Phosphate release and sorption by soils and sediments: effect of aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

Anaerobic soils released more phosphate to soil solutions low in soluble phosphate and sorbed more phosphate from soil solutions high in soluble phosphate than did aerobic soils. The difference in behavior of phosphate under aerobic and anaerobic conditions is attributed to the change brought about in ferric oxyhydroxide by soil reduction. The probably greater surface area of the gel-like reduced ferrous compounds in an anaerobic soil results in more soil phosphate being solubilized where solution phosphate is low and more solution phosphate being sorbed where solution phosphate is high.