In this study, we performed a sediment elution experiment to evaluate water quality in terms of phosphorus, as influenced by the dissolved oxygen consumed by sediments. Three separate model column treatments, namely, raw, calcined, and sonicated oyster shell powders, were used in this experiment. Essential phosphorus fractions were examined to verify their roles in nutrient release from sediment based on correlation analyses. When treated with calcined or sonicated oyster shell powder, the sediment-water interface became “less anaerobic,” thereby producing conditions conducive to partial oxidation and activities of aerobic bacteria. Sediment Oxygen Demand (SOD) was found to be closely correlated with the growth of algae, which confirmed an intermittent input of organic biomass at the sediment surface. SOD was positively correlated with exchangeable and loosely adsorbed phosphorus and organic phosphorus, owing to the accumulation of unbound algal biomass-derived phosphates in sediment, whereas it was negatively correlated with ferric iron-bound phosphorus or calcium fluorapatite-bound phosphorus, which were present in the form of "insoluble" complexes, thereby facilitating the free migration of sulfate-reducing bacteria or limiting the release from complexes, depending on applied local conditions. PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis revealed that iron-reducing bacteria were the dominant species in control and non-calcined oyster shell columns, whereas certain sulfur-oxidizing bacteria were identified in the column treated with calcined oyster powder.

This study was investigated to improve the phosphorus release and water quality by transformation of sedimentary P fraction for application of CaO2. For the experiment, 0.5% (w/w) of CaO2 was homogenized in the sediment and incubated with the control for 20 days. The analytical results showed that pH increased with CaO2 and redox potential (ORP) was improved in the sediment of the reactor. The growth rate of chlorophyll-a was lower in the CaO2 reactor and Dissolved Oxygen (DO) of overlying water maintained higher than that of the control. Total phosphorus (T-P) concentration in the overlying water increased from the initial concentration to 0.304mg/L in the control at 20 days. The reactor of CaO2 was lowered by 29.3%. Ex-P, Fe-P and Ca-P in sediment P fraction were increased with the CaO2. The formation of bound Fe-P and Ca-P in the sediments seemed to control the release of P by removing the Soluble Reactive Phosphorus (SRP) presented in the pore water. From the result, this indicated that the reduction of P release from the sediments seems to be effective in suppressing the eutrophication of P and improving the oxygen condition in the water quality with the application of CaO2.