Removal of Phosphorus Using Chemically Modified Lignocellulosic Materials

Heavy metals from an acid mine drainage (AMD) site were precipitated on the surface of juniper fiber. The modified fiber was tested in labscaled batch and column tests and in the field. Elemental analysis showed that soluble iron species deposited on the fiber act as an inorganic adsorbent for anions. Sorption capacity, determined by fitting results to a Langmuir isotherm model, was 2.18 mg/g of Q max for phosphorus removal, which is similar or slightly higher to the sorption capacity of other conventional adsorbents. A pseudo second order kinetic model fitted well for sorption of phosphorus onto the modified filter medium. The kinetic constant was 8.09 × 10 -2 g/mg/min at 10 ppm of phosphorus concentration. A column test showed a removal capacity of 3.5 mg/g of fiber. The modified fiber was used to remove phosphorus from wastewater from a dairy farm in New York. The fiber was installed inside a filter box, forming a non-woven mat. Phosphorus removal efficiency of the fiber filter is about 41 % at 59 ppm of inlet phosphorus concentration.