Removal of phosphates from greywater using natural zeolites

Abstract

The goal of the current work is to use natural and lanthanum-modified zeolites to remove phosphorus from greywater. The comparison was based on adsorption capacity, kinetics, and changes in important water quality metrics in order to assess the impact of lanthanum alteration on adsorption performance and treatment effectiveness. To replicate actual household effluent conditions, synthetic greywater was created. Turbidity, pH, zeta potential, electrical conductivity, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5), and anionic surfactants (ANA) were among the characteristics that were examined. The findings show that lanthanum-modified zeolite, which has a larger adsorption capacity and quicker kinetics than raw zeolite, greatly improves phosphate removal. Effective removal of suspended and colloidal matter is indicated by a significant drop in turbidity and COD, although the limited decrease in TOC and surfactants highlights the persistence of dissolved organic compounds. Overall, the results confirm that lanthanum-modified zeolite is an effective material for phosphate removal in greywater treatment. However, the presence of dissolved organic matter and competing compounds may limit adsorption efficiency, suggesting that pre-treatment steps could be necessary for practical applications.