Use of lignocellulosic materials as sorbents for pesticide and phosphate residues

Abstract

We previously reported results from limited field trials of a bark-based filtration unit designed to remove phosphorus from cranberry bog tail water. In that report we also identified some barriers that needed to be overcome to improve the performance of such a filtration unit. One barrier was lack of a cost effective process for large-scale conversion of bark to an efficient sorbent for phosphorus; another barrier was the inability of the filtration unit to handle high flow rates of tail water discharged from the bog. In this report we present an improved filtration unit design. Its performance in removing phosphorus from water was evaluated both in the laboratory, under controlled flow conditions, and in the field, under low flow conditions. Under laboratory conditions the filtration system performed satisfactorily, with a breakthrough volume of 176 L at a flow rate of 8 L/min. At the breakthrough point the outlet phosphorus concentration was 2.7 ppm, compared with the inlet concentration of 4.5 ppm. Results from field evaluations were inconclusive because tail water phosphorus concentrations entering the filtration unit were very low and close to the background levels of 0.35-0.45 ppm.

Citation

Tshabalala, Mandla A. 2006. Use of lignocellulosic materials as sorbents for pesticide and phosphate residues. [Wisconsin : Wisconsin Cranberry Board], 2006: 6 pages.