Laboratory Experiments on Phosphorous Release from the Sediments of 9 Lakes in the Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River Region, China

Phosphorus (P) has been recognized as the most critical nutrient limiting lake productivity. In addition, P release from sediments may have a significant effect on the water quality and may result in continuous eutrophication in eutrophic lakes. In this study, P release kinetics from sediments and their relationship with sediment composition were investigated, eutrophication risk index (ERI) and degree of phosphorus saturation (DPS) were used to evaluate the eutrophication risk of the studied sediments, and their influencing factors were also discussed. The results show that total P (TP), organic matter (OM), Al₂O₃+Fe₂O₃ and the percentage of sand particles were the most important factors affecting the ability of P sorption. P release process was similar for all studied sediments, consisting of the quick and slow reaction processes. The quick reaction mainly occurred within 0.5 h, and slow reaction after 0.5 h. P release occurred within 20 h and then reached the dynamic equilibrium. P release process was slower than P sorption process. Three models (Power function model, Parabolic diffusion model and Simple Elovich model) can satisfactorily describe the P release kinetics. P release was mainly affected by TP, OM, sorbed total phosphorus (STP), DPS and sand particles, and quick P release was mainly a physical process. For the slightly polluted sediments, Al₂O₃+Fe₂O₃ mainly restrained P release. But for the heavily polluted sediment both OM and Al₂O₃+Fe₂O₃ promoted P release. Both DPS and ERI can be used to evaluate the P-induced lake eutrophication risk, and their threshold values were 6.6% and 25%, respectively. Based on the assessment by DPS and ERI, most of the studied sediments were in eutrophication risk for the studied sediments. For the heavily polluted sediments, Al₂O₃+Fe₂O₃ was significantly correlated with DPS. But for the slightly polluted sediments it was significantly negatively correlated with DPS and OM, and the sand particle percentage was negatively related to ERI.