PHOSPHATE

Phosphorus occurs naturally in rock formations in the earth's crust, usually as phosphate. Of high nutritive value to plants and animals, phosphates are used in fertilizers and as animal feed supplements. They are also used in the manufacture of industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals and as detergent builders. High phosphate concentrations in surface waters may indicate fertilizer runoff, domestic waste discharge, or the presence of industrial effluents or detergents. Although phosphates from these sources are usually poly-phosphates or organically bound, all will degrade to "ortho" or reactive phosphates with time. If high phosphate concentrations persist, algae and other aquatic plant life will flourish eventually causing decreased dissolved oxygen levels in the water due to the accelerated decay of organic matter. Phosphate measurement is used to control scale and corrosion inhibitor levels in boilers and cooling towers.It is an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate,or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology.Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in agriculture and industry. At elevated temperatures in the solid state, phosphates can condense to form pyrophosphates.

GENERAL INFORMATION:
Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for all life forms. Phosphorus plays a role in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Phosphorus is required for these necessary components of life to occur. Phosphorus is the eleventh-most abundant mineral in the earth's crust and does not exist in a gaseous state. Natural inorganic phosphorus deposits occur primarily as phosphate in the mineral apatite. Apatite is defined as a natural, variously colored calcium fluoride phosphate (Ca5F(PO4)3) with chlorine, hydroxyl, and carbonate sometimes replacing the fluoride. Apatite is found in igneous and metamorphic rocks, and sedimentary rocks. When released into the environment, phosphate will speciate as orthophosphate according to the pH of the surrounding soil. Phosphate is usually not readily available for uptake in soils. Phosphate is only freely soluble in acid solutions and under reducing conditions. In the soil it is rapidly immobilized as calcium or iron phosphates. Most of the phosphorus in soils is adsorbed to soil particles or incorporated into organic matter. Phosphorus in freshwater and marine systems exists in either a particulate phase or a dissolved phase. Particulate matter includes living and dead plankton, precipitates of phosphorus, phosphorus adsorbed to particulates, and amorphous phosphorus. The dissolved phase includes inorganic phosphorus (generally in the soluble orthophosphate form), organic phosphorus excreted by organisms, and macromolecular colloidal phosphorus. A portion of the phosphorus in the substrate may be reintroduced to the water column. Phosphorus stored in the uppermost layers of the bottom sediments of lakes and reservoirs is subject to bioturbation by benthic invertebrates and chemical transformations by water chemistry changes.

In this example, PO43-, the Lewis diagram shows phosphorus at the center with no lone electron pairs. The phosphorus and and one oxygen are bonded through a double bond which counts as "one electron pair". Hence the molecule has four electron pairs and is tetrahedral

The general chemical structure of an organophosphate.

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
The phosphate ion is a polyatomic ion with the empirical formula PO34 and a molar mass of 94.973 g/mol. It consists of one central phosphorus atom surrounded by four oxygen atoms in a tetrahedralarrangement. The phosphate ion carries a negative three formal charge and is the conjugate base of the hydrogen phosphate ion, HPO24, which is the conjugate base of H2PO4, the dihydrogen phosphate ion, which in turn is the conjugate base of H3PO4, phosphoric acid. It is a hypervalent molecule (the phosphorus atom has 10 electrons in its valence shell). A phosphate salt forms when a positively-charged ion attaches to the negatively-charged oxygen atoms of the ion, forming an ionic compound. Many phosphates are notsoluble in water at standard temperature and pressure. The sodium, potassium, rubidium, caesium and ammonium phosphates are all water soluble. Most other phosphates are only slightly soluble or are insoluble in water. As a rule, the hydrogen and dihydrogen phosphates are slightly more soluble than the corresponding phosphates. The pyrophosphates are mostly water soluble.In dilute aqueous solution, phosphate exists in four forms. In strongly-basic conditions, the phosphate ion (PO34) predominates, whereas in weakly-basic conditions, the hydrogen phosphate ion (HPO24) is prevalent.

CRITERIA FOR PHOSPHORUS:

The EPA water quality criteria state that phosphates should not exceed .05 mg/l if streams discharge into lakes or reservoirs, .025 mg/l within a lake or reservoir, and .1 mg/l in streams or flowing waters not discharging into lakes or reservoirs to control algal growth (USEPA, 1986). Surface waters that are maintained at .01 to .03 mg/l of total phosphorus tend to remain uncontaminated by algal blooms.

