBA 2012).
References
AbwV (2017) Verordnung über Anforderungen an das Einleiten von Abwasser in Gewässer (Abwasserverordnung - AbwV); Sewage regulation in the version published on June 17, 2004 (BGBl. I p. 1108, 2625), last amended by Article 1 of the Act of April 17, 2024 (BGBl. 2024 I Nr. 132)
ATV-DVWK-A 198 (April 2003). Vereinheitlichung und Herleitung von Bemessungswerten für Abwasseranlagen. ATV-DWK Deutsche Vereinigung für Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und Abfall e.V. ISBN 3-924063-48-6.
Cramer M, Koegst T, Tränckner J (2018) Multi-critical evaluation of P-removal optimization in rural wastewater treatment plants for a sub-catchment of the Baltic Sea, Ambio 2018; 47 (Suppl.1), pp. 93-102, DOI: 10.1007/s13280-017-0977-8
Donnert D, Salecker M (1999) Elimination of phosphorus from waste water by crystallization. Environmental Technology 20: 735-742, DOI: 10.1080/09593332008616868
DWA-Leistungsvergleich 2016: 29. Leistungsvergleich kommunaler Kläranlagen. 6 pp. Last access: 16.09.2024
MUV-BW Ministerium für Umwelt und Verkehr Baden-Württemberg (2003) Studie zum Phosphorrecycling aus kommunalem Abwasser in Baden-Bürttemberg – Möglichkeiten und Grenzen. Final report, 81 pp. Last access: 16.09.2024
Regenerierstation Stuttgart. (https://www.reg-station.de/GLOSSAR-1-9.htm). Last access: 16.09.2024
Schmidt T (2009) Mineralstoffdosierung in Trinkwasserinstallationen - Schutz vor Kalk und Korrosion. SBZ 14: 18-22. Last access: 16.09.2024
SEG-Stadtentwässerung Göppingen (2014) Rückgewinnung von Phosphor aus Klärschlamm -Machbarkeitsstudie-
Tränckner, J., Koegst, T., Cramer, M., Gießler, M., Richter, B.M., Müther, F. (2016) Phosphor-Elimination in Kläranlagen bis 10.000 Einwohnerwerte in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. University of Rostock, Water management, Final report.
Trinkwasserverordnung – TrinkwV 2023. Verordnung über die Qualität von Wasser für den menschlichen Gebrauch. Last access: 16.09.2024
UBA Umweltbundesamt (2012) Bekanntmachung der Liste der Aufbereitungsstoffe und Desinfektionsverfahren gemäß §11 der Trinkwasserverordnung -17th amendment- (status as of November 2012).
UBA Umweltbundesamt (2013) Sewage sludge management in Germany. 100 pp. Last access: 16.09.2024
For citation: Baumann K, Zimmer D, Tränckner D, Schumann R (year of download) Chapter 1.5 Sewage and Process Water (Version 1.1) in Zimmer D, Baumann K, Berthold M, Schumann R: Handbook on the Selection of Methods for Digestion and Determination of Total Phosphorus in Environmental Samples. DOI: 10.12754/misc-2020-0001
Karen Baumann, Dana Zimmer, Rhena Schumann
Total Phosphorus (TP) concentration in soils especially depends on parent material and time for soil development. Additionally, soil development is affected by landform configuration (e.g. position at the slope), water regime (e.g. groundwater level) and dry and wet deposition. Within a soil profile, site-typical soil genetic processes such as podzolization and subsequent differentiation of soil horizons can cause differences in TP concentrations among separate soil horizons. TP concentrations are further impacted by vegetation (e.g. deciduous/coniferous forest), anthropogenic type of usage (e.g. arable or pastureland) and type of cultivation (e.g. plaggic Anthrosols).
In mineral soils, the effect of parent material on TP concentrations is particularly obvious. For example, TP concentrations of Cambisols (German classification: Braunerde) of basalt are relatively high but that of Pleistocene glaciofluvial sand are low (Werner et al. 2016, Tab. 1.6-1).
Landform configuration and thereby affected soil genesis can cause strong differences in TP concentrations in soils at a relative small scale. For example, if nutrient- and therefore TP-rich material is transported downhill and accumulated in depressions by water erosion TP concentrations can differ substantially.
Within a soil profile, TP concentrations can vary substantially in different soil horizons. Soil horizons are soil layers, which can be differentiated mostly visually and can differ substantially in their properties such as particle size distribution, soil organic matter (SOM) concentration, processes of leaching and accumulation of elements or in water dynamics (Fig. 1.6.-1). During podzolization SOM complexed Al- and Fe(hydr)oxides and their sorbed P are transported downward from the A horizon and accumulated in deeper horizons (Bh, Bs). This causes low TP concentrations in the Ae horizon and higher TP concentrations in the B-horizons. For example, in the illuvial Bh horizon of a Podzol under spruce the TP concentration was 10 times higher than in the eluvial Ae horizon (Leinweber & Ahl 2013, Tab. 1.6-2). Plagging of nutrient rich material for decades or centuries caused considerably higher TP concentration in the E-horizon of plaggic Anthrosols (German classification: Plaggenesch) compared to the original nutrient poor parent material.
