Modeling heavy metal uptake by sludge particulates in the presence of dissolved organic matter

The uptake of the seven heavy metal ions Cd(II), Co(II), Cr(III), Cu(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II) by sludge particulates in single-metal systems was investigated. Results showed that under acidic and neutral pH conditions, the uptake of all heavy metals by sludge particulates increases with the increase of pH. However, in the alkaline pH region, the uptake of Cu(II), Ni(II), and Co(II) decreases with the increase of pH, primarily due to the high dissolved organic matter (DOM) concentration in high pH conditions. Based on chemical reactions among heavy metal, sludge solids, and DOM, a mathematical model describing metal uptake as functions of DOM and pH was developed. The stability constants of metal–sludge and metal–DOM complexes can be determined using this model in conjunction with experimental metal uptake data. Results showed that, for the secondary sludge sample collected from Baltimore Back River Wastewater Treatment plant on March 1997, the stability constants of Cu(II)–sludge complex (log K_S) and Cu(II)–DOM complex (log K_L) are 5.3±0.2 and 4.7±0.3, respectively; for Ni(II), they are 4.0±0.2 and 3.9±0.2, respectively. Results also showed that under neutral and low pH conditions (pH<8), the DOM effects on metal uptake for all heavy metals are insignificant. Therefore, the DOM term in the model can be ignored. Results showed that, for the secondary sludge sample collected from Baltimore Back River Wastewater Treatment plant on December 1996, the estimated log K_S values of metal–sludge complexes for Cd(II), Co(II), Cr(III), Cu(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II) are, respectively, 3.6±0.2, 3.0±0.1, 5.5±0.1, 4.8±0.1, 3.1±0.1, 5.1±0.1, and 4.4±0.3.     

Predicting metals partitioning in wastewater treatment plant influents

Interactions of heavy metals with primary sludge particulates were investigated using batch equilibrium metal uptake experiments. Results showed that metal uptake by primary sludge is significantly affected by pH. A mathematical model was developed to describe metals partitioning as a function of pH. The metal adsorption constants were determined. Results showed that for the same metal ion, the values of metal adsorption constants for primary sludge samples collected from different locations and at different times were in the same order of magnitude. Therefore, the adsorption constants were normalized and calibrated using field data. For Ag(I), Cd(II), Co(II), Cr(III), Cu(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II), the calibrated values of adsorption constants (logK(S)) are, respectively, 4.4, 5.1, 3.6, 4.5, 4.6, 3.6, 6.0, and 6.0. These constants can be used to predict the metal partitioning in plant influents and metal removal in primary treatment processes.     

Ag-doped carbon aerogels for removing halide ions in water treatment

The objective of this study was to analyze the efficiency of silver(Ag)-doped carbon aerogels for the removal of bromide (Br(-)) and iodide (I(-)) from drinking waters. Textural characterization of Ag-doped aerogels showed that an increase in the Ag dose added during the preparation process produced: (i) a reduction in the surface area (S(BET)) and (ii) an increase in mesopore (V(2)) and macropore (V(3)) volumes. Chemical characterization of the materials revealed an acidic surface (pH of point of zero charge, pH(PZC)=4.5, O(surface)=20%). The oxidation state of Ag was +1 and the surface concentration of this element ranged from 4% to 10%. The adsorption capacity (X(m)) and affinity of adsorbent (BX(m)) increased with a reduction in the radius of the halogenide. Furthermore, an increase in the adsorption capacity was observed with higher Ag concentrations on the aerogel surface. The high adsorption capacity of the aerogel may be due to the presence of Ag(I) on its surface, with the formation of the corresponding Ag halides. Our observations indicate that the halogenides adsorption on commercial activated carbon (Sorbo-Norit) is much lower than that of the Ag-doped carbon aerogels. The presence of chloride and natural organic matter (NOM) in the medium reduced the adsorption capacity of Br(-) and I(-) on Ag carbon aerogels.     

