A review of the application of iron oxides for phosphorus removal and recovery from wastewater

Abstract

Phosphorus is a limiting factor for eutrophication while also an important nonrenewable resource. Adsorption is one of the most efficient phosphorus pollution control technologies and phosphorus recovery can be promisingly achieved after desorption. The use of iron oxides as adsorbents to remove phosphorus has been extensively studied, due to merits of high adsorption capacity, high selectivity, as well as environmental benign. However, their effectiveness and feasibility in practical applications are still challenged. This review summarized the current achievements of using iron oxides and their modified products to remove phosphorus from wastewater. Phosphorus removal mechanisms and strategies for improving the performance of different types of iron oxide-based adsorbents were summarized. Moreover, the potential methods of phosphorus desorption and subsequent recovery were summarized. Finally, the future challenges on the practical application of iron oxides in phosphorus recovery from wastewater were discussed. This review might provide guidance for the development and application of adsorption-based phosphorus recovery technology.

Graphic Abstract

Keywords:

• Adsorbents
• iron oxide
• phosphorus removal
• resource recovery
• wastewater treatment

HANDLING EDITORS:

• Frederic Coulon and Lena Q. Ma

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the “Pioneer” and “Leading Goose” R&D Program of Zhejiang (2023C03149) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (51908172).