Efficient capture of phosphate from aqueous solution using acid activated akadama clay and mechanisms analysis

In this study, akadama clay, a kind of volcano ash, was activated with sulfuric acid and then evaluated for the adsorption of phosphate from aqueous solution via batch experiments. The effects of adsorbent dose, initial pH and coexisting anions on phosphate removal by natural akadama clay and acid-activated akadama clay were investigated. Based on the pH effect, the modified adsorbent could efficiently capture phosphate over a wider pH range of 3.00-6.00 than natural akadama clay. Competitive anions showed negative effects on the phosphate adsorption, especially citrate and carbonate. The adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation and the intra-particle diffusion. Langmuir isotherm model was found to fit the data better than Freundlich model, and the maximum adsorption capacities of phosphate onto the natural akadama clay and acid-activated akadama clay were 5.88 and 9.19 mg/g, respectively. Furthermore, thermodynamic studies confirmed that the adsorption of acid-activated akadama clay was a spontaneous process. The mechanisms of phosphate adsorption on the clay could be ascribed to electrostatic attraction and ligand exchange. These results suggest that after modification, acid-activated akadama clay could be used as a promising adsorbent for phosphate removal from wastewater in real application and then further used as fertilizers.