Phosphorus removal by acid mine drainage sludge from secondary effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants

Acid mine drainage (AMD) sludge, a waste product from coal mine water treatment, was used in this study as an adsorbent to develop a cost-effective treatment approach to phosphorus removal from municipal secondary effluents. Batch tests were carried out to study the effects of pH, temperature, concentration, and contact time for phosphorus removal from wastewater. Batch tests were followed by continuous flow tests using a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Adsorption of orthophosphate onto AMD sludge particles followed the Freundlich isotherm model with an adsorption capacity ranging from 9.89 to 31.97 mg/g when the final effluent concentration increased from 0.21 to 13.61 mg P/L. P adsorption was found to be a rather rapid process and neutral or acidic pH enhanced phosphorus removal. Based on a thermodynamic assessment, P adsorption by AMD sludge was found to be endothermic; consequently, an increase in temperature could also favor phosphorus adsorption. Results from batch tests showed that leaching of metals common to AMD sludges was not likely to be a major issue of concern over the typical pH range (6-8) of secondary wastewater effluents. CSTR tests with three types of water (synthetic wastewater, river water, and municipal secondary effluent) illustrated that P adsorption by AMD sludge was relatively independent of the presence of other ionic species. In treating municipal secondary effluent, a phosphorus removal efficiency in excess of 98% was obtained. Results of this study indicated that it was very promising to utilize AMD sludge for phosphorus removal from secondary effluents and may be relevant to future efforts focused on the control of eutrophication in surface waters.     

The effects of temperature, pH, and ammonia concentration on the inactivation of Ascaris eggs in sewage sludge

The reported inactivation of Ascaris eggs during alkaline sludge stabilization is highly variable. The objective of our research was to better understand the sources of this variability by quantifying the effects of temperature, pH, and ammonia concentration on the inactivation of indigenous Ascaris eggs in wastewater sludge. Primary sludge was supplemented with ammonia (0, 1000, and 5000mg/l NH(3)-N) and Ca(OH)(2) and incubated in sealed bottles across the range of temperatures (20, 30, 40, and 50 degrees C) and pH (7 and 12) that may be encountered during treatment. Changes in egg viability over time were fit to a two-parameter kinetic model (shoulder and first-order region); to compare treatment conditions, the time for 99% inactivation (t(99)) was also calculated. Each 10 degrees C increase in temperature caused a significant decrease in t(99) at every pH and ammonia concentration tested. At 50 degrees C, the effect of temperature was dominant, such that no effect of pH or ammonia was observed. At 30 and 40 degrees C, raising the pH from 7 to 12 decreased t(99), but at 20 degrees C no pH effect was seen over 80 d (very little inactivation occurred). At 20, 30, and 40 degrees C, the addition of ammonia dramatically decreased t(99). The effect of pH could not be completely separated from that of ammonia, as the unamended sludge samples contained 100-200mg/l indigenous ammonia. Because temperature, pH, and ammonia all contributed to Ascaris egg inactivation, it is essential that these parameters are measured and accounted for when assessing the effectiveness of alkaline stabilization. Furthermore, inactivation by ammonia could be exploited to improve the effectiveness of alkaline sludge stabilization.     

Adsorbent obtained from CEPT sludge in wastewater chemically enhanced treatment

Chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) in municipal wastewater treatment is particularly suitable for rapidly growing cities. The focus on CEPT process now might be the cost of chemicals and disposal of chemical sludge. In this study, the potential application of adsorbent made from CEPT sludge in CEPT wastewater treatment was investigated in various conditions, such as the adsorbent dosage, pH, and dosing modes of ferric chloride and adsorbent. It was found that sludge-derived adsorbent was a good way of sludge disposal while enhanced pollutants removal rate and reduced the fresh ferric chloride dosage. With the use of 10.0 mg L⁻¹ of ferric chloride and 0.6 g L⁻¹ of the adsorbent at the first stage simultaneously, the enhanced removal efficiencies of turbidity, UV₂₅₄, COD, TP were 83.3%, 52.3%, 48.8% and 89.0%, respectively. The experiments showed that ferric chloride dose was reduced about 50%. The pH played a significant role in coagulation and adsorption process.     

