Phosphorus Removal from Textile Industrial Wastewater using Aerated High Calcium Steel Slag Filter System

Abstract

Phosphorus in wastewater accelerates eutrophication in water body. Textile wastewater is one of contributors to the phosphorus loading into water body which promotes the growth of algae, reducing the oxygen content and detrimental to surface water ecosystem. Myriad existing treatments for phosphorus removal have been developed but it requires a high cost treatment and maintenance. Rock filter system emerged as one of the alternative method for phosphorus removal from wastewater with steel slag as the filter media. However, application of the system in treating industrial wastewater is still unclear especially in big scale application and requires extensive study. This study is done to provide solution of phosphorus loading from textile wastewater using steel slag as filter material and to investigate the removal capacity of steel slag with high calcium and low ferum content. The steel slag was analyzed using XRF for its composition and to ensure the steel slag has high Ca content. Then, the aerated steel slag filter system was set-up on the site of textile industry for a month and analyzed according to parameter of pH, alkalinity, COD, DO, temperature and TSS. The result from this study showed that the aerated high calcium low ferum steel slag filter has a high efficiency of phosphorus removal rates varied from 35% to 67% in treating textile wastewater. It was found that aerated steel slag system was efficient in phosphorus removal by using industrial wastewater.