Enhanced phosphate removal from wastewater by using in situ generated fresh trivalent Fe composition through the interaction of Fe(II) on CaCO3

Inhibition of phosphorus removal performance in activated sludge by Fe(III) exposure: transitions in dominant metabolic pathways

Introduction

Simultaneous chemical phosphorus removal process using iron salts (Fe(III)) has been widely utilized in wastewater treatment to meet increasingly stringent discharge standards. However, the inhibitory effect of Fe(III) on the biological phosphorus removal system remains a topic of debate, with its precise mechanism yet to be fully understood.

Methods

Batch and long-term exposure experiments were conducted in six sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) operating for 155 days. Synthetic wastewater containing various Fe/P ratios (i.e., Fe/P = 1, 1.2, 1.5, 1.8, and 2) was slowly poured into the SBRs during the experimental period to assess the effects of acute and chronic Fe(III) exposure on polyphosphate-accumulating organism (PAO) growth and phosphorus metabolism.

Results

Experimental results revealed that prolonged Fe(III) exposure induced a transition in the dominant phosphorus removal mechanism within activated sludge, resulting in a diminished availability of phosphorus for bio-metabolism. In Fe(III)-treated groups, intracellular phosphorus storage ranged from 3.11 to 7.67 mg/g VSS, representing only 26.01 to 64.13% of the control. Although the abundance of widely reported PAOs (Candidatus Accumulibacter) was 30.15% in the experimental group, phosphorus release and uptake were strongly inhibited by high dosage of Fe(III). Furthermore, the abundance of functional genes associated with key enzymes in the glycogen metabolism pathway increased while those related to the polyphosphate metabolism pathway decreased under chronic Fe(III) stress.

Discussion

These findings collectively suggest that the energy generated from polyhydroxyalkanoates oxidation in PAOs primarily facilitated glycogen metabolism rather than promoting phosphorus uptake. Consequently, the dominant metabolic pathway of communities shifted from polyphosphate-accumulating metabolism to glycogen-accumulating metabolism as the major contributor to the decreased biological phosphorus removal performance.

Rationally designed calcium carbonate multifunctional trap for contaminants adsorption

Adsorption technology has been widely developed to control environmental pollution, which plays an important role in the sustainable development of modern society. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is characterized by its flexible pore design and functional group modification, which meet the high capacity and targeting requirements of adsorption. Therefore, its charm of "small materials for great use" makes it a suitable candidate for adsorption. Firstly, we comprehensively review the research progress of controlled synthesis and surface modification of CaCO3, and its application for adsorbing contaminants from water and air. Then, we systematically examine the structure-effect relationship between CaCO3 adsorbents and contaminants, while also intrinsic mechanism of remarkable capacity and targeted adsorption. Finally, from the perspective of material design and engineering application, we offer insightful discussion on the prospects and challenges of calcium carbonate adsorbents, providing a valuable reference for the further research in this field.

Efficient removal and recovery of phosphorus from industrial wastewater in the form of vivianite

With the shortage of phosphorus resources, the concept of phosphorus recovery from wastewater is generally proposed. Recently, phosphorus recovery from wastewater in the form of vivianite has been widely reported, which could be used as a slow-release fertilizer as well as the production of lithium iron phosphate for Li-ion batteries. In this study, chemical precipitation thermodynamic modeling was applied to evaluate the effect of solution factors on vivianite crystallization with actual phosphorus containing industrial wastewater. The modeling results showed that the solution pH influences the concentration of diverse ions, and the initial Fe²⁺ concentration affects the formation area of vivianite. The saturation index (SI) of vivianite increased with the initial Fe²⁺ concentration and Fe:P molar ratio. pH 7.0, initial Fe²⁺ concentration 500 mg/L and Fe:P molar ratio 1.50 were the optimal conditions for phosphorus recovery. Mineral Liberation Analyzer (MLA) accurately determined the purity of vivianite was 24.13%, indicating the feasibility of recovering vivianite from industrial wastewater. In addition, the cost analysis showed that the cost of recovering phosphorus by the vivianite process was 0.925 USD/kg P, which can produce high-value vivianite products and realize "turn waste into treasure".