Bacterial response to a shock load of nanosilver in an activated sludge treatment system

The growing release of nanosilver into sewage systems has increased the concerns on the potential adverse impacts of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in wastewater treatment plants. The inhibitory effects of nanosilver on wastewater treatment and the response of activated sludge bacteria to the shock loading of AgNPs were evaluated in a Modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) activated sludge treatment system. Before shock-loading experiments, batch extant respirometric assays determined that at 1 mg/L of total Ag, nitrification inhibitions by AgNPs (average size = 1-29 nm) and Ag⁺ ions were 41.4% and 13.5%, respectively, indicating that nanosilver was more toxic to nitrifying bacteria in activated sludge than silver ions. After a 12-h period of nanosilver shock loading to reach a final peak silver concentration of 0.75 mg/L in the MLE system, the total silver concentration in the mixed liquor decreased exponentially. A continuous flow-through model predicted that the silver in the activated sludge system would be washed out 25 days after the shock loading. Meanwhile, a prolonged period of nitrification inhibition (>1 month, the highest degree of inhibition = 46.5%) and increase of ammonia/nitrite concentration in wastewater effluent were observed. However, nanosilver exposure did not affect the growth of heterotrophs responsible for organic matter removal. Microbial community structure analysis indicated that the ammonium-oxidizing bacteria and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, Nitrospira, had experienced population decrease while Nitrobacter was washed out after the shock loading.     

Critical operational parameters for zero sludge production in biological wastewater treatment processes combined with sludge disintegration

Mathematical models were developed to elucidate the relationships among process control parameters and the effect of these parameters on the performance of anoxic/oxic biological wastewater processes combined with sludge disintegrators (A/O-SD). The model equations were also applied for analyses of activated sludge processes hybrid with sludge disintegrators (AS-SD). Solubilization ratio of sludge in the sludge disintegrator, alpha, hardly affected sludge reduction efficiencies if the biomass was completely destructed to smaller particulates. On the other hand, conversion efficiency of non-biodegradable particulates to biodegradable particulates, beta, significantly affected sludge reduction efficiencies because beta was directly related to the accumulation of non-biodegradable particulates in bioreactors. When 30% of sludge in the oxic tank was disintegrated everyday and beta was 0.5, sludge reduction was expected to be 78% and 69% for the A/O-SD and AS-SD processes, respectively. Under this condition, the sludge disintegration number (SDN), which is the amount of sludge disintegrated divided by the reduced sludge, was calculated to be around 4. Due to the sludge disintegration, live biomass concentration decreased while other non-biodegradable particulates concentration increased. As a consequence, the real F/M ratio was expected to be much higher than the apparent F/M. The effluent COD was maintained almost constant for the range of sludge disintegration rate considered in this study. Nitrogen removal efficiencies of the A/O-SD process was hardly affected by the sludge disintegration until daily sludge disintegration reaches 40% of sludge in the oxic tank. Above this level of sludge disintegration, autotrophic biomass concentration decreases overly and TKN in the effluent increases abruptly in both the A/O-SD and AS-SD processes. Overall, the trends of sludge reduction and effluent quality according to operation parameters matched well with experimental results found in literatures.     

Aminopolyphosphonate removal during wastewater treatment

Phosphonates are used in large quantities in industry and household products as scale inhibitors and chelating agents. They are not biodegraded during wastewater treatment but are removed by adsorption processes. Field measurements from different wastewater treatment plants affirm that they are removed almost completely during wastewater treatment. Adsorption of nitrilotrismethylenephosphonic acid onto activated sludge, amorphous iron oxide and humic acids (HAs) was studied under controlled conditions. The adsorption onto HAs decreases sharply with increasing pH with negligible adsorption at pH above 6.5. Adsorption onto amorphous iron oxide follows a Langmuir behavior. The presence of 1 mM Ca doubles the maximum surface capacity at pH 7. Adsorption onto activated sludge is not very pH sensitive and is explained to a large extent by adsorption onto amorphous iron oxides, but the contribution of organic matter or other mineral phases cannot be ruled out.     

Potential nanosilver impact on anaerobic digestion at moderate silver concentrations

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs, nanosilver) entering the sewers and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are mostly accumulated in the sludge. In this study, we determined the impact of AgNPs on anaerobic glucose degradation, sludge digestion and methanogenic assemblages. At ambient (22 °C) and mesophilic temperatures (37 °C), there was no significant difference in biogas and methane production between the sludge treated with AgNPs at the concentrations up to 40 mg Ag/L (13.2 g silver/Kg biomass COD) and the control. In these anaerobic digestion samples, acetate and propionic acid were the only detectable volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and they were depleted in 3 days. On the other hand, more than 90% of AgNPs was removed from the liquid phase and associated with the sludge while almost no silver ions were released from AgNPs under anaerobic conditions. Quantitative PCR results indicated that Methanosaeta and Methanomicrobiales were the dominant methanogens, and the methanogenic diversity and population remained largely unchanged after nanosilver exposure and anaerobic digestion. The results suggest that AgNPs at moderate concentrations (e.g., ≤40 mg/L) have negligible impact on anaerobic digestion and methanogenic assemblages because of little to no silver ion release.     