NUMERICAL CATEGORIES:

Designated Use Freshwater Aesthetics Federal Criteria: (USEPA, 1986) --streams/rivers --streams entering lakes --lakes/reservoirs Example State Criteria Used: Reservoirs (CO) chlorophyll a --Total P --(Minn.) Total P Impoundments (EPA Region 4) 15 ug/l 0.1 mg/l

Limit

0.05 mg/l 0.025 mg/l

0.035 mg/l 0.015 mg/l

--water supply Total P 0.015 mg/l --aquatic life Total P Lakes (USEPA, 1994d) --(NC) chlorophyll a --Total P --mountain lakes --(VT) Total P 40 ug/l 0.05 mg/l 0.02 mg/l 0.014 mg/l 0.025 mg/l

Estuaries (recommended) Aquatic Life Support

0.1 ug/l elemental phosphorus (USEPA, 1994d)

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
Estuarine system impacts: In contrast to freshwater, nitrogen is generally the primary limiting nutrient in the seaward portions of estuarine systems . Here, nitrogen levels control the rate of primary production. If the system is supplied with high levels of nitrogen, algal blooms will occur. Systems may be phosphorus limited, however, or become so when nitrogen concentrations are high and N:P>16:1 (Jaworski, 1981). In such cases, excess phosphorus will trigger eutrophic conditions. The recommended level of total phosphorus in estuaries and coastal ecosystems to avoid algal blooms is 0.01 to .1 mg/l and 0.1 to 1 mg/l of nitrogen (a 10:1 ratio of N:P). The higher concentrations support less diversity (NOAA/EPA, 1988).

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Freshwater and estuarine systems: Nutrient-induced production of aquatic plants in both freshwater and estuaries has several detrimental consequences: Algal mats, decaying algal clumps, odors and discoloration of the water will interfere with recreational and aesthetic water uses. Extensive growth of rooted aquatic macrophytes will interfere with navigation, aeration, and channel capacity. Dead macrophytes and phytoplankton settle to the bottom of a water body, stimulating microbial breakdown processes that require oxygen. Eventually, oxygen will be depleted. Aquatic life uses may be hampered when the entire water body experiences daily fluctuations in dissolved oxygen levels as a result of plant respiration at night. Extreme oxygen depletion can lead to death of desirable fish species.

6. Siliceous diatoms and filamentous algae may clog water treatment plant filters and result in reduced time between backwashing (process of reversing water flow through the water filter in order to remove debris). 7. Toxic algae (occurrence of "red tide") have been associated with eutrophication in coastal regions and may result in paralytic shellfish poisoning . 8. Algal blooms shade submersed aquatic vegetation, reducing or eliminating photosynthesis and productivity .

A REPORT ON EFFECT OF PHOSPHATE ON GROWTH OF PLANTS

PROCEDURE
Plants of the cerrado tree species Qualea grandiflora and the annual herb Bidens gardneri were grown from seed in controlled environment rooms at 30/20 C and 12 hour photoperiod. Seedlings were grown in pots or small tubes containing sand and provided with various amounts of mineral solutions based on the formulation of Hoagland and Arnon but with the phosphate content modified in some cases. In a long-term experiment lasting 213 days, plants supplied with full strength Hoagland's solution all died but plants of Qualea given 1/10 strength solution survived, although they grew very slowly. Low relative growth rates (0.0080.036 d1) were also a feature of other experiments with Qualea and calculated rates of net assimilation rate gave values of 37 mg CO2 dm2 h1. Expansion of the photosynthetic surface proceeded slowly and the cotyledons were the main site of photosynthesis for more than 40 days. The low rates of growth occurred despite significant uptake of phosphorus by young plants and in shortterm experiments growth was independent of the amount of phosphate supplied and accumulated. In contrast, the values ofR found for plants of Bidens reached 0.24 d1. Growth of young plants was dependent on the external supply of phosphorus, being reduced when this was low and also when it was very high. Growth of the photosynthetic surface was also much more rapid than for Qualea and also varied with supply of phosphorus. The results are discussed in the context of the occurrence of these species in the Cerrado.

