Investigation on Co-sorption and Desorption of Fluoride and Phosphate in a Red Soil of China

Agricultural soils high in both fluoride (F) and phosphate (P) are common due to long-term accumulation of F from multi-sources and extensive application of phosphate fertilizers. Iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) (hydro)oxides in acidic soils serve as main geochemical sinks of both P and F, influencing their transport and bioavailability. Though sorption of P and F in their single-ion system has been extensively investigated, studies on co-sorption of F and P on soils are very limited. In this study, the batch technique was used to investigate mutual effects of F and P on their co-sorption/desorption in an acidic red soil with high contents of Fe and Al (hydro)oxides. Results indicate that, in F–P coexisting system, a decrease in pH enhances the sorption of both F and P. An increase in F concentration suppresses P sorption due to competitive effect. However, F sorption can be improved in the presence of P due to surface precipitation of (Al,Fe)–F–P. Sorption of F and P follows both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Different orders of F and P addition into the soil have no appreciable effect on P sorption, but exert significant impact on F sorption. The presence of F has no measurable effect on P desorption, while the stability of F in the presence of P can be significantly diminished in comparison with that in the absence of P, which would lead to an improvement of F mobility.