Phosphate removal from wastewater using aluminium oxide as adsorbent

The development and manufacture of an adsorbent to remove phosphate for the prevention of eutrophication in lakes is very important. The use of aluminium oxide (alumina) as an organic adsorbent to remove phosphate from wastewater has been investigated. The characteristics of this absorption process were investigated to determine the important parameters, such as the pH and the aluminium ion concentration. Moreover, chemical treatment methods to enhance the adsorption capacity of alumina were tested. Dynamic studies and equilibrium adsorption isotherm studies were conducted to determine the adsorption capacity and efficiency. The experimental results indicate that it is necessary to increase the temperature above 500 degrees C in order to obtain a high-capacity adsorbent, and alumina treated with acid or calcium or magnesium has a larger adsorption capacity for phosphate than untreated adsorbent. Moreover, the adsorption of phosphate was enhanced at a lower pH and a higher aluminium ion concentration, and a simple Freundlich isotherm could express the equilibrium adsorption isotherm, and the intragranular diffusion controlling model was used to test the dynamic studies. These findings have important implications for the application and development of aluminium oxide as a prospective adsorbent.