Enhanced Phosphate Adsorption Research Articles

A novel Ce/Fe bimetallic metal-organic framework with ortho-dodecahedral multilevel structure for enhanced phosphate adsorption

The synthesis of novel Ce/Fe bimetallic metal–organic frameworks (Ce/FcDA/FA-MOFs) via an innovative hydrothermal method is reported. This method utilizes Ce as the central metal and 1,1′-ferrocene dicarboxylic acid (FcDA) and formic acid (FA) as ligands. Optimization of hydrothermal time, feed ratio, and the addition of FA yielded Ce/FcDA/FA-MOFs with ideal ortho-dodecahedral hierarchical configurations. Comprehensive characterization via FT-IR, XRD, SEM, EDS, XPS, and N2 adsorption/desorption analyses elucidated the influence of FA on morphology and chemical structure. Phosphate adsorption tests on Ce/FcDA/FA-MOFs revealed sustained strong selectivity and adsorption capacity, even in the presence of coexisting anions and variations in pH. Kinetic, thermodynamic, and isothermal simulations indicated spontaneous, efficient, and heat-absorbing phosphate adsorption properties on Ce/FcDA/FA-MOFs. Fitting parameters from the Langmuir adsorption model demonstrated a maximum adsorption capacity of up to 530.25 mg g−1, attributed to physical/chemical adsorption during the reaction. Furthermore, investigation into the adsorption mechanism of Ce/FcDA/FA-MOFs on phosphate through FT-IR, XRD, and XPS analyses of the adsorbed samples revealed a complex process involving the electrostatic mutual attraction of outer-sphere entities and ligand exchange in the inner-sphere. This study advances our understanding of Ce/FcDA/FA-MOFs as effective adsorbents for phosphate and contributes to the development of environmentally sustainable materials with potential applications in water treatment.

Nanoscale MgO confined in magnetic biochar via two-step pyrolysis for enhanced phosphate adsorption

The confinement of nano-MgO within magnetic biochar represents a promising strategy to enhance phosphate (P) adsorption performance. Nevertheless, the inherent agglomeration tendency of MgO within magnetic biochar has been identified as a significant impediment to its P adsorption efficiency. In this study, the nano-MgO was confined within magnetic biochar via a novel two-step pyrolysis process involving KHCO3 and HNO3 activation. This novel fabrication process resulted in a reduction in pore size and an increase in the negatively charged surface, facilitating the controlled formation of nano-MgO. The results demonstrated a uniform dispersion of nano-MgO crystals, with their size reduced to less than 10 nm. The P adsorption capacity reached 83.06 mg/g, which was 2.98 times higher than that of biochar via one-step pyrolysis. The mechanism study suggested that the chemical reaction was the driving force in P adsorption on biochar. Collectively, this research provides a feasible path to the successful confinement of nano-MgO in magnetic biochar, resulting in enhanced P adsorption performance.

Efficiency and mechanism of phosphate adsorption and desorption of a novel Mg-loaded biochar material.

Phosphate removal is complicated by the need for resource recovery. Biochar shows promise for efficient phosphate adsorption, but it must be modified to enhance its adsorption capacity. In this work, magnesium (Mg)-loaded biochar was synthesized through a two-step dipping and calcination process, and the MgBC600 product was used to adsorb phosphate from simulated water and biogas slurry wastewater. The phosphate adsorption capacity of Mg-loaded biochar was 109.35mg/g, which was 12 times higher than that of unmodified biochar. The R2 of the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were 0.988 and 0.990, respectively, which fitted the phosphate adsorption process of MgBC600. Phosphate adsorption by MgBC600 was a spontaneous and endothermic process. The adsorption mechanism study showed that phosphate adsorption was controlled by the formation and electrostatic attraction of MgHPO4. In addition, 98% of chemically adsorbed phosphate was released after regeneration. Using phosphate-adsorbed MgBC600 as a soil amendment, Arabidopsis thaliana was 1.47 times higher than that in the biochar-only group, demonstrating that this is a promising strategy for enhancing phosphate adsorption efficiency and adsorbent recycling.