Long-lasting excess of water in soil causes development of peat and resulting moors (Succow & Jeschke 1986). The anaerobic conditions inhibit degradation of SOM and cause an SOM accumulation of > 30 %. Upland moors are relatively nutrient poor, because they are only driven by rainwater, whereas lowland fens are affected by groundwater and/or flowing water. P concentrations in lowland fens therefore depend on P concentrations of the flowing water, which causes mostly much higher P concentrations than in upland moors (Tab. 1.6-1). SOM concentrations significantly affect density of the soil, which significantly influence P concentrations (up to 41000 mg TP kg-1, Tab. 1.6-1). For this reason, density of soils with high SOM concentration (such as peat soils) should be determined and TP concentration should additionally be related to sample density (mg cm-3) or –area (mg cm-2) instead only to sample mass (mg kg-1).
Additionally, anthropogenic usage can alter TP concentrations in soils significantly, thus arable field have higher TP concentrations than comparable forest soils due to fertilization (Tab. 1.6-1). TP concentrations of grassland soils differ also due to their origin (e.g. mineral grassland soils or grassland on lowland fens). Their TP concentrations are additionally affected by usage intensity (fertilization/grazing/mowing frequency).
| Soil | Horizon | depends on | TP (mg kg-1 dry matter-1) |
Reference |
| Cambisol from basalt1 |
Ah | Parent material | 2080 | Werner et al. (2016), Prietzel et al. (2016) |
| Cambisol from glacio-fluviatile sand2 |
60 | |||
| Stagnic Cambisol (Pseudogley- Braunerde) from sand above till3 |
190 | Leinweber & Ahl (2013) |
||
| Luvisol (Parabraunerde) in upper slope4 |
Ap | Landform configuration (position at slope) |
652-992 | Heilmann et al. (2005) |
| Gleysol in lower slope4 |
Ah/p | 521-1020 | ||
| Humic Podzol (Humuspodsol)5 |
Ah | Horizon | 180 | Leinweber & Ahl (2013) |
| Ae | 14 | |||
| Bh | 140 | |||
| IIBh | 68 | |||
| elCv | 79 | |||
| Plaggic Anthrosol (Plaggenesch)6,7 |
E | 713-1412 | Hubbe et al. (2007) |
|
| Ae | 124-387 | |||
| E | 1631-2924 | Schnepel et al. (2014) |
||
| C | 1060-1748 | |||
| Upland moor (Hochmoor)8 |
0-5 cm | Water regime | 400 | Keller et al. (2006) |
| Histosol (Erdniedermoor)9 |
750 | |||
|
Histosol (Erdniedermoor- |
nHw | 40795 | Leinweber & Ahl (2013) |
|
| Arable field11 | Ap | Usage | 500-3500 | Leinweber et al. (1994) |
| Forest12 | Ah | 163-843 | Alt et al. (2011) | |
| Grassland12 (mineral soil) |
460-1422 | |||
| Grassland13 (lowland fen) |
nHw | 2900-3800 | Leinweber & Ahl (2013) |
1 Bad Brückenau (Bavaria)
2 Lüß (Lüneburg Heath, Lower Saxony)
3 Gespensterwald near Nienhagen (district Rostock, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (MWP), p. 86 ff.)
4 Schäfertal near Quedlinburg (Saxony-Anhalt), parent material: Loess
5 Ribnitzer Stadtforst (district Western-Pomerania-Rügen, MWP, p. 71 ff.), Spruce, parent material: sand
6 Surrounding area of Arkhangelsk (European North-Russia), parent material: silty Sand glacial sediments
7 Jæren (South Sweden), parent material: glacial sediment
8 Gogebic County (Michigan, USA), rain water driven, no anthropogenic usage, Vegetation: sphagnum moss, woody Ericaceae
9 Gogebic County (Michigan, USA), no anthropogenic usage, Vegetation: small reed, sedges, willows
10 percolation moor in Trebeltal (District Western-Pomerania-Rügen, MWP, p. 61 ff.), high ground water level, Grassland, Vegetation: rushes
11 Surrounding area of Vechta, Quakenbrücker Becken, Bakumer Geest (districts Vechta und Cloppenburg, Lower Saxony), soil type/parent material: Luvisol, Cambisol, Stagnosol, plaggic Anthrosol, Gleysol ((Para)Braunerde, Pseudogley, Plaggenesch, Gley) from sand and silty sand, incl. arable fields with speciality crop or high stocking density
12 Biodiversitätsexploratorien Schorfheide-Corin (Brandenburg), Hainich-Dün (Thuringia), Schwäbische Alb (Baden-Wuerttemberg)
13 Lowland fen near Warnow (district Rostock, MWP, p. 92 ff.), hay meadow
In soil science, the litter layer such as in the forest is analysed separate to the mineral soil (< 2 mm). According to their composition (depending on vegetation), TP concentrations can vary between 47 und 5100 mg kg-1 (Tab. 1.6-2). The material of the litter layer is handled such as peat or plant material due to the high concentrations of organic matter.
