Abstract
Technologies that allow for removal and subsequent recovery and reuse of phosphorus from polluted streams are imperative. One such technology is hybrid ion exchange nanotechnology (HIX-Nano), which may allow to produce a valuable nutrient solution following phosphorus desorption of the saturated media. This study evaluated the potential of four regeneration chemistries to desorb phosphorus from a commercially available HIX-Nano resin hybridized with iron oxide nanoparticles using a design of experiments (DoE) approach. More sustainable and less harmful regeneration solutions using a KOH/K2SO4 blend or a recovered NH4OH alkaline solution, along with tap water instead of synthetic acid, were compared to a control solution of KOH and H2SO4. Among the four regeneration methods studied, using the combination of recovered NH4OH and tap water shows the highest phosphorus recovery potential because: (i) it involves low cost and sustainable products, (ii) it showed a relatively high recovery efficiency (75 ± 15% as compared to the control at 89 ± 13%), and (iii) it did not demonstrate any significant dampening of the resin longevity after five adsorption and desorption cycles. Based on the DoE data, a series of regression models was developed to generate understanding of the effect of important operational parameters (volume of the regenerant solution, rinse speed, strength of the alkaline solution) on the phosphorus concentration in the recovered nutrient solution. Overall, this study indicates that HIX-Nano may contribute to providing a cost-effective and sustainable technological solution to tackle the phosphorus problem in wastewater treatment applications across the globe.
Highlights
With the rapid increase in industrialization and human population since the turn of the industrial revolution, civilization finds itself in increasingly dire need of the Earth’s resources to sustain its way of life in terms of production and consumption
The static beaker tests, yielding an adsorption capacity of 21.92 ± 4.13 mg PO4-P/g resin were determined to be valid after comparison with results generated by Nur et al.20 that claim an adsorption capacity of 19 mg PO4-P/g resin
As a major competitor for ion exchange sites, the sulfates likely bound to the ion exchange resin, thereby dampening the observed phosphorus adsorption capacity of the overall media24
Summary
With the rapid increase in industrialization and human population since the turn of the industrial revolution, civilization finds itself in increasingly dire need of the Earth’s resources to sustain its way of life in terms of production and consumption. The pathways of phosphorus pollution are numerous, including wastewater treatment plant discharge (municipal and industrial); farm fertilizer losses due to erosion, runoff, drainage; or leaching; urban runoff (stormwater pollution); and phosphate rock fertilizer production. The soluble reactive phosphorus component of dissolved phosphorus is a known contributor to eutrophication and the proliferation of cyanobacteria when this nutrient pollutant overloads fresh waterways. Legislative action to combat nutrient pollution has been enacted across North America in the form of tightening total maximum discharge limits (TMDLs) and maximum allowable phosphorus limits in waterbodies across the continent. In the United States, these TMDLs span from the deep ocean waters off the coast of Hawaii to the Great Lakes and have a minimum target of 0.5 μg PO4-P/L5. The Everglades target as low as 0.019 mg/L in the effluent in order to reduce eutrophication.
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