Optimizing the modification of wood waste biochar via metal oxides to remove and recover phosphate from human urine

The recovery of phosphate from human urine has been considered as one of the most attractive benefits of urine source separation because P is an essential but limited macronutrient. This study investigated the approach to modify wood waste biochar via metal oxides aiming to recover phosphate from human urine to produce a value-added biochar. Results showed the phosphate removal ability was enhanced for the modified biochar pre-treated in modification solutions of MgCl2, AlCl3, CaCl2 and FeCl3, respectively, while natural biochar released phosphate to urine. Among the tested biochar, Mg-biochar presented the best capacity for phosphate removal from the hydrolyzed urine, reaching 118 mg(P) g(-1) at a MgCl2 concentration of 2.3 M. However, higher MgCl2 concentration would not further increase the adsorption capacity. Fitting of the adsorption kinetics and isotherms indicated that the phosphate removal process was probably controlled by multiple mechanisms. Both the experimental and fitting results confirmed that the content of Mg oxides was the key factor determining the adsorption rate and capacity of phosphate on Mg-biochar. pH ranges of 7-9 and the ammonium concentration higher than 108 mg(N) L-1 enhanced the phosphate adsorption capacity. As such, the Mg-biochar was more favored for the treatment of hydrolyzed urine rather than fresh urine with acidic pH and lower concentration of ammonium. Further calculations were carried out using the Langmuir model to evaluate the removal of phosphate and the product. Results indicate that it is an effective technique to use Mg-biochar for phosphate removal from hydrolyzed urine and it yields phosphate-enriched biochar products.