Modified biochar improves the storage capacity and adsorption affinity of organic phosphorus in soil

The loss of soil organic phosphorus can easily cause water eutrophication. In order to effectively reduce the loss of soil organic phosphorus, this manuscript investigated the adsorption of soil organic phosphorus by lanthanum modified biochar (BC), traditional adsorbent gypsum (GY) and zeolite (ZE) by taking phytic acid as the representative. The adsorption isotherm model and kinetic models were used to fit the phosphorus absorption characteristics of the adsorbents. The effects of initial pH and temperature on the adsorption capacity were discussed, and the adsorption mechanism of each adsorbent was explained by means of FTIR and XRD. The results showed that the adsorption capacity of phytate phosphorus followed the trend of BCTS > GYTS > ZETS > TS (soil), and the maximum phosphorus adsorption capacity obtained from Langmuir isotherm for treatment with BCTS was 2.836 mg g−1, and the treatment had the strongest affinity for phytate phosphorus and also the ability to store phosphorus. The adsorption process fits well with Langmuir isotherm equation and pseudo-second-order kinetic equation, and the adsorption behavior of phytate phosphorus was mainly controlled by the chemisorption of monolayer. When the concentration of phytate phosphorus was 100 mg L−1, percentage of modified biochar added to the soil was 3% and the pH was 6, the adsorption capacity reached the maximum, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 2.000 mg g−1. The results of FTIR and XRD characterization showed that complexation was the main adsorption mechanism. In this study, the combination of modified biochar and soil phytate phosphorus can provide a good theoretical basis for reducing the loss of soil organic phosphorus.