| Vegetation | Soil Type | TP (mg kg-1 dry matter-1) |
Reference |
| Pine | Regosol (Pararendzina)14 | 47 | Leinweber & Ahl (2013) |
| Podzol (Eisenpodsol)15 | 440 | ||
| Spruce | Podzol (Humuspodsol)15 | 130 | Leinweber & Ahl (2013) |
| Cambisol, Luisol, Regosol, Stagnosol (Braunerde, Parabraunerde, Rendzina, Pseudogley)16 |
790-950 | Taubert (2015) | |
| Beech | Luvic Stagnosol, (Fahlerde-Pseudogley)17 |
5100 | Leinweber & Ahl (2013) |
| Cambisol, Luvisol, Regosol, Stagnosol (Braunerde, Parabraunerde, Rendzina, Pseudogley)16 |
730-760 | Taubert (2015) | |
| Beech/Oak | Stagnic Cambisol (Pseudogley-Braunerde)18 |
1800 | Leinweber & Ahl (2013) |
14 former areas of gravel mining near Neukloster/Perniek (district Nordwestmecklenburg, p. 86 ff.), parent material: sandur gravel
15 Ribnitzer Stadtforest (district Western-Pomerania-Rügen, p. 71 ff.), parent material: sand
16 Biodiversitätsexploratorien Hainich, Schwäbische Alb (Thuringia, Baden-Wuerttemberg)
17 Beech forest near Züsow (district Nordwestmecklenburg, p. 86 ff.), parent material: loam sand above till
18 Gespensterwald near Nienhagen (district Rostock, p. 86 ff.), parent material: sand above till
References
Alt F, Oelmann Y, Herold N, Schrumpf M, Wilcke W (2011) Phosphorus partitioning in grassland and forest soils of Germany as related to land-use type, management intensity, and land use-related pH. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 174: 195-209, DOI: 10.1002/jpln.201000142
Heilmann E, Leinweber P, Ollesch G, Meißner R (2005) Spatial variability of sequentially extracted P fractions in a silty loam. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 168: 307-315, DOI: 10.1002/jpln.200421505
Hubbe, A, Chertov, O, Kalinina, O, Nadporozhskaya, M, Tolksdorf-Lienemann, E, Giani, L (2007) Evidence of plaggen soils in European North Russia (Arkhangelsk region). J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci. 170: 329–334, DOI: 10.1002/jpln.200622033
Keller JK, Bauers AK, Bridgham SD, Kellogg LE, Iversen CM (2006) Nutrient control of microbial carbon cycling along an ombrotrophic-mineralotrophic peatland gradient. J Geophys Res 111: G03006, 1-14, DOI: 10.1029/2005JG000152
Leinweber P, Ahl C (2013) Böden - Lebensgrundlage und Verantwortung. Exkursionsführer der Jahrestagung der Deutschen Bodenkundlichen Gesellschaft in Rostock 2013: 71-72. ISBN: 0343-1071
Leinweber P, Geyer-Wedell K, Jordan E (1994) Phosphorgehalte von Böden in einem Landkreis mit hoher Konzentration des Viehbestandes. Z Pflanzenernähr Bodenk 157: 383-385, DOI: 10.1002/jpln.19941570510
Prietzel J, Klysubun W, Werner F (2016) Speciation of phosphorus in temperate zone forest soils as assessed by combined wet-chemical fractionation and XANES spectroscopy. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 179: 168–185, DOI: 10.1002/jpln.201500472
Schnepel C, Potthoff K, Eiter S, Giani L (2014) Evidence of plaggen soils in SW Norway. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 177: 638-645, DOI: 10.1002/jpln.201400025
Succow M, Jenschke L (1986) Moore in der Landschaft. Urania Verlag, Leipzig, Jena, Berlin
Taubert D (2015) Einfluss von Baumarten und Managementeffekten auf die Speicherung von Phosphor in der organischen Auflage. Bachelor-Arbeit, Geographisches Institut an der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, 48 p.
Werner F, de la Haye T, Spielvogel S, Prietzel J (2016) Spatial patterns of phosphorus fractions in soils of temperate forest ecosystems with silicate parent material. Biogeosci Discuss, DOI: 10.5194/bg-2016-98
For citation: Baumann K, Zimmer D, Schumann R (year of download) Chapter 1.6 Soils (Version 1.0) in Zimmer D, Baumann K, Berthold M, Schumann R: Handbook on the Selection of Methods for Digestion and Determination of Total Phosphorus in Environmental Samples. DOI: 10.12754/misc-2020-0001
available soon
Karen Baumann, Dana Zimmer, Rhena Schumann
Depending on their habitat the mean TP concentrations for terrestrial plants are 2 g kg-1 and for aquatic plants 6 g kg-1 (Lerch 1990) (Tab. 1.8-1). This can be attributed to the higher dry matter of terrestrial plants (more supporting tissue from cellulose and lignin) compared to aquatic plants (Duchesne & Larson 1989). Concentrations are also affected by external factors such as P availability in soil. Under favourable conditions, sunflowers accumulated 2.5 times more P in their leaves (up to 7.2 mmol TP m-2) in comparison to half of the P availability (2.0 mmol TP m-2, Jacob & Lowlor 1991). TP concentrations also depend on plant specific factors (e. g. plant species, genotype) and are organ-specific within the plant. For example, TP concentration in fine roots of copper beech was twice as high as in wood, bark and twigs (Lerch 1990). Plant age and season affect TP concentrations as well, since in different development stages different amounts of P are necessary (Wang et al. 2015, Saunders & Metson 1971).
