Evaluation of alum-based water treatment residuals used to adsorb reactive phosphorus

Excess reactive phosphorus(PO4)in waterways can lead to eutrophication.A low-cost approach to reducing PO4 levels in surface water was evaluated using the alum-based water treatment residual(Al-WTR)or Al-WTR augmented with powdered activated carbon(PAC-WTR).Batch adsorption-desorption and continuous flow column experiments were performed to assess the specific adsorption capacities under various concentration and flow conditions.Both Al-WTR and PAC-WTR exhibited the ability to adsorb PO4.The overall,cumulative sorbed amount after a 28-d desorption step for Al-WTR was 33.93 mg/kg,significantly greater than the PAC-WTR value of 24.95 mg/kg(p<0.05).The continuous flow column experiments showed a theoretical PO4 uptake of 9.00 mg/g for Al-WTR and 7.14 mg/g for PAC-WTR over 720 h.When surface water was used,the Al-WTR and PAC-WTR columns removed 67.4%and 62.1%of the PO4,respectively.These results indicated that Al-WTR was more effective for in-field evaluation.

Utilizing Water Treatment Residuals for Phosphorus Removal:Batch Trials,Column Trials and Effects of Three Low-Molecular-Weight Organic Acids

Phosphorus( P) has been recognized as a major limited nutrient responsible for the eutrophication of surface waters. Water treatment residuals( WTRs) are safe by-products of water treatment plants and are cost-efficient adsorbents. In this study, batch experiments and column experiments based on WTRs were employed to study the characteristics of P adsorption and the effects of lowmolecular-weight organic acids( LMWOAs)( citric acid, oxalic acid,and tartaric acid) on P adsorption. Different models of adsorption were used to describe equilibrium and kinetic data. The adsorption data were fitted well by a pseudo-second order kinetic model. The adsorption process was determined to be controlled by three steps of diffusion mechanisms through the intra-particle model.The adsorption equilibrium was well described by the Langmuir,Freundlich,Redlich-Peterson,and Sips isotherm models. Batch and continuous flow experiments indicated that the LMWOAs exhibited inhibitory action,and as pH increased,the inhibitory action became weaker for all the three acids. The effect of LMWOAs concentration was not significant on inhibition. The effects of LMWOAs were closely related to reaction time.

Utilizing Water Treatment Residuals to Reduce Phosphorus Runoff from Biosolids

Approximately 40% of biosolids （sewage sludge） produced in the U.S. are incinerated or landfilled rather than land applied due to concern over non-point source P （phosphorus） runoff. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of chemical amendments on WEP （water-extractable phosphorus） in applied treatments and DRP （dissolved reactive phosphorus） in runoff from biosolids-amended soils. Rainfall simulations were conducted in 2006 on field plots fertilized with biosolids that had been treated with alum [（A12804）3＂ 14H20], ferric chloride （FeC13） or an alum-based WTR （water treatment residual） at a rate of 20% （wt/wt） to reduce DRP in runoff. In 2007, rainfall simulations were conducted using WTR/biosolid blends of 15% and 30% （wt/wt） that were allowed to incubate for three weeks prior to application. Cumulative DRP runoff load observed for the 20% WTR treatment was not significantly different from other chemical treatments and resulted in a 45% reduction in DRP runoff as compared to the untreated biosolids application. Cumulative DRP runoff load in 2007 for the 15% and 30% WTR treatments resulted in significantly lower DRP loads compared to untreated biosolids and led to DRP runoff load reductions of 78% and 85% （compared to the untreated biosolids application）, respectively.

Comparison of different phosphate species adsorption by ferric and alum water treatment residuals

