PERSEPHONE: „ Recovery of phosphate from surface/waste water using membrane capacitive deionization with functionalized cotton-based carbon electrodes“
Project Leader: Prof. Dr. Stefan Stolte
Coworker: Dr. Fei Du
Funding: CORNET
Duration: 07/2024-06/2026
Cooperating partners: Zentrum für Umweltforschung und nachhaltige Technologien (UFT), Universität Bremen, Germany;
Federal University of Paraíba, Brazil;
Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation – Cotton National Research Center, Brazil;
Faserinstitut Bremen e.V., Germany.
One of the biggest problems with waste and surface water is eutrophication, caused by excessive nutrient enrichment, particularly phosphorus. Conventional technologies for removing phosphate from wastewater are costly, induce secondary pollution, and result in phosphorus loss. Meanwhile, global hunger is worsening, with the scarcity and high cost of phosphorus fertilizers being key factors. This project aims to address both issues by developing a novel process to recover phosphorus from waste and surface water with low investment and operational costs.
The process is based on membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI), an electrosorption method for selectively separating ions while consuming minimal energy and chemicals. The recovered phosphate will serve as a raw material for phosphorus fertilizers. To maximize the selectivity of MCDI for phosphate and enhance electrosorption efficiency, an activated carbon fiber-based electrode with specific selectivity and properties is crucial. Cotton lint, low-quality lint, or recycled material will be transformed into textiles, carbonized into bio-based activated carbon fiber textile (Bio-ACFT) electrodes, and chemically modified for the selective adsorption of phosphate.
The proposed project aims to develop:
• Standards and protocols to select suitable low-cost, efficient, and sustainable basic materials for the application.
• Suitable textile processing, carbonization, and chemical modification of the materials to produce Bio-ACFT electrodes with specific functions for optimal application in the MCDI process.
• A novel MCDI process with Bio-ACFT to recover phosphate from water.
The Bio-ACFT can transform cotton and waste textiles into products for new markets, while the phosphate recovery process generates a new phosphate source for the fertilizer market and introduces new technology for wastewater treatment.