Quantifying the performance of a hybrid anion exchanger/adsorbent for phosphorus removal using mass spectrometry coupled with batch kinetic trials.

Increasingly stricter phosphorus discharge limits represent a significant challenge for the wastewater industry. Hybrid media comprising anionic exchange resins with dispersions of hydrated ferric oxide nanoparticles have been shown to selectively remove phosphorus from wastewaters, and display greater capacity and operational capability than both conventional treatment techniques and other ferric-based adsorbent materials. Spectrographic analyses of the internal surfaces of a hybrid media during kinetic experiments show that the adsorption of phosphorus is very rapid, utilising 54% of the total capacity of the media within the first 15 min and 95% within the first 60 min.