Laboratory investigation of aluminum solubility and solid-phase properties following alum treatment of lake waters

Water samples from two southern California lakes adversely affected by internal nutrient loading were treated with a 20 mg/L dose of Al 3+ in laboratory studies to examine Al solubility and solid-phase speciation over time. Alum [Al 2(SO 4) 3·18 H 2O] applications to water samples from Big Bear Lake...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water research (Oxford) 2005-10, Vol.39 (16), p.3918-3928
Main Authors: Berkowitz, Jacob, Anderson, Michael A., Graham, Robert C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alum
Alum Compounds - chemistry
Aluminosilicate
Aluminum - chemistry
Amorphous Al(OH) 3
Applied sciences
Biological and medical sciences
Biotechnology
California
Environment and pollution
Environmental Monitoring
Exact sciences and technology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gibbsite
Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects
Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
Other industrial wastes. Sewage sludge
Pollution
Solubility
Speciation
Wastes
Water Supply
Water treatment and pollution
X-Ray Diffraction
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Water samples from two southern California lakes adversely affected by internal nutrient loading were treated with a 20 mg/L dose of Al 3+ in laboratory studies to examine Al solubility and solid-phase speciation over time. Alum [Al 2(SO 4) 3·18 H 2O] applications to water samples from Big Bear Lake and Lake Elsinore resulted in a rapid initial decrease in pH and alkalinity followed by a gradual recovery in pH over several weeks. Dissolved Al concentrations increased following treatment, reaching a maximum of 2.54 mg/L after 17 days in Lake Elsinore water and 0.91 mg/L after 48 days in Big Bear Lake water; concentrations in both waters then decreased to 45% gibbsite. These results were supported by geochemical modeling using Visual MINTEQ, with Al solubility putatively controlled by amorphous Al(OH) 3 shortly after treatment and approaching that of microcrystalline gibbsite after about 150 days. These findings indicate that Al(OH) 3 formed after alum treatment undergoes significant chemical and mineralogical changes that may alter its effectiveness as a reactive barrier to phosphorus release from lake sediments.
ISSN:0043-1354
1879-2448
DOI:10.1016/j.watres.2005.06.025