A novel bentonite humic acid composite material BephosTM as an environmental-friendly tool in phosphate and ammonium management

The objective of the present study was to examine the feasibility of using a novel modified bentonite as adsorbent for phosphate and ammonium removal from natural eutrophic waters. The uptake of phosphate and ammonium in adsorption kinetics A critical parameter was the initial phosphate concentration aiming to represent a eutrophic natural ecosystem. Moreover, its adsorption capacity and efficiency as a restoration tool was compared with a number of materials tested on the removal of phosphate and ammonium from aqueous solutions. Bephos™ is capable for simultaneous adsorption of both phosphorus and ammonia and this is an important advantage against other materials used to restore eutrophic water bodies. Adsorption kinetics showed that more than 90% and 70% removal of phosphate and ammonium respectively from water within 30 min. Bephos™ is potent for remediation of phosphate and ammonium at low concentrations that occur in natural water ecosystems.