Abstract
Nutrient recovery from human urine is a promising pretreatment of domestic wastewater and provides a sustainable recyclability of N and P. In this study, batch experiments were conducted to identify the characteristics of natural loess (NL) for the adsorption and recovery of ammonium and phosphate from hydrolysis urine (HU). The adsorption mechanisms, the adsorption kinetics and isotherms, as well as the major influencing factors, such as pH and temperature, were investigated. Results revealed that adsorption of ammonium occurred by means of ion exchange and molecule adsorption with the ≡ Si-OH groups, while phosphate adsorption was based on the calcium phosphate precipitation reaction and formation of inner-sphere complexes with ≡ M-OH groups. The adsorption processes of ammonium and phosphate were well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Freundlich isotherm model. Adsorption of phosphate was endothermic, while ammonium adsorption was exothermic. Furthermore, the maximum ammonium and phosphate adsorption capacities of NL was 23.24 mg N g(-1) and 4.01 mg P g(-1) at an initial pH of 9 and 10, respectively. Results demonstrated that nutrient-adsorbed NL used as compound fertilizer or conventional fertilizer superaddition was feasible for its high contents of N and P as well as its environmental friendliness.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
