Reactive filters to upgrade phosphorus removal in small wastewater treatment plants / C. Barca

Abstract : Although phosphorus (P) represents an essential nutrient for biomass growth in several ecosystems, an excessive intake of P in water bodies such as rivers, lakes or lagoons, causes an abnormal growth of algae and aquatic plants resulting in the degradation of the water quality (eutrophication). Consequently, legislation on P rejects for municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is becoming stricter in Europe, and research on low cost techniques to upgrade P removal in WWTPs has gained a growing attention. Recent studies have demonstrated that the addition of separate filter units containing reactive materials with high affinities for P binding is a suitable technique to upgrade P removal in small WWTPs such as stabilisation ponds and constructed wetlands. Cristian Barca will summarize the main results of its PhD (steel slag filters designed to upgrade P removal in small wastewater treatment plants), and he will present the latest results of the research currently underway at the laboratory M2P2 on the use of bauxite residue as reactive material to remove P from wastewater.