Electrified nanohybrid filter for enhanced phosphorus removal from water.

Phosphorus (P) has been identified as a major cause of eutrophication. One feasible way to deal with P-containing wastewater is to employ advanced adsorbents with high P affinity. Towards this end, the loading of these sorbents onto a conductive scaffold would facilitate the introduction of an electric field into the reaction system thereby permitting a continuous-flow operation and improved P sorption kinetics. Here, the preparation and evaluation of an electroactive carbon nanotube (CNT) filter functionalized with cerium-based metal organic frameworks (Ce-MOF) is reported. Various advanced characterization techniques confirmed the successful fabrication of the Ce-MOF/CNT nanohybrid filter. The results suggested that the nanohybrid filter had a maximum P adsorption capacity of 22.41 mg g, which compared favorably with other state-of-the-art P sorbents. Ce-MOF loading, applied voltage and flow rate each increased the rate constants for phosphate removal by factors of 1.6, 2.1 and 5.8 times relative to the absent states. The underlying P sorption mechanisms involved outer-sphere surface complexation (electrostatic attraction), inner-sphere surface complexation (Ce-O-P) and diffusion. The performance was tolerant of a wide operational pH range and different water matrices. The Ce-MOF/CNT electrochemical filter described in this study provides a viable strategy to address the challenging issues associated with aqueous P pollution.