Fosfaatbindende drain (KB-14-001-052)

The leaching of phosphate from agricultural soils is a problem to meet the water quality standards of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). Only lowering the phosphate gifts to soil will not be sufficient to achieve the WFD quality standards. Therefore methods have been developed to actively remove phosphate from water to decrease the phosphate load to surface waters. The phosphate removing drain which was developed by Alterra is considered one of the favourable measures to reduce phosphate loads by stakeholders. The most important aim of this project is to (1) further develop and the innovative technique and make it applicable, (2) evaluate the efficiency, practical suitability of the technique, (3) to make information available for incorporation of this measure in regional plans aiming at the improvement of surface water quality.

 

The most important scientific questions to answer these questions are:

• Which of the phosphate binding residues from drinking water industries are applicable for this technique and what is their availability.
• What is the lifetime and long term efficiency of the drain to remove phosphate?

 

Activities:

• Research on the drainage functionality of the phosphate binding drain (hydrology)
• Research on the  long term efficiency of phosphate binding by the drain
• Research on various residues from the drinking water industry with respect to their suitability for use as phosphate binding material in drainage filters (affinity and capacity to bind phosphate and binding kinetics)
• Innovation of the technique through the development of P-binding materials to envelope drains in the factory.

 

Within this project we will cooperate with the research institutes Deltares and EAWAG (Switzerland) to do research on the long term efficiency of the drain to bind phosphate. To develop the factory finished P binding filter material we will cooperate with Horman Drainagefilter, a manufacturer of filter materials for drains.