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Related Experiment Videos

Potential phosphorus recovery by struvite formation.

Y Jaffer1, T A Clark, P Pearce

  • 1School of Water Sciences, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, UK.

Water Research
|June 5, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Controlled struvite recovery from sewage centrifuge liquors is feasible. This process can achieve up to 97% phosphorus removal, offering significant operational and economic benefits for wastewater treatment plants.

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Engineering
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) formation in sewage treatment plants can impede operations and reduce efficiency.
  • Struvite possesses commercial value, making its controlled formation and recovery a beneficial objective for sustainable wastewater management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify a suitable stream for bench-scale struvite crystallization studies within a full-scale sewage treatment plant.
  • To investigate the feasibility and optimize conditions for struvite precipitation and recovery from identified wastewater streams.

Main Methods:

  • A mass balance was performed across the entire sewage treatment plant to pinpoint the most appropriate liquor stream for experimentation.
  • Bench-scale crystallization trials were conducted on centrifuge liquors, adjusting pH and magnesium dosage to induce struvite formation.

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  • The study analyzed the chemical composition of the liquor, including phosphorus, magnesium, ammonium, calcium, and alkalinity levels, along with pH and predicted precipitation potential.

    • Main Results:

    • Centrifuge liquors were identified as the optimal stream, with an average flow of 393 m3 d(-1) and key compositions (167 mg L(-1) P, 44 mg L(-1) Mg, 615 mg L(-1) NH4).
    • Raising the pH to 9.0 and adding magnesium facilitated rapid struvite crystallization, achieving up to 97% phosphorus removal.
    • Optimal struvite formation required a magnesium:phosphorus molar ratio of at least 1.05:1, with lower ratios yielding 72% phosphorus removal, not exclusively as struvite.

    Conclusions:

    • Controlled struvite precipitation and recovery from sewage centrifuge liquors are highly effective, achieving significant phosphorus removal.
    • The process offers substantial economic potential, with annual yields estimated at 42-100 tonnes, generating revenue of Pound Sterling8,400-Pound Sterling20,000.
    • This approach presents a viable method for mitigating operational issues caused by struvite and transforming a waste product into a valuable resource.