Raw and treated marble wastes reuse as low cost materials for phosphorus removal from aqueous solutions: Efficiencies and mechanisms

Phosphorus removal from synthetic solutions by raw and calcined powdered marble wastes (RPMW and CPMW) has been investigated in batch mode under different experimental conditions. The results showed that RPMW and CPMW have high removal efficiencies, especially in acidic media. The maximum phosphorus removal capacities were evaluated to 103.9 and 181.2 mg g 1 at an initial pH and an aqueous concentration of 5 and 350 mg L-1, respectively. Phosphorus removal by RPMW occurred mainly through adsorption. However, for CPMW, phosphorus was removed not only by adsorption, but also by precipitation as calcium phosphate complexes. Specific analyses using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed that this precipitate is most probably hydroxyapatite. On the other hand, CPMW have demonstrated an important ability in removing phosphorus from highly concentrated dairy wastewater (C0,P = 1000 mgL-1) since only one dosage of 10 gL-1 was enough to ensure more than 97% of phosphorus removal.