Adsorption of Phosphate Using Alginate-/Zirconium-Grafted Newspaper Pellets: Fixed-Bed Column Study and Application

Synthesis of a low-cost material with high specific surface area and a high adsorption capacity of phosphate is the main purpose of this study. In a fixed-bed column, removal of phosphate from model solution was investigated. The effects of inlet phosphate concentration (5-20 mg/L), feed flow rate (3-10 mL/min), and alginate/zirconium-impregnated newspaper bed height (1.6-4.8 cm) were studied. The maximum adsorption capacity obtained was 5.59 mg/g for a column with an inlet phosphate concentration of 20 mg/L, a bed height of 1.6 cm, and a flow rate of 6 mL/min. The adsorption data fitted well to the Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models with correlation coefficient R-2 >= 0.98 at various conditions. When the prepared adsorbent was subjected to real water samples, the results showed a great efficiency for the removal of phosphate ions from environmental samples.