Kinetics, Isotherms and Adsorption–Desorption Behavior of Phosphorus from Aqueous Solution Using Zirconium–Iron and Iron Modified Biosolid Biochars

Excessive discharge of phosphorus (P) to aquatic ecosystems can lead to unpleasant eutrophication phenomenon. Removal and recovery of P is challenging due to low C/N ratios in wastewater, hence the development of efficient removal and recovery of P strategies is essential. In this study, zirconium–iron (Zr–FeBC) and iron modified (Fe–BC) biosolid biochars were examined to investigate their capacity for the removal of P by batch experiments. The influence of solution pH, biochar dose, initial P concentration, ionic strength, interfering ions and temperature were also studied to evaluate the P adsorption performance of biochars. The P experimental data were best described with pseudo-second order kinetics and the Freundlich isotherm model. The maximum P adsorption capacities were reached to 33.33 and 25.71 mg g−1 for 24 h by Zr–FeBC and Fe-BC at pH 5 and 4, respectively. Desorption studies were performed to investigate the reusability, cost-effectiveness and stability of the adsorbents Zr–FeBC and Fe-BC. The adsorption–desorption study suggests that both examined biochars have considerable potentiality as adsorbent candidates in removing as well as recovery of P from wastewaters. Results also reveal that the regenerated Zr–FeBC and Fe–BC could be utilized repetitively in seven adsorption–desorption cycles using NaOH as a desorbing agent, which greatly reduces the P-removal cost from wastewaters. Thus, P enriched biochar could potentially be used as fertilizer in the agriculture sector.