| Species or group | Tissue | Influencing factors |
TP (g kg-1 DM-1) |
Reference |
| Terrestrial plants | Habitat, degree of organisation (supporting tissue) |
0.5-8 | Lerch (1991) | |
| Aquatic plants | 6 | Lerch (1991) | ||
| Spruce (Pinus sylvestris) |
Leaves | Species specific, normal nutrient supply |
1.3-1.9 | Mellert & Göttlein (2012) |
| Fir (Picea abies) | 1.5-2.2 | |||
| Beech (Fagus sylvatica) | 1.2-1.9 | |||
| Oak (Quercus spp.) | 1.4-2.1 | |||
| Copper beech (F. sylvatica) |
Fine roots | Different tissues | 2.2 | Lerch (1991) |
| Wood | 0.9 | |||
| Bark | 0.9 | |||
| Twigs | 0.9 | |||
| Leaves | 1.3 |
Similar to plants, the TP concentrations in animals depend on nutrition, tissue, ages and development stage. For a lot of vertebrates, and hence also for farm animals, especially the Ca:P ratio is important. For this reason, lots of studies demonstrate that P availability and feed utilization are affected by Ca concentration in feed (e.g. Song et al. 2017). On the one hand, P absorption can be inhibited by Ca, if slightly soluble Ca-phosphates are in the diet, which cannot be dissolved and adsorbed (Nakamura 1982). On the other hand, high P concentrations in feed can reduce Ca accumulation in bones (Masuyama et al. 2003). Song et al. (2017) demonstrated that activity of phosphatases in blood serum is a crucial factor for mineralisation of bones and accumulation of Ca and P in fish scales. In fishes the fish scales can be a sink for Ca and P, supporting Ca and P homoeostasis (Song et al. 2017, see table 1.8-3).
The way of life (herbivore/carnivore) and the feed availability depending on season (and therefore food sources) have an important impact on TP concentrations in animal bodies (Ghaddar & Saoud 2012). These authors documented highest TP concentration in muscular meat of white seabream in April but lowest in June (see table 1.8-2).This interrelation could be used to use special animals in special seasons for P poor diet of humans (e.g. some kidney diseases). TP concentrations vary especially with animal species (table 1.8-2) but also with tissues (blood, serum, muscles, bones).
| Species or group |
Tissue | Influencing factors |
TP in tissues (g kg-1 DM-1) |
TP in serum (g l-1) |
Reference |
| Coral (Lophelia pertusa) |
body | recent | 0.016 | Mason et al. (2011) |
|
| fossil | 0.123 | ||||
| Rabbit fish (Siganus rivulatus) |
flesh | herbivore | 8.95 | Ghaddar & Saoud (2012) |
|
| White seabream (Diplodus sargus) |
carnivore | 11.32 | |||
| Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) |
Pectoral muscle |
Species specific |
10.16 | Straková et al. (2011) |
|
| Broiler | Pectoral muscle |
9.25 | |||
| Cat | Muscle | 10.5 | Cuthbertson (1925) |
||
| Pig | Muscle | 6.03 | Jastrzębska et al. (2010) |
||
| Sheep Merino Landsheep |
Muscle, ages |
Mass: 18 kg |
8.09 | Bellof et al. (2006) |
|
| 55 kg | 6.17 | ||||
| Human | Muscle | 1.56 | Forbes et al. (1953) |
||
| Japanese seabass (Lateolabrax japonicus) |
Serum | 31 g Ca kg feed-1 |
0.43 | Song et al. (2012) |
|
| 4.2 g Ca kg feed-1 |
0.31 | ||||
| Human | Blood | 0.36 - 0.43 |
Kay & Byrom (1927) |
In humans high TP concentrations can be found in teeth and bones. According to Koolmann & Röhm (1998), the mean TP concentration in humans is 10 g kg-1 body mass and the daily TP demand is 0.8 g d-1. Whereas in vertebrates high TP concentrations are in the endoskeleton, in invertebrates, such as mussels, gastropods and corals, most P is concentrated in the exoskeleton (table 1.8-3). For animals the growth stage is relevant for TP concentrations, for example lambs (German Merino Landsheep) have highest TP concentrations in early development stages, which decreases with development (Bellof et al. 2006). This decrease in TP concentrations can be attributed to the decrease in water concentrations in bone tissue during growth, which increases dry matter concentration in bones of older animals (Bellof et al. 2006).
