Journal of Membrane Science & Technology

Abstract

Sorption Characteristics of Iron, Fluoride and Phosphate from Wastewater of Phosphate Fertilizer Plant using Natural Sodium Bentonite

Abdel Zaher MS, Abdel Wahab SM, Taha MH and Masoud AM

The phosphate fertilizer industry generates a highly hazardous and acidic wastewater. Effluent samples were obtained from wastewater streams produced in Abu Zaabal for Fertilizer and Chemicals Company (AZFC). The present study reports a process for iron, fluoride, and phosphate sorption from the wastewater samples using natural sodium bentonite. Accordingly, a series of batch experiments were performed to study the influence of various experimental parameters, such as solution shaking time, solution pH, and clay amount of addition, temperature, and mechanical stirring speed. The obtained results clear that, the sorption preferred conditions were; shaking time of 60 mts, solution pH of 4, room temperature, and bentonite amount of addition of 1.0 g/L. Based on kinetic and thermodynamic studies, the sorption process of iron, fluoride and phosphate on Na-bentonite is said to follow pseudo-second order mechanism and endothermic nature.