Why Recover Phosphorus for Recycling, and How?

TLDR

Phosphorus removal from municipal wastewater is widely practiced using various techniques that typically transfer the element to sludge, but newer methods are emerging that recover it as simple inorganic phosphate salts for industrial recycling. The study reviews the potential for phosphorus recovery and recycling from both historical and modern industrial perspectives. The authors examine historical and contemporary industrial methods for phosphorus recovery and recycling. Keywords: phosphorus recovery, phosphorus removal, wastewater treatment, struvite, calcium phosphate.

Abstract

Abstract The removal of phosphorus from municipal waste waters prior to their discharge into the receiving waters is practised widely and a number of effective and reliable techniques can be employed. In almost all of these, the phosphorus is removed from the aqueous phase into the sludge phase (either as a precipitated metal salt or as a component of the sludge biomass) along with other solids. There are, however, a growing number of techniques, some at a laboratory stage, a few in full scale operation where the phosphorus is removed in the form of a simple inorganic phosphate salt which may have utility for recycling in industrial applications. The potential for recovery and recycling of phosphorus is reviewed from both a historical and a modern industrial perspective. Keywords: Phosphorus recoveryphosphorus removalwastewater treatmentstruvitecalcium phosphate