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Phosphorus fractionation of dairy processing waste recycled fertilizers reveals inadequacy of the standards, measurement and testing (SMT) protocol
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Abstract
The Standards, Measurements and Testing (SMT) protocol is widely used to fractionate phosphorus (P); however, it lacks the focus on defining the solubility of P-fractions, which is usually performed independently. In this paper, the addition of a separate pre-wash step with H2O as a first step prior to the SMT protocol was tested to account for the solubility of P. Results were compared to a control unmodified SMT experiment. The differences in P-fractions were analyzed to determine the origin of the readily available P (soluble P). Six different dairy processing waste treatment products were investigated in the form of sludge, hydrochar, and ash. Water-soluble P (WSP) was correlated with weakly bound calcium (Ca), aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe). However, the SMT protocol failed to correctly identify the different pools of P as unexpected correlations were found between P and Ca, Al and Fe. Moreover, large concentrations of organic P were present in ashes (>10 mg P g−1). The organic P fraction included substantial amounts of Fe that correlated highly with P (R2 = 0.84). No association between WSP and any of the pools of P defined by SMT was detected, with the exception of total P and inorganic P. The paper concludes that SMT erroneously classifies P into different discrete fractions across various recycled P-products with fertilizer potential. A critical reevaluation of the SMT protocol is recommended, by abandoning the categorization of P into discrete pools and switching to solvent-based categories referring to the chemicals used in each extraction. Highlights ● SMT fractionation protocol was modified to assess water soluble phosphorus ● The modified SMT protocol was performed on 6 different P-recycled products (fertilizers) ● SMT protocol fails to identify correctly different fractions of phosphorus ● A critical reevaluation of SMT protocol is recommended
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Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Citation
Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis