title: Phosphorus treatment of secondary municipal effluent using oven-dried alum residual.
abstract: This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of alum residuals generated during drinking water treatment for adsorption of phosphorus from secondary municipal effluent. Bench-scale experiments (batch and fixed bed column tests) were conducted using oven-dried alum residuals. Experimental results observed maximum phosphorus removal of 91%-98% using alum residual concentrations of 4 g/L to 16 g/L. Oven-dried alum residual was a more effective adsorbent for orthophosphate phosphorus than total phosphorus. Effluent pH levels were suitable for surface water disposal with little or no lime addition. Aluminum leaching from oven-dried alum residual was not high enough to cause toxicity for aquatic species in surface water. Oven-dried alum residuals were also able to adsorb organic matter. The results indicated that oven-dried alum residuals have potential to provide a low cost technological solution for small- and medium-sized municipalities.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure Research, National Research Council Canada, Regina, Canada.
authors.forename: Md M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Mortula
authors.forename: Graham A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Gagnon
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000534:Alum Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000737:chemistry*; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry*; D018508:Water Purification
chemical_list: D000534:Alum Compounds; D012722:Sewage; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D010758:Phosphorus; C041524:aluminum sulfate