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Updated: May 6, 2026

Laboratory-determined Phosphorus Flux from Lake Sediments as a Measure of Internal Phosphorus Loading
Published on: March 6, 2014
Impact of an external electron acceptor on phosphorus mobility between water and sediments
G Martins1, L Peixoto, S Teodorescu
1Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
Abstract:
The present work assessed the impact of an external electron acceptor on phosphorus fluxes between water and sediment interface. Microcosm experiments simulating a sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) were carried out and phosphorus was extracted by an optimized combination of three methods. Despite the low voltage recorded, ~96 mV (SMFC with carbon paper anode) and ~146 mV (SMFC with stainless steel scourer anode), corresponding to a power density of 1.15 and 0.13 mW/m(2), it was enough to produce an increase in the amounts of metal bound phosphorus (14% vs 11%), Ca-bound phosphorus (26% vs 23%), and refractory phosphorus (33% vs 28%). These results indicate an important role of electroactive bacteria in the phosphorus cycling and open a new perspective for preventing metal bound phosphorus dissolution from sediments.
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