Composite Polysilicate Metal Coagulants for Simultaneous Removal of Organic Matter, Phosphorus, and Ammonium-Nitrogen: Effects of Metal/Silicate Molar Ratio and Basicity

Abstract

Coagulation can effectively recover substances from wastewater; however, there is a lack of efficient coagulants for simultaneous recovery of organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus. We prepared a composite polysilicate metal (CSM) flocculant by combining Fe3+ and Mg2+ ions in polysilicic acid (PSiA). According to the results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the CSM exhibited a larger amorphous phase along with new compounds, including Mg3Fe2(SiO4)3 and hydroxyl metals. The CSM demonstrated a higher coagulation efficiency than PSiA and polymeric ferric sulfate, particularly for PO43−-P and NH4+-N removal. The metal/silicate molar ratio substantially influenced the structure and composition of the CSM, along with the coagulation efficiency, with an optimal ratio of 3:1. Additionally, we proposed a novel preparation strategy to achieve an optimum CSM basicity (B*) for coagulation by adjusting the initial pH of PSiA (pHInitial) without adding an alkali agent. The results demonstrated that the optimum B* can be obtained by adjusting pHInitial to 0.5 or 1. The overall optimum coagulation performance for the simultaneous removal of organic matter, PO43−P, and NH4+-N from wastewater was 68.5%, 99%, and 17.5%, respectively. This study provides a feasible approach for synchronous pollutant recovery from wastewater.