Autor(es):
Oliveira, M.
; Machado, A. V.
; Brito, A. G.
; Nogueira, R.
Data: 2012
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/28704
Origem: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Descrição
Intensive agriculture production and industrial expansion are causing an increase on nutrient
release (phosphorus and nitrogen), resulting in over-enrichment of soils and aquatic bodies.
The nutrient over-enrichment of aquatic ecosystems leads to an excessive biomass growth.
Eutrophication processes have negative effects on biology, chemistry and human use of
lakes and rivers, namely by cyanobacteria toxins release. The Water Framework Directive
set a tight schedule for water quality recovery and in order to implement a scientific based
policy for eutrophication remediation and to attain a good water status, prospective scenarios
are being considered in decision making processes [1]. Based on biogeochemical models,
the need to lower phosphorus concentration on surface waters and to avoid phosphorus
impact from resolubilisation processes are seen as mandatory [2]. One of most common
water quality treatment strategies is based on chemicals addition to promote phosphorus
precipitation [3]. However, these methods may be a source of ecological contamination with
sludge production problems. Moreover, being phosphates a non-renewable source, the
recovery and recycling of phosphorus is essential.
Therefore, the present work concerned the removal and recovery of phosphorus from water
using a new developed polymer nanocomposite containing aluminium nanoparticles (HPN).
The results point that this new material removes 0.80±0.01 mgP/g in a pH interval between
2.0 and 6.5. Moreover, it could be regenerated using an HCl dilute solution. The issues that
contribute mostly to the attractiveness of HPN-Pr as phosphorus sorbent are its moderate
removal capacity, production process feasible at industrial scale, reuse after regeneration
and recovery of phosphorus. The results obtained indicate that this material is a efficient
alternative to solve the eutrophic problem.