| Species or group |
Supporting tissue |
Influencing factors |
TP (g kg-1 DM-1) |
Reference |
| Oyster (Ostreidae) | Shell | 0.9 | Yoon et al. (2003) |
|
| Snails (Archachatina, Achatina spp.) | Shell | 10-69 | Ademolu et al. (2016) |
|
| Japanese seabass (Lateolabrax japonicus) |
Vertebrae | 31 g Ca kg Futter-1 |
125 | Song et al. (2012) |
| Scale | 74 | |||
| Vertebrae | 4,2 g Ca kg Futter-1 |
138 | ||
| Scale | 87 | |||
| Human | Teeth | 125-137 | Hennequin et al. (1994) |
|
| dry, non- lipid bones |
9.2-10 | Zipkin et al. (1960) |
||
| Bone ash | 171-175 |
References
Ademolu K, Precious O, Ebenso I, Babatunde I (2016) Morphometrics and mineral composition of shell whorls in three species of giant Africans snails from Abeokuta, Nigeria. Folia Malacol 24: 81-84, DOI: 10.12657/folmal.024.013
Bellof G, Most E, Pallauf J (2006) Concentration of Ca, P, Mg, Na and K in muscle, fat and bone tissue of lambs of the breed German Merino Landsheep in the course of the growing period. J Animal Phys Animal Nutr 90: 385-393, DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0396.2006.00610.x
Cuthbertson DP (1925) The distribution of phosphorus and fat in the resting and fatigued muscle of the cat, with a note on the partition of phosphorus in the blood. Biochem J 19: 896-910, DOI: 10.1042/bj0190896
Duchesne L, Larson DW (1989) Cellulose and the evolution of plant life. BioSci 39: 238-241, DOI: 10.2307/1311160
Forbes RM, Cooper AR, Mitchell HH (1953) The composition of the adult human body as determined by chemical analysis. J Biol Chem 203: 359-366
Ghaddar S, Saoud IP (2012) Seasonal changes in phosphorus content of fish tissue as they relate to diets of renal patients. J Renal Nutr 22: 67-71, DOI: 10.1053/j.jrn.2011.05.001
Hennequin M, MCU-PH, Pajot J, MCU, Avignant D, PU (1994) Effects of different pH values of citric acid solutions on the calcium and phosphorus contents of human root dentin. J Endodontics 20: 551-554, DOI: 10.1016/S0099-2399(06)80071-3
Jacob J, Lawlor DW (1991) Stomatal and mesophyll limitations of photosynthesis in phosphate deficient sunflower, maize and wheat plants. J Exp Bot 42: 1003-1011, DOI: 10.1093/jxb/42.8.1003
Jastrzębska A, Cichosz M, Szłyk E (2010) Simple and rapid determination of phosphorus in meat samples by WD-XRF method. J Analyt Chem 65: 376-381, DOI: 10.1134/S1061934810040076
Kay HD, Byrom FB (1927) Blood-phosphorus in health and disease: I.- The distribution of phosphorus in human blood in health. Br J Exp Pathol 8: 240-253
Koolmann J, Röhm K-H (1998) Taschenatlas der Biochemie. 2. Ed., Thieme-Verlag Stuttgart, 459 pp., ISBN: 3137594022
Lerch G (1991) Pflanzenökologie. 1. Ed., Akademie-Verlag, Berlin, 535 pp., DOI: 10.1002/biuz.19920220413
Mason HE, Montagna P, Kubista L, Taviani M, McCulloch M, Phillips BL (2011) Phosphate defects and apatite inclusions in coral skeletal aragonite revealed by solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 75: 7446-7457, DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2011.10.002
Masuyama R, Nakaya Y, Katsumata S, Kajita Y, Uehara M, Tanaka S, Sakai A, Kato S, Nakamura T, Suzuki K (2003) Dietary calcium and phosphorus ratio regulates bone mineralization and turnover in vitamin D receptor knockout mice by affecting intestinal calcium and phosphorus absorption. J Bone Min Res 18: 1217-1226, DOI: 10.1359/jbmr.2003.18.7.1217
Mellert K H, Göttlein A (2012) Comparison of new foliar nutrient thresholds derived from van den Burg’s literature compilation with established central European references. Eur J Forest Res 131: 1461-1472, DOI: 10.1007/s10342-012-0615-8
Nakamura Y (1982) Effects of dietary phosphorus and calcium contents on the absorption of phosphorus in the digestive tract of carp. Bull Jap Soc Sci Fisheries 48: 409-413, DOI: 10.2331/suisan.48.409
Saunders WMH, Metson AJ (1971) Seasonal variation of phosphorus in soil and pasture. New Zeal J Agricult Res 14: 307-328, DOI: 10.1080/00288233.1971.10427097
Song J-Y, Zhang C-X, Wang L, Song K, Hu S-C, Zhang L (2017) Effect of dietrary calcium levels on growth and tissue mineralization in Japanese seabass, Lateolabrax japonicus. Aquacult Nutr 23: 637-648, DOI: 10.1111/anu.12431
Straková E, Suchý P, Karásková K, Jámbor M, Navrátil P (2011) Comparison of nutritional values of pheasant and broiler chicken meats. Ata Vet Brno 80: 373-377, DOI: 10.2754/avb201180040373
Wang Z, Lu J, Yang M, Yang H, Zhang Q (2015) Stoichiometric characteristics of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in leaves of differently aged Lucerne (Medicaco sativa) stands. Front Plant Sci 6: 1062, DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2015.01062
Yoon, G-L, Kim B-T, Kim B-O, Han S-H (2003) Chemical-mechanical characteristics of crushed oyter-shell. Waste Man 23: 825-834, DOI: 10.1016/S0956-053X(02)00159-9
Zipkin I, McClure FJ, Lee WA (1960) Relation of the fluoride content of human bone to its chemical composition. Arch Oral Biol 2: 190-195, DOI: 10.1016/0003-9969(60)90022-4
For citation: Baumann K, Zimmer D, Schumann R (year of download) Chapter 1.8 Plant and Animal Biomass (Version 1.0) in Zimmer D, Baumann K, Berthold M, Schumann R: Handbook on the Selection of Methods for Digestion and Determination of Total Phosphorus in Environmental Samples. DOI: 10.12754/misc-2020-0001
Karen Baumann, Dana Zimmer, Rhena Schumann
Coal originates from organic material by the geochemical process coalification at high pressure, high temperatures and exclusion of air. Millions of years ago, as peat accumulated biomass in moors has been converted to brown (mostly Tertiary) and black (mostly Carboniferous / Permian period) coal after burying with sediments. The type of coal is defined by their carbon concentration in ash and water free dry matter (65-75 % brown coal (or lignite), 75-91 % black coal) (Kölling & Schnur 1977 cites in Franck & Knop 1979). P concentrations in coal can be very important for some applications; e.g. for steel production P concentration has to be as low as possible (da Silva Machado et al. 2010).
