Removal of phosphate in water to layered double hydroxide

Layered double hydroxide (LDH) has been used to remove phosphate ion in water as an effective adsorbent of this anion at low concentration. LDH which contains Mg2+ and Al3+ as divalent and trivalent metals respectively was prepared as has been published by many authors. A fixed portion of this LDH was suspended in the weakly basic solution containing phosphate. The suspension was stirred moderately followed by filtration. The concentration of phosphate ion in the filtrate was determined by the molybdenum blue method. The result indicates that the LDH used in this experiment was effective in removing phosphate from water. Furthermore, it was also certified that the phosphate anions removed from water were quantitatively transferred onto the solid of LDH.