Abstract

• The excess of phosphorus (P) in the environment can promote chemical pollution and harm ecosystems, especially water. The protection and restoration of natural lakes is increasingly important in countries with limited water resources in the world. The increasing release of phosphate-containing wastewater to natural water bodies such as natural lakes have caused eutrophication, which has become a globally concerning problem. In order to overcome accelerating eutrophication, therefore, there is a need to control and reduce the level of phosphate in water resources. The aim of this research was to detect the phosphate-uptake capacity from five eutrophic lakes at Yangon urban region using low cost of sorbents like modified coal fly ash. This research work conducted during August 2018 to April 2020. The amount of phosphate ion in water bodies was determined by using standard spectrophotometric method. According to the investigated data, phosphate-uptake capacity of acid treated coal fly ash was 97.86 percent, which was obtained by batch tests in laboratory. The results of this study showed that acid treated coal fly ash was effective in removal of phosphate ions in water bodies of natural lake. Thus, the results allow to evaluating the chances of successful lake restoration by applying acid treated coal fly ash to natural water bodies.