Biochar is coal from recent biomass, converted to "char" by pyrolysis. Dependent on original biomass, wood char, bone char and digestate char can be distinguished. In comparison to bone char the TP concentrations in wood char is low (table 1.9-1). Generally, TP concentrations of all biochar vary with their origin and P concentrations increase with increasing pyrolysis temperature (Titiladunayo et al. 2012, Funke et al. 2013). Poultry, which is optimized for a low mass has low P concentrations. TP concentrations in bone char are also affected by remaining meat to the bone (e.g. Zwetsloot et al. 2015).
| Type | Origin | Pyrolysis temperature (°C) |
TP (mg kg-1 DM-1) |
Reference |
| Brown coal (lignite) |
Brazil | 0.218 | da Silva Machado et al. (2010) |
|
| outside Brazil | 5.633-7.161 | |||
| Black coal | Australia | 0.02-5.87 | Riley et al. (1990) |
|
| 0.321 | ||||
| Wood char | Iroko-wood | 400 | 0.070 | Titiladunayo et al. (2012) |
| Apa-wood | 400 | 0.031 | ||
| 500 | 0.042 | |||
| 600 | 0.051 | |||
| 700 | 0.058 | |||
| 800 | 0.062 | |||
| Bone char | Cattle | 400 | 134 | Warren et al. (2009) |
| Poultry | 350 | 83 | Zwetsloot et al. (2015) |
|
| Bone with remaining meat |
60-750 | 33-110 | ||
| purified bones | 86-153 | |||
| Digestate char |
Ash free wheat straw |
190-250 | 1-2 | Funke et al. (2013) |
1 is considered as standard resp. reference
References
da Silva Machado JGM, Osório E, Vilela ACF (2010) Reactivity of Brazilian coal, charcoal, imported coal and blends aiming to their injection into blast furnaces. Mat Res 13: 287-292, DOI: 10.1590/S1516-14392010000300003
Funke A, Mumme J, Koon M, Diakité M (2013) Cascaded production of biogas and hydrochar from wheat straw: Energetic potential and recovery of carbon and plant nutritients. Biomass Bioen 58: 229-237, DOI: 10.1016/j.biombioe.2013.08.018
Kölling G, Schnur F (1977) Chemierohstoffe aus Kohle, Thieme-Verlag, Stuttgart. Cites in: Franck H-G, Knop A (1979) Kohleveredlung. Chemie und Technologie, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg
Riley KW, Schafer HNS, Orban H (1990) Rapid acid extraction of bituminous coal for the determination of phosphorus. Analyst 115: 1405-1406, DOI: 10.1039/an9901501405
Titiladunayo IF, McDonald AG, Fapetu OP (2012) Effect of temperature on biochar product yield from selected lignocellulosic biomass in a pyrolysis process. Waste Biomass Valor 3: 311-318, DOI: 10.1007/s12649-012-9118-6
Warren GP, Robinson JS, Someus E (2009) Dissolution of phosphorus from animal bone char in 12 soils. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 84: 167-178, DOI: 10.1007/s10705-008-9235-6
Zwetsloot MJ, Lehmann J, Solomon D (2015) Recycling slaughterhouse waste into fertilizer: how do pyrolysis temperature and biomass additions affect phosphorus availability and chemistry? J Sci Food Agric 95: 281-288, DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.6716
For citation: Baumann K, Zimmer D, Schumann R (year of download) Chapter 1.9 Charcoal (Version 1.0) in Zimmer D, Baumann K, Berthold M, Schumann R: Handbook on the Selection of Methods for Digestion and Determination of Total Phosphorus in Environmental Samples. DOI: 10.12754/misc-2020-0001
Karen Baumann, Dana Zimmer, Rhena Schumann
By harvesting crops, nutrients are extracted from soil. An average harvest of 8 t ha-1 of wheat extracted 37 kg P, 124 kg K and 180 kg N from soil (LFL 2006 cited in Killiches 2013). Usage of fertilizers is necessary to compensate nutrient losses and maintain or increase soil fertility (German term Bodenfruchtbarkeit).