Enhanced phosphate adsorption and desorption characteristics of MgO-modified biochars prepared via direct co-pyrolysis of MgO and raw materials

Biochar modified by metal ions—particularly Mg—is typically used for the effective recovery of phosphorous. In this study, MgO-modified biochars were synthesized via the direct co-pyrolysis of MgO and raw materials such as rice straw, corn straw, Camellia oleifera shells, and branches from garden waste, which were labeled as MRS, MCS, MOT, and MGW, respectively. The resulting phosphate (PO) adsorption capacities and potential adsorption mechanisms were analyzed. The PO adsorption capacities of the biochars were significantly improved after the modification with MgO: MRS (24.71 ± 0.32 mg/g) > MGW (23.55 ± 0.46 mg/g) > MOT (15.23 ± 0.19 mg/g) > MCS (14.12 ± 0.21 mg/g). PO adsorption on the modified biochars was controlled by physical adsorption, precipitation, and surface inner-sphere complexation processes, although no electrostatic attraction was observed. Furthermore, PO adsorbed on modified biochars could be released under acidic, alkaline, and neutral conditions. The desorption efficiency of MRS was modest, indicating its suitability as a slow-release fertilizer.Graphical

Performance of novel pillared eggshell-bentonite clay bio-composite for enhanced phosphate adsorption from aqueous media

Modified clay mineral is a potential technique for phosphorus adsorption and has received much attention in the high phosphate pollution witnessing regions. In the present work, an iron-pillared eggshell-modified bentonite clay bio composite (IP-ESMB) is used to test the adsorption of phosphate from the aqueous medium. The characteristics of the prepared IP-ESMB bio composite were analyzed using XRF, SEM, EDX, FTIR, XRD, BET, TG and DTG analysis to study its physicochemical characteristics. The diffusion process, electrostatic interaction, and ion exchange mechanisms work in concert to remove the phosphate ions effectively at a pH of 3.0. The adsorption capacity is influenced by the initial phosphate concentrations, adsorbent dose (2 g/L), contact time (50 min), temperature (303 K) and pH (3.0) of the solution. Kinetic studies revealed that the pseudo-second-order model best described the experimental data. The Langmuir isotherm model provided the best fit for the equilibrium isotherm data of the IP-ESMB, and the determined Q0 value was found to be 60.51 mg/g at pH 3.0 and 30 0C. The reaction was endothermic and spontaneous, according to thermodynamic analysis, with overall changes in enthalpy (ΔH0) and entropy (ΔG0) of 10.08 KJmol-1 and 0.09 KJmol−1K−1, respectively. It is also found that the IP-ESMB bio composite has excellent reusability over several adsorption cycles. Designing an adsorption reactor provides another means of calibrating the performance of the created bio-composite during factorial operations. This study confirms that to curb eutrophication in a natural water system, the present modified clay mineral can efficiently act as a green adsorbent.

Optimized Ca-Al-La modified biochar with rapid and efficient phosphate removal performance and excellent pH stability

Biochar-based adsorbents for phosphate removal from wastewater has gained increasing attention and achieved significant progress. However, there is still much room for the enhancement on adsorption performance in terms of removal rate, adsorption capacity and pH application range. Herein, novel Ca-Al-La modified biochar adsorbents in this study were synthesized for enhancing phosphate adsorption in wastewater. The synthesis parameters of adsorbents were optimized by using the response surface methodology (RSM). The Ca-Al-La modified biochar adsorbent synthesized under the optimal conditions (CAL-MBC) exhibited superior adsorption capability towards phosphate. Specifically, CAL-MBC achieved a rapid removal rate to reach the adsorption equilibrium within 1 h, a maximum phosphate adsorption capacity of 152.9 mg/g, and excellent pH stability within a broad pH range of 3.0–11.0. The adsorption mechanisms involving electrostatic interaction, precipitation and inner-sphere complexation via ligand exchange were responsible for the excellent adsorption performance of phosphate on CAL-MBC. This study verifies CAL-MBC as a promising metal modified biochar adsorbent to enhance phosphate removal from wastewater.

