Dissolved Organic Phosphorus Removal in Secondary Effluent by Ferrate (VI): Performance and Mechanism

Lei Zheng, Panpan Gao, Yali Song, Hua Wang and Yang Deng ()
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Lei Zheng: School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
Panpan Gao: School of Engineering, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
Yali Song: School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
Hua Wang: School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
Yang Deng: Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-14

Abstract: Dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP), which is recalcitrant in municipal wastewater treatment, accounts for 26–81% of dissolved total phosphorus in the effluent. More importantly, the majority of DOP could be bioavailable, potentially threatening the aquatic environment through eutrophication. This study aimed to develop a ferrate (VI)-based advanced treatment to effectively destruct and remove DOP from secondary effluent and use deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and adenosine-5’-triphosphate (ATP) as DOP model compounds to explore the relevant mechanisms. The results showed that ferrate (VI) treatment could efficiently destruct and remove 75% of the DOP in secondary effluent from an activated sludge-adopted municipal wastewater treatment plant, under normal operating conditions. Moreover, the coexistence of nitrate, ammonia, and alkalinity barely affected the effectiveness, while the presence of phosphate significantly inhibited DOP removal. The mechanistic study revealed that ferrate (VI)-induced particle adsorption was the dominant way to achieve DOP reduction, rather than oxidating DOP to phosphate and forming precipitation afterward. Meanwhile, DOP molecules could be effectively decomposed into smaller ones by ferrate (VI) oxidation. This study clearly demonstrated that ferrate (VI) treatment could achieve a promising DOP removal from secondary effluent for mitigating the risk of eutrophication in receiving water bodies.

Keywords: dissolved organic phosphorus; ferrate (VI); adsorption; secondary effluent; municipal wastewater (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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