Highly Effective Phosphorus Removal From Wastewater
Rare earth metals are not just for high-tech electronics. Two, Lanthanum and Cerium, make Neo WaterFX the most efficient phosphorus removal coagulant available.
When most people think of rare earth chemicals, they think of high-tech electronics applications – smartphones, permanent magnets, video screens, and electric vehicles, to name a few. But the 15 rare earth metals, called lanthanides, have many more uses. Salts of the two most abundant lanthanides, Lanthanum and Cerium, are excellent rare earth coagulants for phosphorus treatment in wastewater.
The unique chemistry of lanthanide salts makes them phosphorus magnets, attracting and bonding strongly with phosphorus to form a dense, crystalline precipitate. This precipitate is very stable and settles quickly for efficient and reliable removal. Unlike the precipitate formed with aluminum or iron-based coagulants, lanthanides won’t release phosphorus back into the effluent as treatment conditions (pH and DO) change.
Rare Earths Are Not That Rare
Although they are called rare earth chemicals, they actually aren’t that rare. Cerium, the most abundant rare earth, is six times more abundant than lead, and 15,000 times more abundant than gold. Lanthanum is three times more abundant than lead. Cerium chloride and lanthanum chloride are the main ingredients in WaterFX.
Using rare earth lanthanides to remove phosphorus from wastewater is not new.
As far back as 1970, lanthanides were being studied for removing phosphate from wastewater. These studies demonstrated the superiority of lanthanides over traditional aluminum-based coagulants, both in efficiency of removal, dosage, and stability of the precipitate. So, while using lanthanides for phosphorus removal is not yet mainstream, it is not new. Advanced, innovative – yes, but also proven and reliable.
And the best part? WaterFX is cost-effective and makes compliance almost effortless.
Due to superior efficiency, which allows for much lower doses, removing phosphorus using rare earth chemicals is cost-effective. Savings come from reduced chemical sludge, better dewatering characteristics, and reduction in other chemicals, most notably caustic for pH adjustment and polymer for sludge conditioning. Combined with the peace of mind from consistent, reliable compliance, the rare earth chemicals in WaterFX are the smart choice for P removal in wastewater.