Green and Efficient Al-Doped LaFexAl1–xO3 Perovskite Oxide for Enhanced Phosphate Adsorption with Creation of Oxygen Vacancies

La-based metal oxide materials are environmentally friendly and show promise for phosphate adsorption. A series of Al-doped perovskite oxides, such as LaFexAl1-xO3, were prepared using a facile citric acid-assisted sol-gel method. The characterization results demonstrated that with optimized Al doping, there was a significant increase in the specific surface area and increased defect content of perovskite oxide LaFexAl1-xO3. Adsorption experiments showed that the performance of phosphate removal by LaFexAl1-xO3 was largely enhanced due to the improved adsorption capacity, which is maximum eight times higher compared with control perovskites prepared under neutral conditions. The mass transfer rate for adsorption was considerably boosted with phosphate removal within the initial 15 min. Spectroscopy analysis and density functional theory calculation results showed that the process of phosphate removal by the Al-doped perovskite oxides LaFexAl1-xO3 involved electrostatic interactions, an inner-sphere complex, and surface oxygen vacancies, among which the creation of oxygen vacancies caused by the Al doping was the predominant mechanism for reducing the bonding barrier during adsorption and generating adsorption sites. The results enable the development of a green and efficient perovskite adsorbent with a La-based perovskite material for phosphorus removal.

Enhanced phosphate adsorption studies on several metal-modified aluminum sludge: preparation optimization, adsorption behavior, and mechanistic insight.

To solve the problems such as water eutrophication caused by excess phosphorus, the potential residual value of aluminum sludge was fully exploited and its phosphate adsorption capacity was further improved. In this study, twelve metal-modified aluminum sludge materials were prepared by co-precipitation method. Among them, Ce-WTR, La-WTR, Y-WTR, Zr-WTR, and Zn-WTR showed excellent adsorption capacity for phosphate. The adsorption performance of Ce-WTR on phosphate was twice that of the native sludge. The enhanced adsorption mechanism of metal modification on phosphate was investigated. The characterization results showed that the increase in specific surface area after metal modification was 9.64, 7.5, 7.29, 3, and 1.5 times, respectively. The adsorption of phosphate by WTR and Zn-WTR was in the accordance with Langmuir model, while the others were more following the Freundlich model (R2 > 0.991). The effects of dosage, pH, and anion on phosphate adsorption were investigated. The surface hydroxyl groups and metal (hydrogen) oxides played an important role in the adsorption process. The adsorption mechanism involves physical adsorption, electrostatic attraction, ligand exchange, and hydrogen bonding. This study provides new ideas for the resource utilization of aluminum sludge and theoretical support for preparing novel adsorbents for efficient phosphate removal.

Pyrolysis of Ca/Fe-rich antibiotic fermentation residues into biochars for efficient phosphate removal/recovery from wastewater: Turning hazardous waste to phosphorous fertilizer

Ca/Fe-rich antibiotic fermentation residues (AFRs), a type of hazardous waste, can be regarded as recyclable biomass and metal resources. However, concurrent detoxification and reutilization of biomass and metals resources from AFRs have never been reported before. In this study, Ca/Fe-rich vancomycin fermentation residues were pyrolyzed into biochar to adsorb phosphate for the first time. The residual vancomycin and antibiotic resistance genes were completely decomposed during pyrolysis. The resultant Ca/Fe-rich biochar exhibited excellent performance at adsorbing phosphate without further modifications. The process had rapid kinetics and a maximum adsorption capacity of 102 mg P/g. Ca and Fe were the active sites, whereas different mechanisms were observed under acidic and alkaline conditions. Surprisingly, HCO3− enhanced phosphate adsorption with an increase of adsorption capacity from 43.9 to 71.0 mg/g when HCO3− concentration increased from 1 to 10 mM. Furthermore, actual wastewater could be effectively treated by the biochar. The phosphate-rich spent biochar significantly promoted seed germination (germination rate: 96.7 % vs. 80.0 % in control group, p < 0.01) and seedling growth (shoot length was increased by 57.9 %, p < 0.01) due to the slow release of bioavailable phosphate, and thus could be potentially used as a phosphorous fertilizer. Consequently, the hazardous waste was turned into phosphorous fertilizer, with the additional benefits of detoxifying AFRs, reutilizing biomass and metal resources from AFRs, controlling phosphate pollution, and recovering phosphate from wastewater.