As safe byproducts of drinking water treatment processes,ferric and alum water treatment residuals（FARs） have the potential to be new phosphate（P） immobilization materials.In this study,batch experiments were conducted to investigate and compare the adsorption characteristics of three P species by FARs.The results showed that the kinetic processes of different P species＇ adsorption by FARs could be described by a pseudo second-order model.The ranking list of the initial adsorption rates with respect to different phosphates was pyrophosphate,phytate,orthophosphate,hexametaphosphate and glycerophosphate.Of the six models considered,the two-site Langmuir model most effectively described the adsorption characteristics of the various P species.Upon fitting the results,the maximum adsorption capacities were determined to be 40.24 mg/g for phytate,18.04 mg/g for pyrophosphate,17.14 mg/g for orthophosphate,15.86 mg/g for hexametaphosphate and 10.81 mg/g for glycerophosphate.In addition,the adsorption processes of the different P species were spontaneous endothermic processes and were favored at lower pH values.The pH dependency was found to be especially true for orthophosphate,where the adsorption capacity decreased by 1.22 mg/g with an increase in pH from 5 to 9.Fractionation of the adsorbed P species from the FARs demonstrated that Al-P and Fe-P were the dominating forms,constituting approximately 80%-90% of the total P fractions,which indicated that the adsorbed P species had a low leaching risk and could stably exist in the FARs.Therefore,the FARs could be effective in controlling pollution in water caused by different P species.

Influence of the inherent properties of drinking water treatment residuals on their phosphorus adsorption capacities

Batch experiments were conducted to investigate the phosphorus（P） adsorption and desorption on five drinking water treatment residuals（WTRs） collected from different regions in China. The physical and chemical characteristics of the five WTRs were determined. Combined with rotated principal component analysis, multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the inherent properties of the WTRs and their P adsorption capacities. The results showed that the maximum P adsorption capacities of the five WTRs calculated using the Langmuir isotherm ranged from 4.17 to8.20 mg/g at a p H of 7 and further increased with a decrease in p H. The statistical analysis revealed that a factor related to Al and 200 mmol/L oxalate-extractable Al（Alox） accounted for 36.5% of the variations in the P adsorption. A similar portion（28.5%） was attributed to an integrated factor related to the p H, Fe, 200 mmol/L oxalate-extractable Fe（Feox）, surface area and organic matter（OM） of the WTRs. However, factors related to other properties（Ca,P and 5 mmol/L oxalate-extractable Fe and Al） were rejected. In addition, the quantity of P desorption was limited and had a significant negative correlation with the（Feox＋ Alox） of the WTRs（p 〈 0.05）. Overall, WTRs with high contents of Alox, Feoxand OM as well as large surface areas were proposed to be the best choice for P adsorption in practical applications.

Phosphate adsorption performance of a novel filter substrate made from drinking water treatment residuals

Phosphate is one of the most predominant pollutants in natural waters. Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the phosphate adsorption performance of a（NFS） made from drinking water treatment residuals. The adsorption of phosphate on the NFS fitted well with the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo second-order kinetic models. At p H 7.0, the maximum adsorption capacity of 1.03 mg/g was achieved at 15°C corresponding to the wastewater temperature in cold months, and increased notably to 1.31 mg/g at 35°C.Under both acidic conditions（part of the adsorption sites was consumed） and basic conditions（negative charges formed on the surface of NFS, which led to a static repulsion of PO43-and HPO42-）, the adsorption of phosphate was slightly inhibited. Further study showed that part of the adsorption sites could be recovered by 0.25 mol/L Na OH. The activation energy was calculated to be above 8.0 k J/mol, indicating that the adsorption of phosphate on NFS was probably a chemical process. Considering the strong phosphate adsorption capacity and recoverability, NFS showed great promise on enhancing phosphate removal from the secondary treated wastewater in the filtration process.

Adsorption of Co(Ⅱ)from aqueous solutions by water treatment residuals

A study on the removal of Co（Ⅱ） from aqueous solutions by water treatment residuals（WTR） was conducted in batch conditions. The sorption process of Co（Ⅱ） followed pseudosecondorder kinetics, with 30 hr required to reach equilibrium. Using the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model, a relatively high maximum sorption capacity of 17.31 mg/g Co（Ⅱ） was determined. The adsorption of Co（Ⅱ） was dependent on pH values and was affected by the ionic strength. Results show that Co（Ⅱ） adsorption was a spontaneous endothermic process and was favorable at high temperature. Most of the adsorbed Co（Ⅱ） stayed on the WTR permanently, whereas only small amounts of adsorbed Co（Ⅱ） were desorbed. The shifting of peaks in FT-IR spectra indicated that Co（Ⅱ） interacted with the WTR surface through strong covalent bond formation with Fe（Al）–O functional groups. It was concluded that WTR can be a suitable material from which to develop an efficient adsorbent for the removal of Co（Ⅱ） from wastewater.

