Efficient Phosphorus Recovery from Municipal Wastewater Using Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal in an Anaerobic/Anoxic/Aerobic Membrane Bioreactor and Magnesium-Based Pellets

Abstract

Municipal wastewater has been identified as a potential source of natural phosphorus (P) that is projected to become depleted in a few decades based on current exploitation rates. This paper focuses on combining a bench-scale anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR) and magnesium carbonate (MgCO3)-based pellets to effectively recover P from municipal wastewater. Ethanol was introduced into the anoxic zone of the MBR system as an external carbon source to improve P release via the enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) mechanism, making it available for adsorption by the continuous-flow MgCO3 pellet column. An increase in the concentration of P in the MBR effluent led to an increase in the P adsorption capacity of the MgCO3 pellets. As a result, the anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic MBR system, combined with a MgCO3 pellet column and ethanol, achieved 91.6% P recovery from municipal wastewater, resulting in a maximum P adsorption capacity of 12.8 mg P/g MgCO3 through the continuous-flow MgCO3 pellet column. Although the introduction of ethanol into the anoxic zone was instrumental in releasing P through the EBPR, it could potentially increase membrane fouling by increasing the concentration of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) in the anoxic zone.

Significant Improvement of Adsorption for Phosphate Removal by Lanthanum-Loaded Biochar

“…In recent years, eutrophication pollution caused by wastewater containing phosphorus has gained attention among scientific communities. , Numerous techniques have been used to remove phosphorus from wastewater, including biological methods, , chemical precipitation, , electrolysis, , adsorption, − and so on. Among them, biochar adsorption has received a lot of attention due to its environmental and economic benefits .…”