Based on the study of hydraulic characteristics of the sudden expansion water flow of an annular flume, this paper determines the vertical velocity distribution and the turbulence intensity distribution in the mainstream and the recirculation regions to analyze the basic features of this flow field. The adsorption of the phosphorus in the sediment is studied by adding the bacte-riostatic agent. The results show that the flow speed in the mainstream region is higher than that in the recirculation region. However, the turbulence intensity in the recirculation region increases more than that in the mainstream region. The adsorption of the phosphorus in the sediment includes the physisorption and the biosorption, and the former is stronger than the latter. With the biosorption in the phosphorus removal process, the phosphorus released by the sediment is mainly completed by the poly-P bacteria in the anaerobic condition. The adsorption of the phosphorus in the sediment in the mainstream region of a sudden expansion water flow is strong and stable, whereas the adsorption in the sediment in the recirculation region is largely fluctuated.