Use of Fe/Al drinking water treatment residuals as amendments for enhancing the retention capacity of glyphosate in agricultural soils

Fe/Al drinking water treatment residuals（WTRs）, ubiquitous and non-hazardous by-products of drinking water purification, are cost-effective adsorbents for glyphosate. Given that repeated glyphosate applications could significantly decrease glyphosate retention by soils and that the adsorbed glyphosate is potentially mobile, high sorption capacity and stability of glyphosate in agricultural soils are needed to prevent pollution of water by glyphosate.Therefore, we investigated the feasibility of reusing Fe/Al WTR as a soil amendment to enhance the retention capacity of glyphosate in two agricultural soils. The results of batch experiments showed that the Fe/Al WTR amendment significantly enhanced the glyphosate sorption capacity of both soils（p 〈 0.001）. Up to 30% of the previously adsorbed glyphosate desorbed from the non-amended soils, and the Fe/Al WTR amendment effectively decreased the proportion of glyphosate desorbed. Fractionation analyses further demonstrated that glyphosate adsorbed to non-amended soils was primarily retained in the readily labile fraction（Na HCO3-glyphosate）. The WTR amendment significantly increased the relative proportion of the moderately labile fraction（HCl-glyphosate） and concomitantly reduced that of the Na HCO3-glyphosate, hence reducing the potential for the release of soil-adsorbed glyphosate into the aqueous phase. Furthermore, Fe/Al WTR amendment minimized the inhibitory effect of increasing solution p H on glyphosate sorption by soils and mitigated the effects of increasing solution ionic strength. The present results indicate that Fe/Al WTR is suitable for use as a soil amendment to prevent glyphosate pollution of aquatic ecosystems by enhancing the glyphosate retention capacity in soils.

Investigation on the eco-toxicity of lake sediments with the addition of drinking water treatment residuals

Drinking water treatment residuals（WTRs） have a potential to realize eutrophication control objectives by reducing the internal phosphorus（P） load of lake sediments. Information regarding the ecological risk of dewatered WTR reuse in aquatic environments is generally lacking, however. In this study, we analyzed the eco-toxicity of leachates from sediments with or without dewatered WTRs toward algae Chlorella vulgaris via algal growth inhibition testing with algal cell density, chlorophyll content, malondialdehyde content, antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase activity, and subcellular structure indices. The results suggested that leachates from sediments unanimously inhibited algal growth, with or without the addition of different WTR doses（10% or 50% of the sediment in dry weight） at different p H values（8–9）, as well as from sediments treated for different durations（10 or 180 days）. The inhibition was primarily the result of P deficiency in the leachates owing to WTR P adsorption, however, our results suggest that the dewatered WTRs were considered as a favorable potential material for internal P loading control in lake restoration projects, as it shows acceptably low risk toward aquatic plants.

Study of Water Treatment Residue Used as a Profile Control Agent

A large amount of residue from the water treatment process has gradually accumulated and thus caused serious environmental pollution in waterflood oilfields. The water treatment residue is a grey suspension, with a density of 1.08 g/cm^3, and mainly contains over 65% of light CaCO3, MgCO3, CaSO4, Fe2S3 and Ca（OH）2. This paper ascertains the effect of water treatment residue on core permeability and its application in oilfields. Coreflooding tests in laboratory were conducted in two artificial cores and one natural core. Core changes were evaluated by cast model image analysis, mercury injection method and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. Fresh water was injected into another natural core, which was plugged with water treatment residue, to determine the effective life. The results indicate that the water treatment residue has a strongly plugging capability, a resistance to erosion and a long effective life, and thus it can be used as a cheap raw material for profile control. In the past 8 years, a total of 60,164 m^3 of water treatment residue has been used for profile control of 151 well treatments, with a success ratio of 98% and an effective ratio of 83.2%. In the field tests, the profile control agent increased both starting pressure and injection pressure of injectors, and decreased the apparent water injectivity coefficient, significantly improving intake profiles and lengthening average service life of injectors. 28,381 tons of additional oil were recovered from these corresponding oil wells, with economic benefits of ￥3,069.55×10^4 （RMB） and a remarkable input-output ratio of 8.6：1.