Organic farm manure includes slurry (1-3 % dry matter, Schubert 2011), liquid manure (> 3 % solid substance), manure, compost, digestates from biogas plants and sewage sludge. Nutrient and therefore TP concentrations vary significantly and are especially in slurry, liquid manure and manure affected by animal species (different digestive system: ruminant, nonruminant with different feed efficiency), their nutrition and also the stable (Sharpley & Moyer 2000) or the feed processing and the water content (table 1.10-1). TP concentrations in manure are additionally affected by litter (different plants/wood chips). Parent material and period of rotting process effect TP concentrations significantly. The degree of rotting explains the biological stability (maturation) of the compost (degree I = raw material of compost, II-III fresh compost, IV-V = finished compost). An increase in TP concentrations in more mature compost can be explained by mass loss of non-P compounds (e.g. loss of volatile substances, CO2-breathing) and following accumulation of P during rotting. In sewage sludge, besides parent material (waste water to be purified) the sludge type (depending on period in waste water treatment) also affects TP concentrations. An overview on P yield in different sludge (period of water treatment) with various processes can be found in Kabbe et al. (2015).
| Matrix | Origin | DM (%) |
TP (g l-1) |
TP (g kg DM-1) |
Reference |
| Slurry (Jauche) |
Cattle | 0 | Chamber of Agriculture Schleswig- Holstein |
||
| Pig | 0.4 | ||||
| Liquid manure (Gülle) |
Dairy | 8 | 7.6 | Vadas (2006) | |
| 30 | 1.5-7.8 | Verma & Penfold (2017) |
|||
| Cattle | < 9.5 | 7.4-8.9 | Sharpley & Moyer (2000) |
||
| Pig | 6.3 | 47.4 | Vadas (2006) | ||
| 11 | 22.9-39.3 | Verma & Penfold (2017) |
|||
| Poultry | 38 | 19.5-36.1 | |||
| Manure (Mist) |
Dairy | 39 | 8.4-19.9 | Sharpley & Moyer (2000) |
|
| Poultry | 70 | 6.4-12.2 | |||
| Compost (Kompost) |
Wood chips | 0.2 | Verma & Penfold (2017) |
||
| Garden refuse |
2.4 | ||||
| Degree of rotting III (40-50 °C)1 |
1.2-1.6 | Scherer (2004) | |||
| Degree of rotting V (20-30 °C) |
2.7-2.9 | ||||
| Digestate (Gärreste) |
Means from Europe |
5.7 | 16.6 | Wilken et al. (2013) |
|
| liquid phase | 5.7 | 0.9 | Wendland & Lichti (2012) |
||
| solid phase | 24.3 | 2.2 | |||
| Sewage sludge (Klärschlamm) |
2001-2006 | 22.0-27.3 | UBA (2013) |
1 garden and kitchen waste (20/80 %) of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW)
Mineral fertilizers are made from rock phosphate (chapter 1.2). The ground material can be used directly or TP concentration can be increased by industrial chemical processing. This processing mostly increases the percentage of soluble water and thereby potentially plant available percentage of P in the product (Killiches 2013). Mineral fertilizers are more homogeneous than organic fertilizers, because no biological processes such as digestion in animals are involved.
For production of P fertilizers, rock phosphate is mixed with sulfuric acid, which react to phosphoric acid and gypsum (CaSO4 x 2H2O). Phosphoric acid can be used in food and beverage industry or can be further processed to P fertilizer. Depending on the reaction partner, mixing and reactions with other compounds different P fertilizers such as diammonium phosphate (DAP), monoammonium phosphate (MAP) or triple superphosphate can be produced (table 1.10-2)
For production of superphosphates, insoluble calcium phosphate reacts with sulfuric acid to about 40 % water-soluble Ca dihydrogen phosphate and about 60 % water-insoluble Ca phosphate. The latter reacted with phosphoric acid to Ca dihydrogen phosphate for production of double superphosphate. For production of triple superphosphate, very pure phosphoric acid is used to increase P concentration in fertilizer, but the reaction and the molecular formula is the same. Only the TP concentrations of double and triple superphosphate products vary: in triple superphosphate the TP concentration is around 200 g TP kg-1 dry matter compared to double superphosphate with around 150 g TP kg-1 dry matter.
Thomas slag (Thomas phosphate) is a by-product in steel industry from phosphate containing pig iron. Nowadays, steel industry mainly uses phosphate-poor ores and hence the Thomas slag virtually disappeared from the marked (Dittrich und Klose 2008). Another mineral fertilizer is magnesium ammonium phosphate (or struvite or MAP), which can be produced from waste water (see chapter 1.5). TP concentration of mineral fertilizers is mostly expressed in % P2O5. This can be converted to TP concentrations (g TP kg-1 dry matter-1) in the following way:
Molar masses of P and O are 30.97 and 15.999 g mol-1, respectively, which means that the molar mass of P2O5 = (2 x 30.97) + (5 x 15.999) = 141.94 g mol-1.P2O5 comprises 2 P atoms (2 x 30.97 = 61.94 g mol-1), therefore, divide 141.94 g mol-1 by 61.94 g mol-1 to get the factor for converting P to P2O5: 2.29.
