Effects of limestone on the dissolution of phosphate from sediments under anaerobic condition

This paper describes a study on the role of limestone on the dissolution of phosphates when phosphate-containing sediments are put under anaerobic conditions. Anaerobic decomposition of organic substances produces both organic acids and carbonic acids which in turn could accelerate the dissolution of the phosphates. If limestone coexisted, both phosphate and limestone would compete as receptors of hydrogen ions so as to affect the dissolution of phosphate. A small quantity of calcium hydroxyapatite, alone or mixed with limestone powder, was put in contact with an aqueous solution of acetic acid or carbonic acid and the variations in phosphate concentration were determined over time. The results showed that the phosphate concentration was remarkably low in the case of limestone presence, in comparison with the case of limestone absence. This signifies that the coexistence of limestone suppresses the dissolution of phosphate by organic acid and/or carbonic acid. Separate experiments conducted by developing an anaerobic condition, after mixing lake sediments with dried leaves and limestone, allowed us to observe that the existence of limestone suppressed the dissolution of phosphate. It seems that the limestone acts as a material sacrificing to the leaching of hydrogen ions from the acids produced under anaerobic conditions. These results show that the application of limestone might be a useful measure to prevent deterioration of water quality through eutrophication, by breaking the internal loading of phosphates in eutrophic water bodies.