Assessment of the Different Type of Materials Used for Removing Phosphorus from Wastewater

Abstract

Reducing the costs associated with water management, improving water quality and the environment are fundamental requirements of sustainable development. Maintaining the optimal level of phosphorus has a direct impact on water quality and the biological system. Current methods used in tertiary wastewater treatment for phosphorus removal present several disadvantages that influence the final water processing cost. Therefore, it is essential for water quality and food safety to develop ecological, cheap and highly efficient materials. This study reported the first comparative assessment of three different types of materials (magnetic, semiconductors and composite) as environmentally friendly, cheap adsorbents for phosphorus removal from wastewater. Several experiments were done to investigate the influence of adsorbent type, dosage and contact time on the efficiency of the processes. The adsorption process was fast and equilibrium was reached within 150 min. We found that the phosphorus adsorption efficiency on of these materials was higher than the chemical method. The obtained results indicated that specific surface area directly influences the performance of the adsorption process. EDS analysis was used to analyze adsorbents composition and analyze the type and content of elements in the substrate before and after reaction with wastewater.

Phosphate Capture Enhancement Using Designed Iron Oxide-Based Nanostructures

“…The highest surface specific area measured for this sample (40 m 2 /g) confirmed the smallest nanograin size of Al-RSNs compared to undoped RSNs. The magnetization curve at 300 K is characteristic of superparamagnetic behavior, and the saturation magnetization ( Figure 5 D), 64 emu·g −1 for Al x Fe 3−x O 4 , is lower than that of undoped RSNs, confirming the doping of magnetite by Al and previously reported results of other groups [ 15 , 38 , 39 ].…”

“…Some adsorption results with Fe- and Al-Fe-based materials are given in Tables S4 and S5 . In other studies of Al-Fe-based materials ( Table S5 ), the maximum adsorption is reached after 5 h [ 15 , 38 , 40 , 41 , 42 ]. So, at first sight, the Al-RSNs synthesized in the present work would ensure a faster phosphate caption.…”

“…Furthermore, it was demonstrated that doping of iron oxide is also a promising approach to improve phosphate uptake [ 4 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Table 1 presents some studies on how the doping of spinel iron oxide nanoparticles may increase the phosphate adsorption capacity.…”

Highly efficient engineered waste eggshell-fly ash for cadmium removal from aqueous solution

“…), can be used in wastewater remediation as effective adsorbents for the removal of pollutants (heavy metals, phosphorus) due to their high specific area and stability, low-cost. An additional advantage is that after adsorption they can be easily recovered with a magnetic field 23 , 25 , 26 .…”

Anaerobic Reactor Filling for Phosphorus Removal by Metal Dissolution Method

“…Due to the fact that simultaneous degradation of organic compounds and removal of phosphorus and nitrogen require complex and costly technologies, achieving the expected results is difficult in many cases and requires modernization [ 5 ]. These processes are based on providing many antagonistic technological parameters related to oxygen concentration, volatile fatty-acid content, and load or concentration of activated sludge [ 6 , 7 ]. In order to efficiently carry out the processes of organic compound degradation, orthophosphate binding, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification, a typical technological system based on the use of variable anaerobic–aerobic conditions must in many cases be modified or supplemented with other elements affecting the treatment performance [ 8 ].…”