The reciprocal factor for converting P2O5 to P is then: 0.44. Note that both data (P2O5 and P) need to have the same unit. In case one data is given in %, the factor for converting % into g kg-1 is 10: multiply with 10 (% into g kg-1) and vice versa divide by 10 (g kg-1 into %).
Therefore, the conversion factor from:
P2O5 in % to TP in g kg-1 is: 4.4
TP in g kg-1 to P2O5 in % is: 0.23
| Acronym | Molecular formula |
% of P2O5 |
TP g kg-1 |
Reference |
| Rock phosphate | Ca5(F,Cl,OH) (PO4)3 |
27-28 | 119-123 | HELM-AG (chemistry marketing company) Gwosdz et al. 2006 |
| 5-372 | 22-163 | |||
| Diammonium phosphate |
(NH4)2HPO4 | 42 | 185 | |
| Monoammonium- phosphate |
NH4H2PO4 | 48 | 211 | |
| Superphosphate | Ca(H2PO4)2 + 2 CaSO4·H2O |
18-22 | 79-88 | |
| Double super- phosphate |
Ca(H2PO4)2·H2O | 35 | 154 | wikipedia about double super- phosphate |
| Triple super- phosphate |
Ca(H2PO4)2·H2O | 43-46 | 189-202 | HELM-AG (chemistry marketing company) |
| Monoammonium phosphate |
20-46 | 88-202 | ||
| 7-202 | 31-88 | raiffeisen.com | ||
| Thomas slag | Ca3(PO4)2 · (Ca2SiO4) |
15 | 66 | wikipedia about Thomas slag |
| Thomas phosphate - potassium |
7-14 | 31-63 | raiffeisen.com, gartendialog.de |
|
| Complete fertilizer (NPK) |
6-26 | 26-114 | HELM-AG (chemistry marketing company) |
|
| Struvite | (NH4)Mg(PO4) ·6H2O |
23 | 101 | BWB: Berliner Pflanze |
2 water-soluble
References
Berliner Wasserbetriebe (BWB). (http://www.bwb.de/content/language1/html/6946.php), last accessed 24.08.2017
Chamber of Agriculture Schleswig-Holstein (LKSH). Nährstoffgehalte organischer Dünger, last accessed 25.08.2017
Dittrich B, Klose R (2008) Schwermetalle in Düngemitteln. In: Schriftenreihe der Sächsischen Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft 3: 2008
gartendialog.de, last accessed 24.08.2017
Gwosdz, W., Röhling, S., Lorenz, W. (2006): Bewertungskriterien für Industrieminerale, Steine und Erden, Geologisches Jahrbuch 12/2006, pp. 23-40, Hannover 2006, cited in Killiches, F. (2013) Phosphat - Mineralischer Rohstoff und unverzichtbarer Nährstoff für die Ernährungssicherheit weltweit. Ed. Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources.
helmag.com, last accessed 24.08.2017
Killiches F (2013) Phosphat: Mineralischer Rohstoff und unverzichtbarer Nährstoff für die Ernährungssicherheit weltweit. Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
raiffeisen.com, last accessed 24.08.2017
Scherer HW (2004) Influence of compost application on growht and phosphorus exploitation of ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). Plant Soil Environ 50: 518-524, DOI: 10.17221/4068-PSE
Schubert S (2011) Pflanzenernährung, Grundwissen Bachelor. 2nd ed., UTB, 224 pp., ISBN: 9783825235888
Sharpley A, Moyer B (2000) Phosphorus forms in manure and compost and their release during simulated rainfall. J Environ Qual 29: 1462-1470, DOI: 10.2134/jeq2000.00472425002900060056x
UBA Umweltbundesamt (2013) Sewage sludge management in Germany. 100 pp., last accessed 17.08.2017
Verma SL, Penfold C (2017) Composts vary in their effect on soil P pools and P uptake by wheat. Comm Soil Sci Plant Anal 48: 459-468, DOI: 10.1080/00103624.2017.1282507
Vadas P (2006) Distribution of phosphorus in manure slurry and its infiltration after application to soils. J Environ Qual 35: 542-547, DOI: 10.2134/jeq2005.0214
Wendland M, Lichti F (2012) Biogasgärrreste, Einsatz von Gärresten aus der Biogasproduktion als Düngemittel. Biogas Forum, Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture (LfL), last accessed 25.08.2017
Wilken D, Kirchmeyer F, Zotz F (2013) Digestate and REACH. Position Paper. Professional Association Biogas / EBA / BiPRO.
For citation: Baumann K, Zimmer D, Schumann R (year of download) Chapter 1.10 Fertilizers (Version 1.0) in Zimmer D, Baumann K, Berthold M, Schumann R: Handbook on the Selection of Methods for Digestion and Determination of Total Phosphorus in Environmental Samples. DOI: 10.12754/misc-2020-0001
Last updated: 2025-04-09