Phosphorus retention in filter materials for wastewater treatment and its subsequent suitability for plant production

• Published in: Bioresource technology 2006-05, Vol.97 (7), p.914-921
• Main Authors: Hylander, Lars D., Kietlińska, Agnieszka, Renman, Gunno, Simán, Gyula
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorption; Agriculture; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Barley; Biological and medical sciences; Blast furnace slag; Calcium Carbonate - isolation & purification; Conservation of Natural Resources; Ecosystem; Environmental engineering; Facility Design and Construction; Fertiliser; Filtration; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Hordeum - growth & development; Industrial Waste - analysis; Miljöteknik; Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium fertilizations; Other technology; Oxides - isolation & purification; Phosphorus - chemistry; Phosphorus - isolation & purification; Phosphorus fertilization; Phosphorus recycling; Polonite; Polonite (R); Silicon Dioxide - isolation & purification; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments; TECHNOLOGY; TEKNIKVETENSKAP; Time Factors; Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods; Water Pollutants, Chemical - isolation & purification; Water Purification - methods; Övriga teknikvetenskaper
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2005.04.026

Constructed sand filter beds are advantageous for the treatment of wastewater in areas with a low population density. Phosphorus-sorbing materials with additional beneficial characteristics may be used instead of sand. This study aimed at determining and comparing phosphorus (P) retention capacities of amorphous and crystalline blast furnace slags, limestone, opoka, Polonite ® and sand, for filtering domestic wastewater through columns over a period of 67 weeks. The P-enriched filter materials were subsequently tested for their fertilizer effectiveness in a pot experiment where barley was cultivated. Polonite ®, i.e. calcinated bedrock opoka, was most effective in removing P. This occurred at a relatively high hydraulic conductivity that reduced the risk of clogging. Barley grown in two types of slag, with a grain size of 0.25–4 mm, was most effective in dry matter production followed by Polonite ®. Fine-grained slags and Polonite ® were suggested as most suited of the investigated materials to recycle P back to agriculture.