A novel post denitrification configuration for phosphorus recovery using polyphosphate accumulating organisms

Wong, P.Y., Cheng, K.Y., Kaksonen, A.H., Sutton, D.C. and Ginige, M.P. (2013) A novel post denitrification configuration for phosphorus recovery using polyphosphate accumulating organisms. Water Research, 47 (17). pp. 6488-6495.

Abstract

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) has been widely used to remove phosphorus (P) from wastewater. In this study we report a novel modification to the EBPR approach, namely enhanced biological phosphorus removal and recovery (EBPR-r) that facilitates biological recovery of P from wastewater using a post denitrification configuration. The novel approach consists of two major steps. In the first step, a biofilm of phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs) is exposed to a wastewater stream in the absence of active aeration, during which P is taken up by the biofilm using nitrate and residual dissolved oxygen as electron acceptors. Thus, P and nitrogen (N) removal from wastewater is achieved. During the second step, the P enriched biofilm is exposed to a smaller recovery stream supplemented with an external carbon source to facilitate P release under anaerobic conditions. This allows P to be recovered as a concentrated liquid. The EBPR-r process was able to generate a P recovery stream four time more concentrated (28 mg-P/L) than the wastewater stream (7 mg-P/L), while removing nitrate (denitrification) from the wastewater stream. Repeated exposure of the biofilm (10 P-uptake and release cycles) to a recovery stream yielded up to 100 mg-P/L. Overall, EBPR-r is the first post denitrification strategy that can also facilitate P recovery during secondary wastewater treatment.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publisher:	Elsevier BV
Copyright:	© 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/33022

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