Wastewater, phosphate removal processes

Phosphate removal processes from wastewater have been studied by many workers, in order to protect stagnant water area, such as lakes and coastal region from eutrophication. Among conventional phosphate removal processes, the representative one was flocculation and sedimentation process, which was based on precipitation of insoluble metal phosphate or hydroxide. However, the main problem with this process, is to produce large amounts of sludge, which is difficult to dehydrate. 

To cope with these problems, we have developed phosphate removal process using crystallization, which can minimize the amount of sludge and recover phosphate. Mechanism of this process is crystallization of calcium phosphate on the surface of phosphate rocks by contacting supersaturated solution with them. In case of application to wastewater containing 1-3 mg/jg phosphate as P, we proposed fixed bed type process, which has demonstrated excellent performance in the sewage treatment. 

Chimenos, J.M. et al.. Removal of ammonium and phosphates from wastewater resulting from process of cochineal extraction using MgO-containing by-product. Water Res., 37, 1601, 2003. 

Single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) Wastewater bioreactors (including denitrifying and phosphate-removal system, Chinese traditional medicine wastewater treatment system, beer wastewater treatment system, fermentative biohydrogen producing system, and sulfate-reduction system) Microbial community structures, diversity and distribution in different wastewater treatment processes, and relationship between the structures and the status of processes [157]... 

We have proposed a fluidized bed type process, which can be applied to phosphate removal from wastewater containing phosphate 2-23 mg/jg as P.By the results of experiments using equipment of capacity l-4m3 /day, factors such as supersaturation, recirculation ratio and space velocity were recognized to affect crystallization rate or phosphate removal efficiency. By mathematical analysis, we could obtain the characteristic equation for fluidized bed process, to agree well with experimental results. 

Table 1 shows the performance of fixed bed type process, in application to various wastewaters. The merit of this process is stability in ability of phosphate removal and low sludge production. Sludge production of this process is from 1/5 to 1/10 lower than that of the conventional flocculation and sedimentation process. 

We have now proposed fluidized bed type process, which can be applied to wastewater, containing from 2 to 23 mg/jg phosphate as P. This report reveals fundamental studies on factors affecting phosphate removal and crystallization rate in the fluidized bed process. 

We have reported only the results of the last investigation of fundamental properties of this process. But there are many problems remaining unsolved such as growing mechanism of calcium phosphate, the reason of difference in phosphate removal efficiency between application to wastewater and tap water, and also how contaminants include into growing calcium phosphate. 

T. Mino (2000). Microbial selection of polyphosphate-accumulating bacteria in activated sludge wastewater treatment process for enhanced biological phosphate removal, Biochemistry (Moscow), 65, 541-549. 

Hard-burned magnesias may be used in a variety of appHcations such as ceramics (qv), animal feed supplements, acid neutralization, wastewater treatment, leather (qv) tanning, magnesium phosphate cements, magnesium compound manufacturing, fertilizer, or as a raw material for fused magnesia. A patented process has introduced this material as a cation adsorbent for metals removal in wastewater treatment (132). 

Although a number of precautions have been mentioned for the control of sulfide by precipitation as FeS, this methodology is often considered not only acceptable but also cheap and efficient. Added iron salts may also be reused in the treatment process. Under aerobic conditions in the wastewater treatment plant, the amorphous FeS is fast oxidized, and the iron can be used for chemical removal of phosphate. 

The raw minerals mined from natural deposits comprise mixtures of different specific minerals. An early step in mineral processing is to use crushing and grinding to free these various minerals from each other. In addition, these same processes may be used to reduce the mineral particle sizes to make them suitable for a subsequent separation process. Non-ferrous metals such as copper, lead, zinc, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, mercury, and antimony are typically produced from mineral ores containing these metals as sulfides (and sometimes as oxides, carbonates, or sulfates) [91,619,620], The respective metal sulfides are usually separated from the raw ores by flotation. Flotation processes are also used to concentrate non-metallic minerals used in other industries, such as calcium fluoride, barium sulfate, sodium and potassium chlorides, sulfur, coal, phosphates, alumina, silicates, and clays [91,619,621], Other examples are listed in Table 10.2, including the recovery of ink in paper recycling (which is discussed in Section 12.5.2), the recovery of bitumen from oil sands (which is discussed further in Section 11.3.2), and the removal of particulates and bacteria in water and wastewater treatment (which is discussed further in Section 9.4). 

The process successfully removed turbidity, COD, phosphate, and MBAS simultaneously in the pH range of 5-9. The COD removal was greater than 70%. And the removal efficiencies of MBAS, turbidity, and P-phosphate could be reached above 90%. Based on the laboratory test of laundry wastewater, 1.5m3 h-1 pilot scale EC-EF equipment was manufactured and mounted on a mobile truck. The... 

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