Embedded nanoFeCu for sewage treatment: Laboratory‐scale and pilot studies

Bimetallic nanoparticles have been widely studied for wastewater treatment, but the study of nanoFeCu for sewage treatment is minimal. In the previous work, ammonia was removed by nanoFeCu via an oxidation reaction, and nitrogen gas was released. However, the performance and reusability of nanoFeCu in treating industrial wastewater have not been reported elsewhere. This study revealed the performance of nanoFeCu for sewage treatment on both laboratory‐scale and pilot‐scale for the first time. A varied mass of embedded nanoFeCu (eFeCu4) was exposed to sewage water, and the quality of the effluent was measured in terms of ammonia, biological oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal. Fe2+ and Cu2+ concentrations were measured to determine the stability of eFeCu4 in nine reuse cycles. Results showed that the laboratory‐scale experiment removed 20%–30% ammonia from sewage. A similar removal rate was reported in all nine cycles of reuse, which confirmed the usability and reliability of eFeCu4. In the pilot‐scale study, ammonia was removed from ~22.3 to ~4.8 mg/L, while BOD and COD were reduced from ~204 to ~56 mg/L and ~71 to ~39.7 mg/L, respectively. The treated effluent quality complies with the effluent discharge standard of Malaysia, and it is also comparable with the effluent quality at sewage treatment plants in Malaysia and overseas. In conclusion, nanoFeCu could be an alternative method for sewage treatment due to its stability and pollutant removal performance. A sustainability and cost‐effectiveness study should be conducted to determine the feasibility of a full‐scale application. The pilot scale performance of nanoFeCu and its reusability.