This study investigated the potential use of zebra mussel shells as an adsorptive medium toremove phosphorus from wastewater. Zebra mussel shells were selected for two reasons: 1) They have ahigh calcium content; and 2) They are readily available and presently require disposal in landfills.Comprehensive batch shake tests were conducted on two size groups of shell fragments.Adsorption isotherms were used to evaluate the adsorption properties of the shells. Analyses using Pconcentrations of 4 mg/L and 8 mg/L were performed, and Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption modelswere used to describe each analysis. The tests indicated a phosphorus adsorption capacity in the rangeof 73 - 215 mg P/kg medium. As expected, the group containing the smaller shell fragments had thehighest phosphorus adsorption capacity. The results of the tests are comparable with P-sorption studieson other media including blast furnace slags, cement clinkers, lightweight clay aggregates, and varioussands and gravels.
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