Removal of phosphate from water by a Fe-Mn binary oxide adsorbent

Phosphate removal is important in the control of eutrophication of water bodies and adsorption is one of the promising approaches for this purpose. A Fe-Mn binary oxide adsorbent with a Fe/Mn molar ratio of 6:1 for phosphate removal was synthesized by a simultaneous oxidation and coprecipitation process. Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate adsorption kinetics and equilibrium, in batch mode. The effects of different experimental parameters, namely contact time, initial phosphate concentration, solution pH, and ionic strength on the phosphate adsorption were investigated. The adsorption data were analyzed by both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models and the data were well fit by the Freundlich isotherm model. Kinetic data correlated well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, suggesting that the adsorption process might be chemical sorption. The maximal adsorption capacity was 36 mg/g at pH 5.6. The phosphate adsorption was highly pH dependent. The effects of anions such as Cl(-),SO42-, and CO32- on phosphate removal were also investigated. The results suggest that the presence of these ions had no significant effect on phosphate removal. The phosphate removal was mainly achieved by the replacement of surface hydroxyl groups by the phosphate species and formation of inner-sphere surface complexes at the water/oxide interface. In addition, the adsorbed phosphate ions can be effectively desorbed by dilute NaOH solutions. This adsorbent, with large adsorption capacity and high selectivity, is therefore a very promising adsorbent for the removal of phosphate ions from aqueous solutions.