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Phosphorus Removal from Eutrophic Waters with an Aluminium Hybrid Nanocomposite

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Abstract

An excess of phosphorus (P) is the most common cause of eutrophication of freshwater bodies. Thus, it is imperative to reduce the concentration of P to prevent harmful algal blooms. Moreover, recovery of P has been gaining importance because its natural source will be exhausted in the near future. Therefore, the present work investigated the removal and recovery of phosphate from water using a newly developed hybrid nanocomposite containing aluminium nanoparticles (HPN). The HPN-Pr removes 0.80 ± 0.01 mg P/g in a pH interval between 2.0 and 6.5. The adsorption mechanism was described by a Freundlich adsorption model. The material presented good selectivity for phosphate and can be regenerated using an HCl dilute solution. The factors that contribute most to the attractiveness of HPN-Pr as a phosphate sorbent are its moderate removal capacity, feasible production at industrial scale, reuse after regeneration and recovery of phosphate.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) Project SFRH/BD/39085/2007 for the financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IPC—Institute of Polymers and Composites/I3N, Department of Polymers Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal

    M. Oliveira & A. V. Machado

  2. IBB—Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Center of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    R. Nogueira

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  1. M. Oliveira
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  2. A. V. Machado
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  3. R. Nogueira
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Correspondence to M. Oliveira.

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Oliveira, M., Machado, A.V. & Nogueira, R. Phosphorus Removal from Eutrophic Waters with an Aluminium Hybrid Nanocomposite. Water Air Soil Pollut 223, 4831–4840 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-012-1239-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-012-1239-9

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