A novel calcium peroxide/attapulgite-Fe(II) process for high concentration phosphate removal and recovery: Efficiency and mechanism

Phosphorus (P) has been overused in livestock farming, which inevitably results in high-concentration P-containing wastewater. Managing total phosphorus discharge is important to prevent eutrophication in aquatic environments, thus it is critical to develop new technologies for the removal and recovery of high-concentration phosphate. In this study, a novel calcium peroxide/attapulgite (CP/ATP) composite was developed and coupled with Fe(II) for high-concentration phosphate removal and recovery. The results demonstrated that the optimal dosage of the CP/ATP-Fe(II) process was CP/ATP = 0.25 g/L and Fe(II) = 2 mM. The pH effect on phosphate removal was minimal, while phosphate removal efficiency rose by 16.7% with the temperature increased from 10 °C to 25 °C. The co-existing ions exhibited little effect on phosphate removal, and the CP/ATP-Fe(II) process showed effective phosphate removal from the real piggery wastewater. The P content of the precipitates after phosphate removal by this process was as high as 25.82%, indicating its good potential for P recycling. A significant synergistic effect existed in CP/ATP and Fe(II) for phosphate removal, and the SEM-EDS, XRD, Raman and XPS characterization exhibited that the phosphate removal mainly relied on the in-situ-formed Fe(III) and the participation of calcium (Ca) species. Co-precipitation was the predominant mechanism for phosphate removal, and the proportions of Fe(III)-P, Ca-P and Ca-Fe(III)-P in the precipitates were 51.5%, 31.2% and 17.3%, respectively. This study provides a highly efficient process for phosphate removal and recovery from wastewater, and insights into interactions among phosphorus, iron and calcium.

Mechanically activated calcium carbonate and zero-valent iron composites for one-step treatment of multiple pollutants

The growing presences of conventional and emerging contaminants make the wastewater treatment increasingly difficult and expensive on a global scale. ZVI tends to be an expectable material for the detoxification of some difficult contaminants such as chlorinated solvents and nitroaromatics. In this work, together use with calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), which serves as a green supporter to ZVI and also direct participant toward the purification process, has been carried out by cogrinding to give a synergistic effect, particularly for treating multiple pollutants including both inorganic and organic compositions. Based on a set of analytical methods of XRD, FTIR, SEM, XPS, and other test methods, the activation mechanism of the ball milling process and the removal performances of the prepared composites were examined. The results prove that the mechanically activated calcium carbonate and ZVI composite samples exhibited extremely high removal capacity on a variety of pollutants contaminated water. The decolorization of azo dyes is mainly attributed to the breaking of chromogenic functional group nitrogen and nitrogen double bonds, and the removal mechanism of aromatic series occurs through a hydrogenation substitution reaction. As to the inorganic pollutant removals, besides the efficient heavy metal ion precipitations, phosphate and fluoride ions are co-precipitated through the formation of fluorapatite to achieve a simultaneous and synergistic removal effect. Under the optimal reaction conditions, the concentration of PO₄^3- is reduced from 250 to 0 mg/L, and that of F^- is reduced from 51.07 to 1.20 mg/L. The prepared composite sample of ZVI rand calcium carbonate allowed simultaneous removals of both inorganic and organic pollutants, simplifying the remediation process of complicated multiple contaminations.

Research and Modelling the Ability of Waste from Water and Wastewater Treatment to Remove Phosphates from Water

This research investigated the ability of two materials, which are waste generated during water treatment and wastewater treatment, to remove phosphates from water. The selected materials were quartz sand used in drinking water treatment plants (OQS) and incinerated (600 °C) sewage sludge (ISS). The materials were chosen for their composition: both contain aluminium, iron, and calcium. The experiments were carried out in the laboratory (in batch and in columns stand). Modelling of the sorption processes was performed on the basis of results from experiments in batches. The maximum adsorption capacity of the OQS was 1.14 mg/g obtained using the linearized Langmuir model and the maximum adsorption capacity of the ISS was 0.86 mg/g for the linearized Langmuir model (in batch). A pseudo-first-order model obtained using a nonlinear fit can accurately explain phosphate adsorption kinetics using both adsorbents: OQS and ISS. During the column filtration experiment, a higher sorption capacity of the ISS filter media was achieved −2.1 mg of phosphate phosphorus per gram of filter media. The determined adsorption capacity of the investigated materials was average, but the reuse of this waste would help to solve the issues of the circular economy.

