Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID NJ_2023_WEI-ZHANG

Nanobubble-enhanced oxygenation of reduced iron-bearing minerals for organic phosphorus removal from wastewater

Institute: New Jersey
Year Established: 2023 Start Date: 2023-09-01 End Date: 2024-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $5,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $5,040

Principal Investigators: Lai Wei, Lijie Zhang

Project Summary: Eutrophication and cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms have sprung up in various New Jersey waterbodies as a result of excessive discharge of nutrients, e.g., phosphorus (P), into the environment, jeopardizing aquatic ecosystem functions and human health. Traditional biological wastewater treatment is inefficient towards removal of organic phosphonates as they are resistant to biological degradation. To address this issue, this study proposes a sustainable and effective treatment method for degrading wastewater organic P using reduced iron-bearing minerals coupled with O2 nanobubbles (NBs). The goal of this study is to reduce P discharge and promote the protection of waterbodies and watersheds to improve ecosystem and human health in New Jersey. The proposal hypothesizes that the interaction between O2 NBs and Fe(II) sites on reduced ironbearing will enhance the formation of hydroxyl radicals (•OH), which can degrade organic P to inorganic phosphate in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way. The released inorganic phosphate can be recovered by subsequent chemical or biological methods. The findings of this project could pave the way for novel chemical-free and sustainable technologies for organic P degradation in wastewater and provide opportunities for removal of other redox active organic contaminants.