Biodegradable chelator GLDA intercalated magnesium/aluminum layered double hydroxides for efficient phosphate capture and removal from wastewater

Phosphate removal and recovery from wastewater play a vital role in controlling water eutrophication and facilitating resource recycling. Adsorbents of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) exhibit promising potential in the removal of phosphate; however, the removal efficiency often suffers insufficient as easy aggregation and inevitable loss of LDHs. Herein, a novel N, N–bis (carboxymethyl)–L–glutamic acid intercalated magnesium–aluminum LDH (GLDA@MgAl–LDH) were successfully synthesized. Intercalating with GLDA spawned dual functionality, i.e., the layer spacing expansion elevated the loading of phosphate, while GLDA also acted as additional binding sites toward phosphate. A higher phosphate capture (>90%) was obtained in pH 5.0–8.0. Phosphate uptake was predominantly observed within the first1 h, reaching equilibrium in approximately 4 h. The maximum adsorption capacity of 44.17 mg g–1 was attained for GLDA@MgAl–LDH at pH 6.70, which are far higher than that of pristine MgAl–LDH. GLDA@MgAl–LDH also had the excellent stability and reusability in five adsorption/desorption experiments. The GLDA@MgAl–LDH demonstrated significant efficacy in treating actual phosphate-containing wastewater in the fixed–bed adsorption column. Spectroscopic analysis, in conjunction with density functional theory, elucidated that GLDA intercalation enhanced the adsorption efficiency of MgAl–LDH. The key mechanisms facilitating phosphate removal included electrostatic attraction, anion and ligand exchange, and surface complexation. The above results highlight that GLDA@MgAl–LDH could serve as a promising and environmentally friendly candidate for phosphate treatment from the real wastewater.