Phosphorus recovery from aqueous solutions using Bioclastic Granules (Lithothamnium calcareum).

Against the growing world demand for food and the possibility of recovering some nutrients, this work focused on the evaluation of the use of Bioclastic Granules (BG) from the algae Lithothamnium calcareum as sorbent material for the removal/recovery of phosphorus from aqueous solutions. The main variables that affect the sorption process, pH, initial concentration of phosphate, and GB, as well as the contact time, were evaluated. The effect of pH was very significant, obtaining the best results of PO removal at pH 5.

Cadmium removal by bioclastic granules (Lithothamnium calcareum): batch and fixed-bed column systems sorption studies.

The potential of Bioclastic Granules - BG (calcium-carbonate-based material) using the algae Lithothamnium calcareum as sorbent for the removal of Cd(II) from aqueous solutions by sorption was evaluated through batch and continuous systems tests using a fixed-bed column. Sorption process variables, in particular pH (2-7), particle size (<38-300 μm), initial BG concentration (0.1-1.