Enhancing phosphate removal performance in water using La–Ca/Fe–LDH: La loading alleviates ineffective stacking of laminates and increases the number of active adsorption sites

Increasing the number of adsorption sites in layered bimetallic hydroxide (LDH), which is frequently used for phosphate removal in water, is a crucial step in enhancing phosphate adsorption. In this study, we investigate whether lanthanum (La) metal loading can improve the phosphate adsorption capacity of LDH. Based on Ca/Fe–LDH prepared through coprecipitation, a La–Ca/Fe–LDH composite is fabricated by La loading through impregnation. The adsorption capacity of La–Ca/Fe–LDH is 11.4% higher than that of Ca/Fe–LDH. The magnitude of adsorption and accelerated rate of adsorption of La–Ca/Fe–LDH satisfy the quasi-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isothermal equations. When comparing La–Ca/Fe–LDH to Ca/Fe–LDH, the adsorption capacity increased by 3.3%–328.39% in the pH range of 3–11; additionally, the resistance to pH influence and coexisting ion interference was considerably enhanced. However, under the coexistence of Cl−, NO3−, CO32−, SO42−, and F−, the adsorption capacity increased by 20.59%–27.6%. After three cycles of desorption, the phosphate removal abilit till increased by 11%, and the magnetic property was suitable for separation. The improvement of La–Ca/Fe–LDH adsorption capacity is attributed to the relief of ineffective stacking of LDH laminates and increased number of adsorption sites. The primary causes of adsorption are ion exchange, electrostatic attraction, and ligand exchange. In this study, a novel technique for enhancing LDH adsorption capability is proposed. This technique has numerous potential applications related to adsorbents in water treatment.

Enhanced Phosphate Adsorption by Mg-Stirred Leaf Biochar in a Complex Water Matrix via Active MgO Facet Exposure

Enhanced Phosphate Adsorption by Mg-Stirred Leaf Biochar in a Complex Water Matrix via Active MgO Facet Exposure

Production of magnetic biochar-steel dust composites for enhanced phosphate adsorption

In this study, a new low-cost magnetic composite comprising biochar-steel dust wastes was fabricated by the facile co-pyrolysis method at different proportions of steel dust wastes. The performance of the magnetic composite was investigated for the adsorption of phosphate from water. The physicochemical characteristics of the magnetic composite indicate an effective coupling of the steel dust into a biochar matrix leading to improved crystallinity, surface heterogeneity, and functional groups (CO, CC, and metal oxides). The proportion of the steel dust significantly influenced the adsorptive characteristics of the magnetic biochar-steel dust composite. The synergistic effect of the biochar and steel dust facilitated enhanced phosphate adsorption compared to the pristine biochar and steel dust. Pseudo-second order model well-described the kinetics of the phosphate adsorption, while the isotherm results showed better fitting with the Redlich Peterson model (R2 > 0.999). The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 175.23 mg/g was achieved at pH 4, 240 min, and 25 °C, higher than many other similar magnetic adsorbents. The magnetic biochar composite exhibited excellent phosphate removal with just ~10% reduction in the presence of co-existing ions (SO42−, CO32− and HCO3−). The high reusability performance of the magnetic composite for up to five cycles implies that the composite possessed great potential for low cost and sustainable remediation of phosphate from water streams.

An in situ grown amorphous ZrO2 layer on zeolite for enhanced phosphate adsorption.

Zeolite supported amorphous metal oxide nanolayers with high specific surface area, abundant adsorption sites, and excellent reusability hold a bright prospect in the efficient removal of contaminants, yet it is proven to be still challenging to precisely regulate and control their synthesis. Herein, we reported a facile synthetic strategy for rational design and achieving the uniform and firm in situ growth of an amorphous ZrO2 layer decorated on the surface of zeolite (ZEO@AZ) for enhanced phosphate adsorption. The Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second order kinetic equation well described the adsorption process towards phosphate solution, and the synthetized ZEO@AZ exhibited an excellent maximum adsorption amount of 24.98 mgP g−1. Furthermore, the adsorption of phosphates on ZEO@AZ was confirmed to be chemisorption, endothermic and spontaneous. This approach for fabricating amorphous metal oxide nanolayers on a robust matrix may provide a new route for constructing composites with superb phosphate adsorption performance.

Confined La2O3 particles in mesoporous carbon material for enhanced phosphate adsorption.

