Influence of Process Parameters on the Characteristics of Struvite Pellets

Fattah, Kazi Parvez; Mavinic, Donald S.; Koch, Frank‐Thomas

doi:10.1061/(asce)ee.1943-7870.0000576

Cited by 43 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…In order to have rapid struvite growth and accumulation, a SSR above unity is usually required. At pilot-scale studies involving deliberate and controlled struvite formations, a SSR value of 3-5 is used for optimal struvite growth in a struvite crystallizer [8]. The supersaturation ratio is given by (2).…”

Section: A Supersaturation Ratio (Ssr)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Struvite Formation Potential at Wastewater Treatment Plants

Fattah¹

2012

IJESD

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Abstract-Wastewater treatment plants, especially those employing secondary treatment and anaerobic sludge digestion, have historically encountered phosphate precipitates, one of the commonest being struvite, that foul and encrust the sludge return lines, and the associated pumps and valves. This growth of 'uncontrolled' struvite increases pumping and maintenance cost, as well as reduces the overall capacity of the plant piping system in terms of lost hydraulic capacity and lowered biological treatment capacity. Although uncontrolled formation of struvite can be a nuisance, however, controlled production of struvite can prove beneficial to treatment plants. This is accomplished through reducing maintenance costs, as well as providing extra revenue from the sale of the struvite crystals as fertilizers. This paper investigates what can and should be done before struvite-related problems hamper efficient operation of the treatment plant. A case study carried out at a wastewater treatment plant showed the influence of nutrient loading in cases where nutrient treatment is not carried out. The three locations investigated all has a supersaturation value greater than unity; this indicated that struvite formation potential was high. The amount of phosphorus and nitrogen looping within the treatment plant was as high as 21% and 20%, respectively. IndexTerms-Wastewater, struvite, sustainable development, supersaturation ratio.

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Section: A Supersaturation Ratio (Ssr)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Struvite Formation Potential at Wastewater Treatment Plants

Fattah¹

2012

IJESD

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“…Up until now, researchers have made great efforts to recover phosphorus from wastewater in the form of struvite, using a stirred reactor (SR, either in batch or continuous mode) [11,12], a fluidized bed reactor (FBR, either air stripping or liquid fluidizing) [9,13] or other type of feature reactor, such as jet pump type crystallizers [14,15]. Among them, SR and FBR are most widely used.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the simplicity makes it easy to explore the intrinsic mechanisms involved [17,18]. When using an FBR, on the other hand, struvite pellets with desirable qualities can be harvested [13], and the application of FBR has been extended although the struvite granulation mechanisms in the FBR remained unclear. As reported, high-purity struvite pellets as large as several millimeters can be recovered from anaerobic digester supernatants in cylindrical FBRs [13,19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When using an FBR, on the other hand, struvite pellets with desirable qualities can be harvested [13], and the application of FBR has been extended although the struvite granulation mechanisms in the FBR remained unclear. As reported, high-purity struvite pellets as large as several millimeters can be recovered from anaerobic digester supernatants in cylindrical FBRs [13,19]. The technique not only alleviates the scale problem in wastewater treatment plants, but also provides a pelleting fertilizer product, showing both environmental and economic benefits [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The technique not only alleviates the scale problem in wastewater treatment plants, but also provides a pelleting fertilizer product, showing both environmental and economic benefits [20]. Still, although having the advantage of producing larger struvite pellets, the FBR recovery efficiencies of phosphorus are not satisfactory, because the fluidization of pellets requires a high upflow velocity, leading to the entrainment of fine struvite particles (fines) [13,21]. To date, several methods have been developed to control the fines.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A comprehensive understanding of saturation index and upflow velocity in a pilot-scale fluidized bed reactor for struvite recovery from swine wastewater

Lou

et al. 2016

Powder Technology

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Long-term operation of a pilot-scale reactor for phosphorus recovery as struvite from source-separated urine

Zamora

Georgieva²,

Salcedo

et al. 2016

J. Chem. Technol. Biotechnol.

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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.

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Influence of Process Parameters on the Characteristics of Struvite Pellets

Cited by 43 publications

References 19 publications

Assessing Struvite Formation Potential at Wastewater Treatment Plants

Assessing Struvite Formation Potential at Wastewater Treatment Plants

A comprehensive understanding of saturation index and upflow velocity in a pilot-scale fluidized bed reactor for struvite recovery from swine wastewater

Long-term operation of a pilot-scale reactor for phosphorus recovery as struvite from source-separated urine

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