Civil engineer from Universidad del Norte with 2 years of experience in the public sector. (Barranquilla, Colombia).
Pursuing a master's degree in Civil Engineering at University of South Alabama with a concentration in Environmental Engineering.
Graduate Research And Teaching Assistant at University of South Alabama.

Phosphate Removal and Recovery Using Iron Augmented Geotextiles.

Nutrient removal from wastewater is crucial to mitigate the effects of eutrophication in receiving waters, minimization of erosion, toxicity, and reduced loads of pollutants in treated wastewater. To manage and remove nutrients in wastewater, several technologies have been implemented such as constructed wetlands, bioretention cells, wetlands, sand filters and settling tanks. These have proven effective removal techniques. The impetus to find a solution to this situation has led to the study and implementation of decentralized wastewater systems, where collection, conveyance and treatment is performed on-site, ensuring protection of the public health, reduction of capital, operation, and maintenance costs.

One such decentralized system could be a hybrid sand filter, that combines the two treatment mechanisms of evapotranspiration and filtration. The hybrid sand filter is a novel technology, and its phosphorus removal ability is still unknown. Release of phosphorus from domestic wastewaters can severely contaminate nearby surface waters by causing harmful algal blooms. Preliminary experiments have been conducted using suitable waste amendments which includes metal fillings, metal slag, eggshells, and biochar for P removal. The results show that the sand mixed with 5% w/w iron fillings surpass by adsorbing the most phosphorus from wastewater. 

Therefore, the main objective of this research is to analyze the performance and attachment of iron-based nanoparticles to the non-woven geotextile in order to remove P from wastewater in a hybrid sand filter. Based on preliminary results, we have designed, built, and currently testing the P removal capabilities of our system mixed with and without iron fillings. We will present the findings  at the 2023 ALMS Water Conference.