Kinetic and equilibrium studies of fluoride adsorption by a carbonaceous material from pyrolysis of waste sludge

The efficiency of the adsorption for fluoride by sludge from the treatment of starch industry wastewater was investigated. Batch experiments were conducted in order to determine the parameters that affect the adsorption process. The activation for waste sludge and specific surface area and porosity effects in enhancing the pyrolysis conditions were determined. The adsorption parameters of initial fluoride concentration, pH and adsorbent dosage were investigated with carbonaceous material. As a result of pyrolysis of samples treated with ZnCl₂ 1196 m²/g, the specific surface area was reached. Correlation coefficient of 0.99 and 12.75 mg/g adsorption capacity and adsorption isotherm model were revealed as convenient. Experimental results show that the adsorption of fluoride waste sludge will be effective in many ways in which the adsorbent is applied.     

Adsorption of Cu(II) to schwertmannite and goethite in presence of dissolved organic matter

Sorption processes involving secondary iron minerals may significantly contribute to immobilisation of metals in soils and surface waters. In the present work the effect of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from a concentrated bog-water on the adsorption of Cu(II) onto schwertmannite (Fe₈O₈(OH)₆SO₄) and goethite (α-FeOOH) has been studied. The acid/base behaviour of DOM up to pH 6 was explained by assuming a diprotic acid with a density of carboxylate groups of 6.90 μeq (mg C)⁻¹. The resulting acidity constants, recalculated to zero ionic strength were and .The uptake of DOM to schwertmannite and goethite was highest at low pH although adsorption was significant also under mildly alkaline conditions. Adsorption to the two minerals was similar although at high pH more DOM was adsorbed to schwertmannite than to goethite.DOM enhanced the adsorption of Cu(II) at moderately low pH in the goethite system but there was no effect of DOM in the case of schwertmannite. The presence of Cu(II) resulted in a decreased adsorption of DOM to goethite at weakly acidic pH and increased adsorption at high pH. In the case of schwertmannite, Cu(II) did not affect DOM uptake.     

Fast and highly efficient removal of dyes under alkaline conditions using magnetic chitosan-Fe(III) hydrogel

The dyeing effluent of high alkalinity, which could not be treated efficiently by traditional wastewater technologies, highlighted the need to explore a technically feasible, highly efficient and cost effective method. Thus, a fast and highly efficient method for the removal of dyes under alkaline conditions using magnetic chitosan-Fe(III) hydrogel was proposed. Firstly, chitosan-Fe(III) hydrogel was prepared by a chelation procedure with cheap and environmentally friendly chitosan and iron salts. We characterized the sorption and desorption of C. I. Acid Red 73, a common type of anionic dye, on magnetic chitosan-Fe(III) hydrogel, to understand its availability for alkaline dyeing wastewater. Sorption of dye to chitosan-Fe(III) hydrogel was fast (adsorption could reach equilibrium in less than 10 min) in a wide pH range, and agreed well to the Langmuir-Freundlich adsorption model with a high maximum adsorption capacity of 294.5 mg/g under pH = 12. Meanwhile, 1 mol/L NaOH was used to desorb the dye efficiently (desorption efficiency 94.4%) and 0.1 mol/L HCl was applied to regenerate the chitosan-Fe(III) hydrogel. The results showed that the chitosan-Fe(III) hydrogel could retain its high efficiency after the desorption and regeneration. The common coexisting ions almost had no negative effect on the dye adsorption of chitosan-Fe(III) and the removals of a variety of anionic dyes suggest that the magnetic chitosan-Fe(III) hydrogel could efficiently adsorb both the acid and reactive dyes under alkaline condition. Overall, the results reported herein indicated that magnetic chtisoan-Fe(III) with high adsorption efficiency and strong magnetic property is very attractive and implies a potential of practical application for alkaline dyeing effluent treatment.     

