Title : Sustainable removal of Phosphate from aqueous solutions by Electrodeionization (EDI)
Abstract:
Phosphorus is widely used in agriculture and industry. It is an important substance in the human body but excessive phosphorus in the water system may cause environmental problems known as eutrophication. In this work, the electrodeionization (EDI) technique was applied for the removal of phosphate from aqueous solutions. The effect of applied potential, the flow rate of phosphate-containing solution, the concentration of electrolyte circulated in electrode compartments, pH of the solution as well as interfering ions on the removal of phosphate were investigated. Solution pH has a notable effect on the removal rate. At pH 2, 83% of phosphate was removed from the solution while it was 97% at pH 6 and 12. When the applied potential was increased from 10V to 15V removal rate increased from 93% to 97%. The presence of interfering ions did not affect the removal rate.