Novel phosphate adsorbents with confined La2O3 inside mesoporous carbon were fabricated by the solid-state grinding method using pristine mesoporous carbon material CMK-3 (PCMK-3) and oxidized CMK-3 (OCMK-3) as the matrixes (denoted as La2O3@PCMK-3 and La2O3@OCMK-3). Compared with pure La2O3, La2O3@PCMK-3 and La2O3@OCMK-3 exhibited higher normalized phosphate adsorption capacity, indicative of efficient loading of La2O3 inside the mesopores of the carbon materials. Furthermore, La2O3 loading led to substantially enhanced phosphate adsorption. The adsorption capacities of La2O3@OCMK-3 samples were higher than those of La2O3@PCMK-3 samples, possibly owing to the oxygen-containing groups forming in OCMK-3 during HNO3 oxidation, which enhanced the dispersion of La2O3 in the mesopores of OCMK-3. The adsorption capacities of La2O3@PCMK-3 and La2O3@OCMK-3 increased with the La2O3 loading amount. Phosphate adsorption onto La2O3(14.7)@PCMK-3 followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics with respect to correlation coefficient values (larger than 0.99). As pH increased from 3.4 to 12.0, the phosphate adsorption amounts of La2O3(14.7)@PCMK-3 and La2O3(15.7)@OCMK-3 decreased from 37.64 mg g−1 and 37.08 mg g−1 to 21.92 mg g−1 and 14.18 mg g−1, respectively. Additionally, La2O3@PCMK-3 showed higher adsorption selectivity towards phosphate than coexisting Cl−, and . The adsorbent La2O3(14.7)@PCMK-3 remained stable after five regeneration cycles.

Fe-loaded biochar obtained from food waste for enhanced phosphate adsorption and its adsorption mechanism study via spectroscopic and experimental approach

The re-utilization of food waste is an eco-friendly method for valorizing waste. In this study, food waste was blended with iron (Fe-FW) and optimized using the response surface methodology (RSM) to produce Fe-loaded food waste biochar (Fe-FWB); moreover, the waste was utilized to probe the adsorption of phosphate in water, where pyrolysis time (1.0, 2.5, and 4.0 h), temperature (300, 450, and 600 °C), and Fe concentrations (0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 M) were set as independent variables. After optimizing the Fe-FWB, batch experiments were performed to examine the phosphate sorption characteristics of Fe-FW and Fe-FWB. A pseudo-second order and Elovich kinetic model thoroughly explained the adsorption kinetics, which was indicative of the rate-limited sorption via diffusion or surface coverage after the rapid initial adsorption. The Freundlich and Redlich–Peterson isotherm models more accurately simulated the adsorption of phosphate onto Fe-FW and Fe-FWB than the Langmuir isotherm model. The thermodynamic results presented a positive value of ΔG0, clearly indicating that the reaction was not spontaneous; positive values of ΔH0 and ΔS0 affirmed the endothermic characteristic of phosphate uptake into Fe-FW and Fe-FWB, with an increase in randomness. The adsorption of phosphate onto Fe-FW and Fe-FWB decreased as the solution pH increased from 3 to 11. In the presence of interfering anions, phosphate adsorption onto Fe-FWB was influenced by the coexistence of HCO3-, SO42-, and NO3−. These results suggest that the synthesized Fe-loaded food waste biochar can be used as an emerging adsorbent for phosphate removal from aqueous solutions.

Effect of Hydrogen Ion Presence in Adsorbent and Solution to Enhance Phosphate Adsorption

In this paper, the effect of hydrogen ions on the adsorption onto granular activated carbon (GAC) with the inorganic contaminant phosphate, which exists as a form of four species depending on the solution pH, is investigated. Various batch isotherm and kinetic experiments were conducted in an initial pH 4 as an acid, a pH 7 as neutral, and a pH 9 solution as a base for the GAC conditioned with deionized water and hydrochloric acid, referred to as GAC and GACA, respectively. The physical properties, such as the total surface area, pore volume, pore size distribution, and weight of the element, obtained from Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM–EDX) represent no significant differences. However, the hydrochloric acid (HCl) condition results in an alteration of the pH of the point of zero charge from 4.5 to 6.0. The optimized initial pH was determined as being acid for the GAC and as being neutral for the GACA. According to the Langmuir isotherm, the relatively high Qm was obtained as being acid for the GAC and clearly distinguishes the pH effect as being the base for the GACA. An attempt was made to assess the adsorption mechanism using the pseudo-first-order (PFO), the pseudo-second-order (PSO), and the intraparticle diffusion models. The higher R2 for the PSO in the entire pH range indicated that chemisorption was predominant for phosphate adsorption, and the pH did not change the adsorption mechanism. A prolonged Bed Volume (BV) for the GACA demonstrated that the hydrogen ions on the surface of the GAC enhanced phosphate adsorption.

