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Phosphorus removal from waste waters using basic oxygen steel slag.

Lawrence I Bowden¹, Adam P Jarvis, Paul L Younger

¹School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, United Kingdom. lawrence.bowden@scottwilson.com

Environmental Science & Technology

|May 21, 2009

Summary

Basic oxygen steel slag effectively removes phosphorus (P) in passive treatment systems. Long-term studies show it forms stable mineral phases, offering a sustainable P removal solution.

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Area of Science:

Environmental Science
Water Treatment
Materials Science

Background:

Limited research exists on reactive media for phosphorus removal in passive treatment systems using both batch and continuous flow data.
Basic oxygen steel slag (BOS) is a potential reactive medium for phosphorus remediation.

Purpose of the Study:

To characterize basic oxygen steel slag (BOS) as a reactive medium for phosphorus removal in passive treatment systems.
To evaluate the effectiveness of BOS under various environmental conditions and influent phosphorus concentrations.

Main Methods:

Conducted batch experiments to assess phosphorus removal efficiency with varying pH, initial P concentration, clast size, and ionic strength.
Performed continuous flow column experiments for 406 days (1-50 mg/L influent P) and 306 days (100-300 mg/L influent P).
Utilized X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (E-SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) for material analysis.

Main Results:

Batch experiments confirmed effective phosphorus removal under diverse conditions.
Continuous flow experiments achieved up to 62% phosphorus removal for low concentrations (1-50 mg/L).
Higher influent concentrations (100-300 mg/L) yielded a maximum effective removal of 8.39 mg/g, surpassing other slag types.

Conclusions:

Basic oxygen steel slag demonstrates significant potential as a substrate for phosphorus removal in passive treatment systems.
The formation of stable phosphorus mineral phases (octa-calcium phosphate, brushite, hydroxylapatite) on BOS surfaces suggests a long-term removal mechanism.
BOS offers a cost-effective and sustainable solution for phosphorus remediation in wastewater treatment.