Industrial by-products and natural substrata as phosphorus sorbents

摘要

The efficiency of phosphorus (P) removal in ecologically-engineered wastewater treatment facilities, such as artificial wetlands and sand filters, can be improved by using a reactive sorbent. The sorbent must therefore have a high P-sorption capacity and an adequate hydraulic conductivity. Several filter materials have been tested here in regard to their P-sorption capacity. In this study, three natural materials-opoka (a bedrock found in south-eastern Poland) limestone and the B horizon of a forest soil, plus two artificial materials-blast furnace slag (crystalline and amorphous, in two particle sizes (0-0.125 mm and 0.25-4 mm), and fly ash wee investigated.