Temperature dependence of phosphate sorption in mineral soils

The sorption of phosphate was studied in 33 mineral soil samples at the temperatures of +5°C and +20°C. The soils were equilibrated for 2 days with a solution containing phosphate 0.1 mmol/l at an ionic strength of 0.01. At +5°C, the sorption remained unchanged or increased slightly as compared to the sorption at +20°C. The differences between sorbed amounts ranged from —0.03 to 0.29 mmol/kg soil and were statistically significant in 11 samples.