Thermal fluorescence quenching properties of dissolved organic matter

The fluorescence excitation-emission matrices of dissolved organic matter (DOM) are investigated between 10 and 45 degrees C for river and waste waters and organic matter standards. With increased temperature, fluorescence intensity is quenched. It is demonstrated that for a range of river and wastewater samples, that tryptophan-like fluorescence exhibits a greater range of quenching (between 20+/-4% and 35+/-5%) than fulvic-like fluorescence (19+/-4 to 26+/-3%) over this temperature range. Humic substance standards exhibit similar fulvic-like (23+/-4%) fluorescence thermal quenching properties to river water samples (23+/-3%); however none of the samples exhibit quenching of tryptophan-like fluorescence to the same extent as the tryptophan standards (approximately 50%). Thermal fluorescence quenching is related to the exposure of the fluorophores to the heat source; our findings suggest that the tryptophan-like groups within DOM is more exposed in untreated wastewaters than in treated wastewaters riverine DOM. Thermal fluorescence properties have the potential to be used to source DOM, to provide additional chemical structural information, to temperature correct laser-induced remotely sensed DOM fluorescence, and to characterise DOM through the wastewater treatment process.     

Characterization of DOM as a function of MW by fluorescence EEM and HPLC-SEC using UVA,DOC, and fluorescence detection

To investigate the composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) as a function of apparent molecular weight (MW) by rapid analytical methods, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-size exclusion chromatography (SEC) was conducted with sequential on-line detectors consisting of UV, fluorescence, and quantitative DOC measurement. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectrophotometry was used to select wavelengths for the HPSEC on-line fluorescence system. The chosen peak maxima locations of excitation-emission wavelengths were 278-353 nm for protein-like substances and 337-423 nm for fulvic-like substances based on an analysis of EEM spectra for various samples and reference materials. This system provides quantitative and qualitative information on the specific MW components of DOM, including proportion of DOC (by DOC measurement), aromaticity (by comparison of UV and DOC measurements), and chemical properties (by fluorescence measurement). It further allows determination of organic matter characteristics (e.g., fulvic-like, protein-like, and polysaccharide-like substances) as a function of MW. Three types of samples (Irvine Ranch ground water (IRWD-GW), Barr Lake surface water (BL-SW), and Hawaii wastewater secondary effluent) were analyzed by the HPSEC-UVA-fluorescence-DOC system. These results were compared with fluorescence EEM for samples fractionated by HPLC-SEC. The DOM fraction in the high apparent MW range (over 10,000g/mol) consisted of polysaccharide-like substances for IRWD-GW and a mixture of polysaccharide-like/protein-like substances for BL-SW and wastewater secondary effluent. Minimal amounts of fulvic-like substances were found in the wastewater secondary effluent sample. The DOM fractions in a medium apparent MW range (5000-1000 g/M) showed higher aromaticity (fulvic in character) than any other fractions for all samples. For the DOM fraction in the low apparent MW range (below 680 g/M), additional aliphatic organic matter was found in IRWD-GW, while BL-SW contained protein-like processes. DOM plays an important role in drinking water and wastewater treatment processes. An enhanced HPSEC technique with multiple on-line detectors enables a better understanding of quantitative and qualitative DOM properties and can help to design and optimize water/wastewater treatment facilities.     

Attenuation of heavy metal toxicity of the activated sludge process by treatment with ferric chloride

Industrial wastes containing heavy metals can interfere with the normal operation of municipal wastewater treatment plants utilizing biological treatment processes. It is well known, however, that activated sludge can become acclimated to toxic levels of heavy metals if the dosages are increased gradually. Although such an acclimation procedure could prevent inhibitory effects of slug loads of toxins, the use of toxic heavy metals for normal plant operation is too perilous for consideration. It is, however, acceptable to utilize a nontoxic metal that may give general tolerance to toxic metals.

Laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the use of ferric chloride acclimation for treatment against heavy metal toxicity of an activated sludge process. The oxygen uptake of acclimated and unacclimated seed was measured by respirometry to determine the inhibitory effects of Ag and Pb.

The toxic effects of Ag and Pb were greatly reduced for acclimated seed. The experimental data area utilized in kinetic rate equations, and families of curves are developed to show the inhibition of Ag and Pb at a range of concentrations when the activated sludge is acclimatized at different concentrations of Fe(III).     

