Nanocomposite media are effective in water purification and may help to solve the problem of eutrophication in Phosphorus-contaminated wastewaters. Nanocomposites containing mixed metal oxides show excellent Phosphorus removal results and are better compared to individual metal oxides. In this research, cerium/manganese oxide nanocomposites, embedded on the surface of modified cellulose pine wood shaving, were synthesized by a simple technique which is both eco-friendly and economically feasible. No toxic or petroleum chemicals were employed during preparation. Adsorption isotherm (Langmuir and Freundlich) and kinetic studies (Pseudo first and second order) were carried out to determine the adsorption mechanism for Phosphorus removal from contaminated water. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Brunner-Emmett-Teller (BET), Fourier-Transform InfraRed (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were performed to study the shape and size of nanocomposites as well as composition of elements present on the surface of the nanocomposites. The results indicate that the nanocomposites were able to decrease the Phosphorus concentration from 1000 ppb to 10 ppb, below the threshold limit required by EPA guidelines in United States. We also demonstrated that the media could be regenerated and reused several times without loss of performance.

Phosphate removal from waste water using novel renewable resource-based, cerium/manganese oxide-based nanocomposites

2019 Spring National Meeting

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