Which Characteristics Make Drinking Water Treatment Residuals a Low-Cost Adsorbent?

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Abstract

Millions of tons of Drinking Water Treatment Residuals (DWTR) are daily produced globally that mainly end up in landfills. The use of DWTR as an adsorbent for nutrients and emerging pollutants may become a sustainable option for this waste that can become a by-product. The aim of this study was to analyse seven DWTR with significant activated carbon content as adsorbents of phosphate (PO43-) and trimethoprim antibiotic (TMP). DWTR characterization showed that although all samples incorporated the same water treatment chemical reagents, the amount of it and the raw water characteristics resulted in differences in their chemical and physical characteristics. The PO43- adsorption studies showed that for a solid/liquid (S/L) ratio of 1.18 g/L, uptake capacities higher than 9 mg/g were achieved for most of the DWTR, while for TMP a S/L of 0.29 g/L achieved uptake capacities higher than 1 mg/g for some DWTR samples. In this study, it was possible to conclude that the PO43- adsorption is influenced by the Al and Ca content and the pHPZC, suggesting that highly alkaline DWTR have greater adsorption capacity. For TMP adsorption, DWTR surface area is important, however, further studies are required to identify key characteristics for TMP adsorption, including optimal dosage for removal optimization. The adsorption experiments in real samples demonstrated the potential of DWTR as an adsorbent for wastewater treatment.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationResource Recovery from Wastewater Treatment
Subtitle of host publicationICWRR 2024
EditorsGiorgio Mannina, Alida Cosenza, Antonio Mineo
Place of PublicationCham
PublisherSpringer
Pages211-217
Number of pages7
ISBN (Electronic)978-3-031-63353-9
ISBN (Print)978-3-031-63352-2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 18 Jun 2024
EventInternational Conference on Wider-Uptake of Water Resource Recovery from Wastewater Treatment, ICWRR 2024 - Palermo, Italy
Duration: 18 Jun 202421 Jun 2024

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Civil Engineering
PublisherSpringer
Volume524 LNCE
ISSN (Print)2366-2557
ISSN (Electronic)2366-2565

Conference

ConferenceInternational Conference on Wider-Uptake of Water Resource Recovery from Wastewater Treatment, ICWRR 2024
Country/TerritoryItaly
CityPalermo
Period18/06/2421/06/24

Keywords

  • Adsorption
  • Circular Economy
  • Drinking Water Treatment Residuals
  • Emerging Compounds

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