Development of an adsorption process for the removal and recovery of ammonium and phosphate from municipal wastewater

The treatment of wastewater is critical to producing effluents that meet environmental standards. Ion exchange is a promising technique for recovering valuable compounds, such as ammonium and phosphate ions, from wastewater. The FIT4REUSE Horizon 2020 EU project aims to recover these compounds with high efficiency and repurpose them as fertilizers, reducing the need for extraction from other resources. The study evaluates the efficiency of calcinated Pyroaurite as an adsorbent for phosphate removal from municipal wastewater. The isotherm and fluid dynamic tests in the pilot plant provide useful insights into the quality of the packed bed, the adsorption and desorption process, and the selectivity of the ion exchange process. STOP UP Horizon EU project seeks to minimize pollution resulting from urban runoff, which deteriorates the quality of freshwater. The preliminary phase of this project aims to find high-functioning adsorbents for ammonium and phosphate from sewer overflow and evaluate their function through multiple isotherm tests. The results showed that several materials are suitable for the adsorption of ammonium or phosphate, and their function is tested by changing the initial concentration of municipal wastewater as well.