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Long‐term operation of a pilot‐scale reactor for phosphorus recovery as struvite from source‐separated urine
Author(s) -
Zamora Patricia,
Georgieva Tanya,
Salcedo Inmaculada,
Elzinga Nico,
Kuntke Philipp,
Buisman Cees JN
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.5079
Subject(s) - struvite , fertilizer , phosphorus , effluent , magnesium , pulp and paper industry , precipitation , sewage treatment , ammonium , wastewater , chemistry , waste management , environmental science , environmental engineering , engineering , meteorology , physics , organic chemistry
BACKGROUND The treatment of source separated urine allows for a more sustainable approach to nutrients recovery in actual wastewater treatment plants. Struvite precipitation from urine yields a slow‐release fertilizer (struvite) with a high marketable value for agricultural use. Extensive research on struvite precipitation has been carried out at laboratory scale, but there is still a lack of specific knowledge about the operation and key parameters at larger scale and over the long term. The effectiveness of the struvite reactor was assessed, as well as the quality of the harvested struvite in terms of size and composition. RESULTS The efficiency of recovery of P was maintained at 85–99% for 1 year of continuous operation. Phosphorus was recovered in the form of struvite with purity over 90%. Struvite was harvested as round pellets between 0.3 and 6 mm in diameter, with heavy metals concentration well below the legal limits for fertilizers in The Netherlands. The post‐treatment of the reactor effluent yielded almost complete removal (>95%) of calcium and magnesium. A loss of 26 ± 5% of the influent chemical oxygen demand and 16 ± 1% of the NH 4 + ‐N occurred during the magnesium ammonium phosphate ( MAP ) precipitation and the post‐treatment. CONCLUSION This work shows how the treatment of source‐separated urine by struvite precipitation in a fluidized bed reactor allows for efficient recovery of phosphorus in the form of a potential fertilizer. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry