Bauxite residue for phosphorus removal from waste water

Abstract

Phosphorus compounds have been used in a wide variety of industrial and agricultural applications. However, they have also been shown to cause eutrophication in water systems. It is important that the phosphorus is removed from water systems and potentially reclaimed for reuse. One potential phosphorus capture material is bauxite residue. Bauxite residue is a waste product from the Bayer process of aluminum production. The residue is kept in large, alkaline holding pools where it remains unused. Through processing, bauxite residue has been shown to remove phosphorus compounds from waste water. Here, bauxite residue is modified and processed, and the structure-properties relationships are investigated. The effects of microstructure and chemical composition on the removal of phosphorus from water are examined and methods for bauxite valorization are discussed.