Reduction of Phosphorous from Wastewater Through Adsorption Processes Reusing Wood and Straw Ash Produced in Bioenergy Facilities

摘要

The objective of this research is to analyse the feasibility of reusing the fly ash waste, which is produced in biomass plants, during the production of renewable energy, for controlling phosphorus contamination in the wastewater being processed in sewage treatment plants. The research examines the efficiency of using different types of ash, obtained from representative biomass materials after combustion in an energy plant (paulownia wood, wheat straw and barley straw), in removing phosphorus from water. The ashes were respectively mixed with synthetic water, rich in phosphorus; then, using batch experiments, the effects that the pre-treatment of ash, adsorbent dosage, contact time and temperature had on the adsorption process were studied. The main results show that phosphorus adsorption by the tested ashes augments as temperature increases. Similarly, the adsorbed amount of phosphorus increases by increasing the dose of the adsorbent. In addition, the adsorption of phosphorus by these three materials has been described well by the Langmuir isotherm equation. It has been found that the removal process of phosphorus was endothermic. Finally, this study concludes that waste ash from biomass plants can be used to remove phosphorus from wastewater in sewage treatment plants.