Meta‐Analysis of Modified Clay Minerals for Phosphorus Removal in Eutrophic Waters: Efficacy, Mechanisms, and Challenges

作者：Yuan Wang, Peixuan Xu, Ye Luo, Chao Xi · 发表于：Water Environment Research · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1002/wer.70186 · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment、Phosphorus and nutrient management、Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics

ABSTRACT Eutrophication caused by excessive phosphorus loading remains one of the most pressing challenges in freshwater management. Modified clay minerals have been widely proposed as a geoengineering approach to reduce bioavailable phosphorus, but their overall effectiveness and long‐term reliability remain unclear. To provide a comprehensive evaluation, we conducted a meta‐analysis of 130 international studies published between 2005 and 2025. Literature was systematically searched in Web of Science, with inclusion restricted to studies that reported quantitative data on phosphorus removal efficiency and clearly described the type of clay mineral, the modification method (chemical or physical), and experimental conditions. Both laboratory, mesocosm, and field studies were included to ensure ecological representativeness. Our analysis shows that modified clay minerals significantly increased removal efficiency, with average improvements of 47% for total phosphorus and 48% for soluble reactive phosphorus compared with untreated controls. Diatomite and lanthanum‐modified bentonite outperformed other materials because of their high porosity and enhanced ion‐exchange capacity. However, the dataset exhibited very high heterogeneity ( I 2 > 99%), largely driven by geographic bias and the scarcity of long‐term field experiments, especially in China. Compliance with environmental standards was low: for lakes, only 17.76% of laboratory studies and 15.38% of field studies reduced p...