Phosphorus adsorption on the surface of pumice and natural sand adsorbents

Abstract

Climate change may cause serious implications on the fate of anthropogenic and natural chemicals in water bodies. This condition could lead health problems and environmental destruction. Phosphorus (P) from domestic wastewater released to the water body without proper treatment could lead to eutrophication. Therefore, it is crucial to remove phosphorus from domestic wastewater. Adsorption technology using locally adsorbent materials is a promising alternative method to remove P because of its low cost and effectiveness. In this study, a combination of pumice and sand was investigated to remove phosphorus from the solution. The aim of this study was to study the capacity of local sand and pumice from East Nusa Tenggara (ENTP) to adsorb phosphorus. These adsorbents were characterized using X-ray diffraction, FTIR and XRF followed by isotherm and kinetic adsorption experiments. The results showed that the adsorption of P in these local materials followed the Langmuir model and the P adsorption capacity was 0.07825 mol g−1. The adsorption kinetics followed the second order. Thus, natural pumice can be potentially used as an adsorbent for treating domestic wastewater.