Cited by 126Phosphorus and nutrient managementAdsorption and biosorption for pollutant removalWastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal

Phosphorus Removal from Wastewater: The Potential Use of Biochar and the Key Controlling Factors

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Nobaharan, Khatereh, Bagheri Novair, Sepideh, Asgari Lajayer, Behnam, van Hullebusch, Eric·2021·Water

Abstract

In recent years, a large volume of literature has been published regarding the removal of phosphorus (P) from wastewater. Various sorbing materials, such as metal oxides and hydroxides, carbonates and hydroxides of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), hydrotalcite, activated carbon, anion exchange resins, industrial solid wastes and organic solid wastes, have been suggested for P removal. Many of these sorbents are expensive and/or may cause some environmental problems. In contrast, biochar, as an economical and environmentally friendly sorbing material, has received much attention in recent years and has been used as a novel sorbent for the removal of different organic and inorganic pollutants. Biochar is a type of sustainable carbonaceous material that is produced from the thermal treatment of agricultural organic residues and other organic waste streams under oxygen free conditions. This paper reviews the potential use of biochar and the key controlling factors affecting P removal from wastewater. The ability of biochar to remove P from wastewater depends on its physical and chemical properties. Some of the most important physicochemical properties of biochar (structural characteristics, electrical conductivity (EC), mineral composition, pH, zeta potential, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and anion exchange capacity (AEC)) are affected by the feedstock type as well as temperature of pyrolysis and the P sorption capacity is highly dependent on these properties. The P removal is also affected by the water matrix chemistry, such as the presence of competing ions and bulk pH conditions. Finally, several recommendations for future research have been proposed to facilitate and enhance the environmental efficiency of biochar application.

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  1. [8]8. A precise and in-depth study of the mechanisms involved during P removal has yet to be published. Thus, P sorption mechanisms need to be studied to enable the development of more effective methods for producing biochars and optimizing their efficiency for practical application. Author Contributions: All authors contributed equally in writing part of the original draft and also reviewed and edited the whole manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Funding: This research received no external funding. Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable. Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable. Data Availability Statement: No new data were created or analyzed in this study. Data sharing is not applicable to this article. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
  2. [17]17. Henze, M.; Comeau, Y. Wastewater characterization. In Biological Wastewater Treatment: Principles Modelling and Design ; Loosdrecht, M.C.M., Ekama, G.A., Brdjanovic, D., Eds.; IWA Publishing: London, UK, 2008; pp. 33-52.
  3. [29]29. Horne, A.J.; Goldman, C.R. Limnology , 2nd ed.; McGraw-Hill: New York, NY, USA, 1994.
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Authors
Nobaharan, K., Bagheri Novair, S., Asgari Lajayer, B., & van Hullebusch, E.
Affiliations
  • Griffith University (AU)
  • Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417466191, Iran
  • Health and Environment Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz 5165665931, Iran
  • CNRS, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, F-75005 Paris, France
Venue
Water
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2021-02-17
Volume
13
Issue
4
Pages
517
ISSN
2073-4441 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3132732676
Cited by
126
References
144
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 6
FWCI
13.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Water (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Phosphorus and nutrient management
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal
Keywords
phosphorus removal, biochar, wastewater treatment, phosphorus sorption, biochar physicochemical properties, pyrolysis temperature, feedstock type, cation exchange capacity, anion exchange capacity, zeta potential, competing ions, sorbents

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