The removal of phosphorus from wastewater is a common procedure. Improving water quality is the aim of wastewater treatment. There are many types of conventional methods that have been used for the removal of phosphorus. Phosphorus reaction with chemicals can be removed immediately from water. However, the use of chemicals often increases the cost of wastewater treatment. This study aims to investigate the physical and chemical characteristics of RCA that influence the removal of phosphorus, as well as the percentage of phosphorus removal using RCA of two different sizes namely, 5 mm to 10 mm and 25 mm to 30 mm. The samples taken from the influent and effluent filters were tested and analysed in terms of the uptake capacity of phosphorus (q) and the percentage of phosphorus removal (%). The highest percentage of phosphorus removal achieved was 99.54% in the initial concentration of 10 mg/L by RCA measuring between 5 mm to 10 mm while the lowest percentage of phosphorus removal was 66.25% in the initial concentration of 50 mg/L for RCAs measuring between 25 mm to 30 mm. Furthermore, RCA achieved the highest uptake capacity (q) of 3.45 mg/L in the initial wastewater concentration of 50 mg/L. In conclusion, RCA has the potential to remove phosphorus, particularly in low concentrations of synthetic wastewater and high pH conditions.

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The irresponsible disposal of untreated wastewater into waters, soil and groundwater results in polluted water resources. Moreover, nutrients such as phosphorus have become culprits of concern in accelerating eutrophication. Besides, this issue could cause water poisoning and the degradation of recreational opportunities. Therefore, for justifying this problem, it is important to understand the quantity of phosphorus (P) flows by using recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) as filter materials. RCA used as a filter system has emerged as an alternative technology for phosphorus removal. This can overcome the problem of construction site waste by converting the waste into valuable products. Thus, this study aims to investigate the physical and chemical characteristics of RCA that influenced adsorption of P and the percentage of phosphorus removal from synthetic wastewater by using two different sizes of RCA. A total of five vertical recycled concrete aggregate filter was designed. The samples taken from influent and effluent were tested once a week and analyzed to determine pH and percentage removal phosphorus. RCA was analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) testing to determine chemical composition. The results show that RCA primarily contained aluminium, calcium, and magnesium that could enhanced the phosphorus adsorption. The RCA with size 5 to 10 mm is shown to have high potential to remove phosphorus up to 99.57%. The higher the size of RCA, the higher percentage of phosphorus removal. In conclusion, RCA has the potential to remove phosphorus from wastewater.