Phosphate removal from aqueous solution by electrochemical coupling siderite packed column

The use of iron species to remove PO₄^3- is widely used, and the fresh Fe³⁺ produced in situ demonstrate better effect on the removal of PO₄^3- in many researches. Therefore, in order to develop a simpler and more efficient method for PO₄^3- removal, we designed an easy operation by electrochemically dissolving siderite to produce fresh Fe³⁺ in situ for PO₄^3- removal from wastewater. Results showed that current intensity at 20 mA, initial pH at 6, initial PO₄^3- concentration at 1 mM and influent flow rate at 2.5 mL min^-1 were the best parameters for removing PO₄^3-, ensuring that the PO₄^3- concentration of effluent can be kept below 1 mg L^-1 through the electrochemical system. Different from other studies, a large amount of Fe²⁺ can be dissolved from natural minerals without adding H⁺ to the system and Fe³⁺ species are generated in situ from the oxidation of the Fe²⁺ without using a specific oxidizer. This electrochemical treatment method with siderite as a packed column can be used as a new method of high efficiency, simple operation and low-cost for treating eutrophic water bodies.

Phosphorus immobilization in water and sediment using iron-based materials: A review

As an essential element for life, phosphorus (P) is very important for organisms. However, excessive P in water and sediment can cause eutrophication, which poses a potential risk to drinking water safety and the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, effective phosphorus-control in water and sediment is the key strategy to control eutrophication. Iron-based materials exhibit high efficiency for P immobilization due to their strong affinity with P, low cost, easy availability, and environmentally friendliness. They are promising materials for controlling P in application. This work comprehensively summarizes the recent advances on P immobilization in water and sediment by different iron-based materials, including iron (hydr)oxides, iron salts, zero-valent iron and iron-loaded materials. This review is focused on the mechanism of the processes and how they are impacted by major influencing factors. The combination of iron-containing materials with other assisting materials is a good strategy to enhance P-fixation efficiency and selectivity. Finally, the current challenges and prospects of P-control technologies based on iron-containing materials are proposed. This review provides a systemic theoretical and experimental foundation for P-immobilization in water and sediment using iron-based materials.

Sand from groundwater treatment coated with iron and manganese used for phosphorus removal from wastewater

This article presents investigations into the removal of PO₄-P from biologically treated wastewater using raw material taken from drinking water treatment filters - quartz sand grains coated with iron and manganese oxide coating (OG). The experiments carried out in laboratory stands used real household wastewater and demonstrated that OG filter media accumulated and removed from wastewater two times more PO₄-P than known reactive filter media Filtralite P. The mean effectiveness of PO₄-P removal from wastewater by filtering at a rate of 2.2 m/h and using OG filter media reached 68%. The pH of the filtrate from OG filter media was stable and reached 7.7 ± 0.2 thus meeting requirements for the discharge of treated wastewater into the natural environment. OG grains are mechanically resistant, do not pollute the filtrate and could therefore be used as filter media for tertiary wastewater treatment.

Phosphate removal from food industry wastewater by chemical precipitation treatment with biocalcium eggshell

The physicochemical treatment (PT) of food industry wastewater was investigated. In the first stage, calcium magnesium acetate (CaMgAc₄) was synthesized using eggshell (biocalcium), magnesium oxide and acetic acid in a 1:1:1 stoichiometric ratio. In the synthesis process, the thermodynamic parameters (ΔH, ΔS and ΔG) indicated that the reaction was endothermic and spontaneous. The samples were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron X-ray dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). CaMgAc₄ was used to precipitate the phosphate matter. IR analysis revealed that the main functional groups were representative of the acetate compounds and the presence of OH^- groups and carbonates. In the physicochemical treatment, a response surface design was used to determine the variables that influence the process (pH, t, and concentration), and the response variable was phosphorus removal. The treatments were carried out in the wastewater industry with an initial concentration of 658 mg/L TP. The optimal conditions of the precipitation treatment were pH 12, time 12 min, and a CaMgAc₄ concentration of 13.18 mg/L. These conditions allowed the total elimination (100%) of total phosphorus and phosphates, 81.43% BOD₅ and 81.0% COD, 98.9% turbidity, 95.01% color, and 92% nitrogen matter.