Ozonation of ammonia in wastewater

An investigation of the effects of ozone on ammonia in municipal wastewaters is described and discussed relative to the application of ozone for advanced waste treatment. Ammonia is oxidized completely to nitrate, thereby eliminating the nitrogenous oxygen demand of the waste. In buffered solutions of ammonium chloride, the reaction is first-order with respect to the concentration of ammonia, and the rate increases with increasing pH over the range 7–9, and with increasing ozone partial pressure. In wastewater, the reaction is particularly sensitive to pH, with effective removal of ammonia occurring only if the pH of the wastewater can be maintained alkaline. Due to the elevated pH's required for effective ammonia oxidation, ozonation is especially attractive in conjunction with lime clarification and precipitation of phosphate. Application of ozone for disinfection purposes requires recognition of the ozone demand exerted by ammonia.     

Presence of cancerostatic platinum compounds in hospital wastewater and possible elimination by adsorption to activated sludge

Platinum originating from the excreted cancerostatic platinum compounds (CPC) cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin was monitored over a period of 28 days in the wastewater of the oncologic ward of the Vienna University Hospital. Concentration levels ranging from 4.7 to 145 microg L(-1) were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). An average ratio of weekly drug emission/drug consumption of 0.27+/-0.12 was assessed. Model studies were carried out for fundamental understanding of CPC interaction with the solid phases present at different stages of the water cycle. Wastewater and activated sludge were spiked with CPC at concentration levels as found in the sewer of the oncologic ward. The platinum concentration remaining in the tested solution was measured after 24 h of incubation. Depending on pH, the three substances exhibited considerably different adsorption rates in wastewater. At pH 7, cisplatin was adsorbed by 88%, whereas only 26% of carboplatin and 54% of oxaliplatin were removed from the aqueous phase. Adsorption by activated sludge was higher, less affected by pH variation and comparable for all investigated CPC (96% for cisplatin, 70% for carboplatin and 74% for oxaliplatin at pH 6.8). In a next step, the dependence of CPC adsorption was tested for wastewater and activated sludge of different sampling sites. Strong variations were found only for wastewater, whereas activated sludge showed more consistent elimination rates (average values: cisplatin 92%, carboplatin 72%, and oxaliplatin 78%). These findings indicate that the major part of the excreted CPC is adsorbed by the solid phase in the water cycle and is thus expected to be removed from the wastewater by sewage treatment plants.     

Piso sto Chorio … I Apantisi stin Krisi einai i Agrotiki Paragogi[Back to the Village … The Answer to the Crisis is Agricultural Production]

In this study, groups of batch experiments were designed to identify the characteristics of alum sludge for arsenic (As) adsorption. Air-dried alum sludge (moisture content 13.9%) collected from a water treatment works in Xi’an, China, was subjected to artificial As-rich wastewater adsorption tests using As₂O₃ as a model As source. Adsorption behaviours were investigated and the results have shown that the Langmuir adsorption isotherm well fits the experimental data (R² = 0.94957–0.99365). The maximum adsorption capacities range from 0.61 to 0.96 mg-As/g when the pH of the As solution was varied from 9.0 to 4.0. The prospects in China for the outcome of this study are discussed. This promising low-cost technique can eradicate As contamination in China.     

Phosphorus immobilisation in Al‐drinking water treatment sludge (Al‐DWTS) and soil under laboratory conditions

This study assessed the potential reuse of an aluminium coagulated drinking water treatment sludge (Al‐DWTS) as a main substrate in constructed wetland to replace soil for the treatment of P‐enriched wastewater. The adsorption isotherm and kinetics of phosphorus (P) removal from high‐P solution by Al‐DWTS and a local soil from Bailieborough, Ireland, were studied and compared. The P adsorption process was examined as a function of contact time, initial P concentration, pH and temperature. Data of P adsorption were well fitted to the Langmuir and the Freundlich isotherms but the Freundlich isotherm had a higher correlation coefficient. The P adsorption capacity on the Al‐DWTS and the soil tended to increase with an increase in temperature. The maximum P adsorption capacity of the Al‐DWTS and the soil was 39.4 mg P mg^?1 and 9.5 mg P mg^?1, respectively, at conditions of pH of 4.0 and temperature of 23°C. Kinetics studies show that adsorption in both cases followed pseudo‐second‐order kinetics. The fact that the Al‐DWTS exhibited a significantly higher P adsorption capacity at high P solution compared with the soil suggests that Al‐DWTS can be a ‘novel‐waste’ bioadsorbent with promising application in wastewater treatment engineering, such as constructed wetland systems.