Facile synthesis of polyethyleneimine@Fe3O4 loaded with zirconium for enhanced phosphate adsorption: Performance and adsorption mechanism

Facile synthesis of polyethyleneimine@Fe3O4 loaded with zirconium for enhanced phosphate adsorption: Performance and adsorption mechanism

Key roles of the crystal structures of MgO-biochar nanocomposites for enhancing phosphate adsorption

The affinity of biochar (BC) adsorbing phosphate was weak, while generation of magnesium oxide (MgO)-BC nanocomposites that transformed the crystal structures of BC would change the adsorption processes in improving the phosphate adsorption. Hereon, four different crystal structure of absorbents were selected to illustrate why the crystal structures and surface properties of absorbents were of great importance for the phosphate adsorption. The results showed that MgO/KBC with higher combination degree between MgO and KBC could change the normal crystal structure (MgO/KBC1, MgO phase (dominant)) to C-Mg-O phase (dominant). Therefore, MgO/KBC could achieve highest adsorption rate (k2, 8.059 g mg−1 min−1) and qm (maximal adsorption capacity, 121.950 mg g−1) for phosphate adsorption among absorbents, and even it had high anti-interference capacity for anions and natural organic matter (NOM). The mechanisms of MgO/KBC for phosphate adsorption were hydrogen-bond interaction, inner-sphere complexation and surface chemical adsorption; adsorption of phosphate on MgO/KBC1 was mainly controlled by inner-sphere complexation (Mg-O-PO3H2−, Mg-O-PO3H2− species). In addition, the adsorbability of MgO/KBC for phosphate could be restored after recalcination, which further proved that an efficient nanocomposite, calcinated from waste biomass (fallen leaves), was proposed to control eutrophication.

Influence of Ca2+ on phosphate removal from water using a non-core-shell Fe3O4@ZIF-67 composites

Excessive phosphate in surface water can spur the growth of organism, which put a threat on the bio-safety of drinking water. Different from previous study, sodium acetate (NaAc) was used as modification agent of Fe3O4, then the magnetic Fe3O4@ZIF-67 composites with a non-core-shell sturture were synthesized. According to ZIF-67 loading and phosphate adsorption of synthesized Fe3O4@ZIF-67, the Fe3O4@ZIF-67 composites with a Co2+/Fe3O4 molar ratio of 1:2 was taken into further evaluation. Fe3O4@ZIF-67 composites exhibited satisfactory adsorption performance and easy magnetic recovery, and the sorption capacity reached 116.59 mg P/g within 180 min (C0 = 20 mg P/L, 298 K). The maximum adsorption capacity of phosphate was obtained at the neutral pH, and not significantly interfered with ions of K+, Mg2+, NO3− and SO42-. Remarkably, Fe3O4@ZIF-67 described enhanced phosphate adsorption ability in the presence of Ca2+. To investigate the role of Ca2+, two modes (preloading and addition) of Ca2+ dosing were examined and the improved adsorptive performance could be owing to the synergistic eff ;ect of adsorption and Ca-P micro-precipitation on the surface of Fe3O4@ZIF-67. During the regeneration process, the performance of desorbent was evaluated by phosphate releasing and secondary adsorption, and the absence or presence of Ca2+ would have a significant impact on the selection of desorption solution.

Surface Functional Group Engineering of CeO2 Particles for Enhanced Phosphate Adsorption.

Surface functional groups play a dominating role in determining the adsorption performance of metal oxide particles. The ability to manipulate the surface functional groups is vital in designing an effective adsorbent for water decontamination. In this study, a facile method is proposed for tuning the amount of the surface hydroxyl groups of CeO2 particles. The volume of water added during the ethylene glycol-mediated solvothermal synthesis of CeO2 particles can be used to adjust the amount of surface hydroxyl groups. By simple reduction in the volume of water, the number of surface hydroxyl groups of CeO2 particles can be increased and the phosphate adsorption capacity can be greatly improved. Our results show that the obtained CeO2 particles have high phosphate adsorption capacity at low phosphate concentrations, fast adsorption kinetics, and the ability to achieve an ultralow phosphate concentration in the real sewage effluent. This study provides an effective strategy for designing highly effective metal oxide adsorbents through surface functional group engineering.