Preparation of modified orange peel/alginate beads for phosphorus removal

Abstract

In this study, natural adsorbents such as alginate, orange peel and modified orange peel/alginate were investigated for phosphorus removal from aqueous solution. Modified orange peel/alginate beads were prepared by precipitation. The modified orange peel/alginate solution droplets were crosslinked into calcium chloride solution to form granule beads. The effects of adsorbent dosage and initial phosphorus concentration have been examined in batch experiment under control pH and contact time of 3 hour. The modified orange peel/alginate bead was an effective adsorbent for phosphate removal was obtained. The adsorption capacity has been compared to that of alginate beads and orange peel powder. The highest adsorption capacity of 653 mg/g at the 0.5 g dosage of modified orange peel/alginate beads was examined. One gram adsorbents dosage at 10 mgP/L initial phosphorus concentrations, phosphorus removal more than 99.4% was determined. However, the adsorption isotherms were not conducted due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation with the laboratory closure.