Phosphorus recovery as induced struvite from deep dewatered liquors using magnesium chloride as a magnesium source

Abstract

The phosphorus recoveries in municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are in much demand as the price of phosphate rock are increased from the last decade. Due to the increase in pollution levels of the sewage sludge, it is difficult to use sewage sludge directly as fertilizers in agricultural fields. The present study aimed to work on the recovery of phosphorus from the deep dewatered liquors in a laboratory, batch test mode. Experiments were conducted to identify the initial characteristics of sludge and for recovery analysis, by varying the phosphorus and Magnesium (Mg:P) molar ratio. Characterization studies were performed by SEM and FTIR for confirmation of struvite formation. Results obtained revealed that recovery is 94% of the incoming phosphorus. � 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.