Phosphate removal from water by zero-valent iron / activated carbon fiber felt galvanic couples

This study presents a zero-valent iron / activated carbon fiber felt (ACFF) galvanic couples (Fe⁰/ACFF) process to remove dissolved phosphate from water. The effect of initial phosphate concentration and pH were investigated, and the adsorption capacity and kinetic model were also evaluated using both the Freundlich and the Langmuir isotherm models and the Lagergren model. The results showed that Fe⁰/ACFF galvanic couples using ACFF as the cathode material were feasible for removing phosphate from water, and the maximum removal rate of 99.4% and the minimum equilibrium time of 43 hours were achieved at the initial phosphate concentration of 2mg/L and the pH of 7.0. The adsorption process followed a first-order kinetic model. The Freundlich isotherm model was a better fit with experimental data.