Efficiency of Filters Filled with Rockfos for Phosphorus Removal from Domestic Sewage

Abstract

The goal of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of filters filled with Rockfos for removal of phosphorus (Total-P) from domestic wastewater. Rockfos is a material obtained by calcination of carbonate-silica rock (opoka) at a temperature of 900 °C. A field study was conducted in two filters with volumes of 2.0 and 0.8 m 3 which were components of hybrid constructed wetlands with an average capacity of 2.0 m 3 /L, located in two national parks in south eastern Poland. Samples of the influent to and the effluent from the filters were analyzed for Total-P concentrations and pH. Eighty sewage samples were tested over a five year study period. It was shown that the test filters removed Total-P with an average efficiency of 31.5% and 30.2% and that they could be successfully used to remove phosphorus from domestic wastewater in small wastewater treatment plants.

Meandering Flow Filter for Phosphorus Removal as a Component of Small Wastewater Treatment Plants—A Case Study

“…Laboratory studies indicate that, with this material and a sufficiently long contact time, it is possible to remove more than 90% of the total phosphorus from wastewater [12]. In contrast, preliminary studies conducted on a full technical scale have shown a phosphorus removal efficiency of about 40% [18]. The efficiency of phosphorus sorption depends mainly on the flow conditions and the contact time of the wastewater with the sorption material; hence, the plants in operation are most often in the form of chambers with the forced vertical sewage flow through the filter bed [18].…”

“…This method of phosphorus removal is used in wastewater treatment plants at the end of the process line when the wastewater is already free of organic pollutants. In the literature, one can find publications in which various minerals and reactive materials were studied [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Among them, carbonatesilica rock (ophiolite) has also been mentioned as a sorbent with a high capacity to absorb phosphorus [12,18,[23][24][25].…”

“…In the literature, one can find publications in which various minerals and reactive materials were studied [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Among them, carbonatesilica rock (ophiolite) has also been mentioned as a sorbent with a high capacity to absorb phosphorus [12,18,[23][24][25].…”

“…The use of opoka and its derivatives as sorbents on a full technical scale is currently limited to small wastewater treatment plants, mainly those constructed in wetland in southeastern Poland [18,[29][30][31]. Due to its availability, a material with the trade name Rockfos ® , which is produced for wastewater treatment, is becoming more widely used in this area.…”

Assessment of the Effectiveness of Soil Reclamation Techniques Degraded by the Sulfur Industry

“…A particular example of this is sulfur borehole mining, which involves melting sulfur in the depths of the earth and bringing it to the surface in a closed pipeline system (Frash method). The seemingly safe method caused intensive degradation and devastation of the environment as a result of numerous failures, as well as deterioration of chemical, physicochemical, physical and biological properties [1][2]. The process is all the more intense as it concerns the environment with weak and defective native soils [1,[3][4].…”