Volume: 5, 2026
5th International PhD Students’ Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland:
ENVIRONMENT – PLANT – ANIMAL – PRODUCT
Abstract number: E027
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL5.E027
Published online: 22 April 2026
Sorption properties of Rockfos® material and its potential applications
Beata Zawadzka1, 2, Wojciech Walczak*1 ,2, Artur Serafin1, Tadeusz Siwiec1 and Michał Marzec1
1 Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 7 Leszczyńskiego St., 20-069 Lublin, Poland
2 Mirosław Zalewski MONT-SAN, Rogoźnica 75, 21-560 Międzyrzec Podlaski, Poland
* Corresponding author: wojtek.walczak@up.edu.pl
The challenge of removing phosphorus from water bodies and domestic wastewater is a key issue in environmental engineering, particularly in the context of counteracting surface water eutrophication. In recent years, hybrid constructed wetlands have attracted increasing interest, enabling effective wastewater treatment in small towns and rural areas. To enhance their phosphorus removal efficiency, sorption materials such as Rockfos®, characterized by high phosphate binding capacity, are used. Previous studies on the effectiveness of this material have been conducted primarily in laboratory conditions or during short-term operation in real-world installations. This paper presents the sorption properties of Rockfos® modified calcium rock with a granularity of 2–5 mm, porosity above 50%, and an alkaline pH (pH 11–12). This material is used in P filters as a phosphorus sorbent.
The aim of this study was to determine the phosphorus removal efficiency of the Rockfos® material. In the first solution, it was used as the filling material for a full-scale meander-flow P-filter. This filter is the final element of a hybrid constructed wetland wastewater treatment plant located in Białka, Dębowa Kłoda commune (southeastern Poland). During the research period from May 2022 to July 2025, phosphorus compound removal efficiency and pH changes were analyzed, comparing the composition of wastewater before and after the P-filter. The average phosphorus removal efficiency of the P-filter throughout the entire study period was 42.6%. In the second solution, it was used to fill the filtration chamber of a modular water filtration system in natural swimming ponds. When analyzing the phosphorus removal efficiency from a natural swimming pond using the modular water filtration system, samples were collected at two-week intervals from March to July 2024 (17 dates) and weekly from March to July 2025 (13 dates – until the research project’s completion).
Keywords: meander flow filter; modular filter chamber; phosphorus removal; Rockfos® material
How to cite
Zawadzka B., Walczak W., Serafin A. , Siwiec T., Marzec M., 2026. Sorption properties of Rockfos® material and its potential applications. In: 5th International PhD Students’ Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland: Environment – Plant – Animal – Product. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL5.E027