Phosphorus Removal and Recovery from Wastewater using Magnetite

Sammanfattning: The aim of this work was to study the possibilities of using magnetite for phosphorus removal and recovery from wastewater. It was also aimed to investigate how the structure of magnetite influences the efficiency of adsorption and desorption of phosphorus. Methodology used in this study is literature review and laboratory experiments. The study is mainly focused on the influence of Fe(II)/Fe(III) ratio in magnetite (coefficient K) on the P removal and recovery rate. Several sets of experiments were also done to study the influence of some factors (e.g. contact time, starting concentrations, amount of base needed, etc.) on the efficiency of the processes. Study results showed that magnetite has a great potential for phosphorus removal because of its high efficiency, especially at low concentrations of input phosphorus. It was also found that the contact time and sedimentation time of the method is relatively small. Recovering of magnetite is also possible, but for its reuse additional renovation stage is needed. It was concluded that magnetite purification could be preferably used as the polishing method. It can be introduced in already existing wastewater treatment facilities and substitute some older technologies. The method seems to be easy in starting and operation; it has relatively low operational and investment costs.