Eco-friendly Water Treatment: Rapid Phosphorus Recovery & Disinfection

Smart Nanomaterial Power-Free Water Purification System Targets Global Water and Climate Challenges

2025-06-01 Source: Kist 3 min Reading Time

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A team at Kist has developed an eco-friendly water treatment material that rapidly recovers phosphorus and disinfects harmful microbes, without the need for electricity. Using a sea urchin-shaped nanostructure and magnetic control, the technology offers a fast, energy-saving solution for water purification and resource recycling

A magnetic sea urchin-shaped material (developed by Kist) is placed inside the pipe where wastewater flows in, and magnets are used on the outside of the pipe to induce self-assembly. The arranged urchin-shaped material can also be easily cleaned by adjusting the magnetic field when it is contaminated by suspended solids in the wastewater.(Source: Korea Institute of Science and Technology) — A magnetic sea urchin-shaped material (developed by Kist) is placed inside the pipe where wastewater flows in, and magnets are used on the outside of the pipe to induce self-assembly. The arranged urchin-shaped material can also be easily cleaned by adjusting the magnetic field when it is contaminated by suspended solids in the wastewater.
(Source: Korea Institute of Science and Technology)

The water we use every day is purified in wastewater treatment plants and discharged into rivers, and in recent years, the reuse of treated water for domestic and industrial use has been expanding to solve the water shortage problem. The purification process removes various harmful substances, including phosphorus, which causes green algae, and disinfects microorganisms such as total coliform. Phosphorus is an essential component of domestic and industrial waste, including fertilizers, detergents, and animal manure, but when it remains in the water, it causes algae blooms in rivers and lakes.

A research team led by Dr. Jae-Woo Choi and Dr. Kyungjin Cho of the Center for Water Cycle Research at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (Kist) has developed a new water treatment material that can recover phosphorus in a short time with high efficiency and disinfect harmful microorganisms at the same time. The developed material has the dual function of effectively inactivating total coliform in water and quickly removing and recovering phosphorus, which causes algae blooms. The recovered phosphorus can be recycled into various industrial materials such as fertilizers, cleaning agents, and detergents, contributing to the realization of a circular economy beyond simple purification.

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Magnet-based nanomaterial control devices can enhance water treatment capacity thorough scalable modular design by connecting multiple pipes with magnets attached. Nanomaterials fouled by suspended solids can be easily cleaned by a simple process of controlling the magnetic field, allowing for low-energy, long-term operation. (Source: Korea Institute of Science and Technology)

Nanomaterial-controlled water purification device using magnets developed by Kist(Source: Korea Institute of Science and Technology)

In particular, the team utilized a “sea urchin-shaped” nanostructure to achieve world-class phosphorus recovery performance. The developed material can recover about 1.1 kilograms of phosphate per kilogram of material in just five minutes, which is extremely fast and efficient compared to existing technologies.

In particular, the technology is designed as an eco-friendly system operable without electricity. By utilizing the magnetic field of an external magnet, the movement of the material can be precisely controlled, reducing energy consumption by more than 99 % compared to conventional water treatment technologies. This also reduces carbon emissions and energy costs, making it a promising alternative technology to combat water scarcity and the climate crisis.

The new materials and control technology developed are applicable to a variety of water treatment environments, including sewage treatment plants, water purification plants, livestock and industrial wastewater treatment sites. In particular, it is possible to simultaneously remove algae-causing substances and recover resources at industrial and agricultural sites with high concentrations of nutrients such as phosphorus. The technology also has a disinfection function, which is effective in obtaining safe water resources. It can be installed and operated without additional power or complex facilities, making it easy to utilize in areas lacking energy infrastructure or in rural areas.

A new innovation has the potential to outperform existing filtration methods and may offer a sustainable, nature-based solution to the global water pollution problem. (Source: frei lizenziert)

In the future, it is expected to be applied to portable water treatment devices, emergency purification systems for natural disasters, and mobile facilities for underdeveloped countries, and it can also be used in various eco-friendly technology-based industries such as smart farms, precision agriculture, and eco-friendly industrial parks, as well as public water and sewage systems.

“This research is significant because it integrates the two processes of phosphorus removal and microbial sterilization into one, which enables us to present a low-energy water treatment solution that can be applied to various water quality environments,” said Dr. Jae-Woo Choi of KIST. “This study is significant in that it shows that we can effectively disinfect total coliform without chlorine or electricity, and it can be developed into an energy-saving disinfection technology in the future,” said Dr. Kyungjin Cho, another co-corresponding author of the study.

“The key to our research is the rapid recovery of phosphorus from sea urchin structural materials and the implementation of a process that precisely controls particles in water with magnetic fields,” said Dr. Youngkyun Jung, first author of the study, adding, “It holds strong potential for future expansion into multifunctional water treatment platforms”.

Original Article: Electromagnetic-field-sensitive bridges based on urchin-like La/Cu-Fe3O4 nanocapsules for ultra-efficient phosphate recovery and water disinfection; Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials; DOI:10.1007/s42114-025-01303-3

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