REACTIVE PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL FROM LAND-BASED AQUACULTURE WASTEWATER USING AFRICAN-LAND SNAIL SHELL

Phosphorus removal from aquaculture wastewater is essential to protect the receiving waters from eutrophication. This study evaluated the potential of African Land snail shell (GS), a low cost biogenic waste, for phosphorus removal from a simulated aquaculture wastewater in a batch process. The kinetic analysis of the P sorption by the GS showed that pseudo-second order kinetic equation adequately described the process, thus confirming chemisorption as the underlying mechanism of the P removal process by the GS.  The fitting of the data obtained from the equilibrium isotherm analysis gave a value of 3.077mg/g for the Langmuir monolayer sorption capacity and Langmuir equilibrium isotherm equation showed the best fitting (r 2 = 0.999). Evaluation of the effects of process variables on the P-removal process indicated that solution pH and organic load influenced the magnitude of P removed from solution. Keywords : Aquaculture, Eutrophication, Gastropod Shell, Phosphate, Treatment, Wastewater.