abstract
This study focuses on the synthesis and evaluation of spinel ferrite nanoparticles magnetite (Fe3O4), magnesium ferrite (MgFe2O4), manganese ferrite (MnFe2O4), and cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) designed for phosphorus removal from an Eucalyptus kraft pulp mill effluent, addressing eutrophication threats and enhancing water quality. The parameters investigated include pH, temperature, sorbent dose, ionic strength, and initial phosphorus concentration. Among the ferrites, CoFe2O4 nanoparticles emerged as the superior sorbent due to the higher affinity of cobalt towards phosphate. This ferrite displayed remarkable phosphorus removal capabilities across varying pH levels (3–10), temperatures (20–60 °C), and ionic strength matrices, coupled with rapid sorption kinetics. Namely, the nanoparticles were able to extract more than 90% of phosphorus from both ultrapure and mineral waters in just 15 min. Their performance remained robust even in high ionic strength waters, managing to remove over 70% of phosphorus within 24 h. Notably, in practical applications simulating real-world water conditions and when benchmarked against the commercial sorbent Phoslock, CoFe2O4 demonstrated superior phosphorus removal efficiency and kinetics. These findings underline the potential of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles as efficient sorbents for phosphorus removal in water treatment applications. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.
authors
Cardoso C.E.D.; Rocha J.; Pereira E.
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