Effect of phosphates on plant life

Phosphate is key to plant life on land and in the oceans, as it serves an important function in photosynthesis. Phosphate pollution can also wreak havoc on lake and coastal ecosystems. To understand the dual role of phosphate, it is important to understand how it is used by plants. Phosphate, a molecule composed of one phosphorus and four oxygen atoms, is relatively scarce in nature, and is made available to plants through the weathering of rocks. Plants produce the sugars that are the basis for all food webs by the process of photosynthesis. Phosphate's role in photosynthesis is primarily as a component of an energy storage system. Plants use this system much like we use a car battery, which stores electricity derived from the turning of the engine to be used to power other systems in the car, like spark plugs and lights and air conditioning.
Asean PSB Application: Mix 750-1000 ml in 100 Kg of compost and spreads uniformly in 1 acre before . Soil Drench: 1 lit / acre Benificial effect: This product contains Phosphobacterium, which solubilizes insoluble phosphorous into soluble form. It is useful to all crops. When phosphorous fertilizers are applied to the soil, only part of it is utilized by the plants and remaining are converted into fixed and insoluble form of phosphates. Asean PSB solublizes the insoluble phosphates in the soil and makes it available to the plants. Seed Treatment: Mix 500ml in 1 litre of water or rice gruel. Coat seeds required for 1 Acre in this mixture, shade dry and sow. Seedling Dip: Mix 750 ml in 50 -litre water and dip root portion of seedling required for one acre for 30 min. before planting. Soil

Plant cells capture solar radiation using the light-absorbing molecule chlorophyll. This produces electrons that are carried by several proteins until they ultimately reduce the phosphate-containing high energy molecule NADP (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate). The chlorophyll additionally breaks water molecules apart, producing an imbalance of hydrogen ions that ultimately results in the production of another high energy molecule, ATP (adenosine triphosphate),which contains abundant phosphate. Both NADP and ATP are then used in combination with a number of enzymes to reduce carbon dioxide to sugar. This sugar is then the food source for plants, which need to make their own food. Although this natural role of phosphate is critical, humans have also altered the phosphate cycle. In some rivers and coastal areas, phosphate is abnormally elevated due to the runoff of phosphorus-rich fertilizers and other human-produced pollution. Although plants rapidly respond to increased phosphate, those that grow fastest, like the green algae that cover many impacted ponds and estuaries, tend to dominate the ecosystem. The subsequent degradation of this plant material extracts all of the dissolved oxygen from the lower portions of the waterways. This results in massive mortality of all animal life, like fish which need oxygen to survive, in these environments. It can also cause a number of geochemical reactions that release toxic heavy metals from sediments to the water. Thus, although phosphate plays a key role for life on this planet, too much of a good thing can be harmful! Phosphorus (P) is a macronutrient for plants. That means that plants need P in fairly large quantities. It is important because of its presence in compounds like ATP, which act as energy carriers inside cells. Phosphorus is present in soils and eroded from rock. This erosion is the source for virtually all NEW phosphorus added to natural ecosystems. For freshwater aquatic plants, phosphorus is especially important. Phosphorus is often the limiting nutrient in freshwater lakes. That means

that phosphorus is the single thing that limits growth. This results because the amount of new phosphorus added to an aquatic system is limited by erosion. Besides that, much of the phosphorus that is already present chemically bonds to Iron-containing silt and mud to make P even more precious. The fact that phosphorus often limits growth of freshwater plants is the reason phosphorus-containing detergents are banned in most places in the US. The P added to the water systems, rivers and lakes, because of detergents caused serious pollution problems when algae and other aquatic plants grew too much. This idea that a single nutrient can limit growth was first described early in the 1800s. It has come to be known as von Liebig's Law of the Minimum after the German chemist who described it. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient required by plants that is primarily responsible for healthy root development and fruit and flower production. It is one of the three principal ingredients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium ) of fertilizers used for growing food around the world. Phosphorus is essential to plant life, and there is no substitute for it in agriculture. The supply of available phosphorus limits the size of the population possible in an ecosystem.Phosphorus is a non-renewable resource. Estimates of global reserves of phosphate suggest that supplies may last from 50 130 years. However, problems with resource supply begin when production reaches its peak, and long before supplies actually run out. Physicist Patrick Dry estimates that U.S. peak phosphorus occurred in 1988 and for the world in 1989. Signs of volatility have recently appeared in phosphorus markets, and may already be contributing to higher food prices. We are approaching a threshold where world agricultural requirements may begin to outpace available supplies of phosphorus.

Solving Phosphate Tie-up Problems: Plants have a difficult time taking up phosphates in soils with high pH levels. This problem is greatest in high-lime (calcareous) soils. The abundance of calcium in these soils leads to the precipitation of calcium phosphates that become nearly as insoluble as human teeth. Phosphorus fertilisers are often banded in order to minimise the tie-up problem. Nevertheless, a great deal of the liquid phosphorus that fertiliser growers apply still gets tied up in the soil and never makes it to the plant. This problem is especially critical for annual crops that are planted in the spring when soils are cool. Phosphorus problems lead to slower, uneven growth, poorer stands and delayed maturity in many crops.