Comparing Adsorptive Media Use for the Direct Treatment of Phosphorous-Impaired Surface Water
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 141, Issue 8
Abstract
Removing phosphorus (P) from the environment is a growing priority for water resource stakeholders. Unlike prior research that focused on using adsorbents to treat wastewater discharges, urban stormwater, or agricultural runoff, several adsorbents were evaluated in this work for their ability to remove P directly from surface water. Isotherm models predicted that the capacity of Sorbtive Media, dried alum sludge, fly ash, and Bold and Gold solid adsorbents were 42.1, 21.3, 10.5, and 0.019 mg adsorbent, respectively. Alum sludge and Sorbtive Media were further evaluated by packing 10% of the adsorbent with 90% sand (by volume) into 15-mm-diameter mini-columns that were fed surface water collected from the Econlockhatchee River near Orlando, FL. The average percent removal of P was 51% for the alum sludge column and 61% for the Sorbtive Media column. The adsorptive capacity of the columns was not exhausted after more than 1,300 h of continuous operation. This study shed light on the use of adsorbent materials for P removal from surface water and provides insight into the challenges of treating P from nonpoint sources.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the St. Johns River Water Management District (Palatka, Florida) for funding this study (Project #16208117). The authors are also grateful for the contributions of University of Central Florida (UCF) students Danielle Barnhill, Shane Clark, Andrea Cumming, Christine Hall, Carlyn Higgins, Samantha Jeffery, Tiffany Miller, Angela Rodriquez, Tyler Smith, and David Yonge. The authors also wish to acknowledge the support of Jeffrey Elledge and the efforts of Maria Real-Robert, the laboratory coordinator at the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering, for her assistance. This work would not have been possible without the generosity of the following individuals for providing the adsorbents for testing: Joel Garbon (Imbrium Systems, Inc.), Bruce MacLeod (Manatee County Utilities Department), David Westcott (CEMEX), and Mike Hardin (UCF Stormwater Management Academy). The comments and opinions expressed herein may not necessarily reflect the views of the officers, directors, or affiliates of the St. Johns River Water Management District or UCF.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 141 • Issue 8 • August 2015
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 17, 2014
Accepted: Jan 7, 2015
Published online: Feb 9, 2015
Discussion open until: Jul 9, 2015
Published in print: Aug 1, 2015
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