Journal of Chemical Engineering of Japan, Vol.44, No.10, 708-712, 2011
Phosphorus Recovery as Potassium-Magnesium-Phosphate from Effluent of Piggery Wastewater Using Zr(IV)-Loaded Saponified Orange Juice Residue
This study investigates the feasibility of zirconium loaded onto orange waste, a cheap and available agricultural waste material, utilization for phosphorus recovery from secondary effluent of piggery wastewater. Phosphorus removal using zirconium-loaded saponified orange juice residue (Zr-SOJR) gel increased with increasing solid/liquid ratio. Phosphate adsorption was found to be very efficient at pH of 2-6. The secondary effluent was treated in a column packed with Zr-SOJR gel, which attained a dynamic adsorption capacity of 1.06 mol-P/kg. The phosphorus adsorbed on the column was successfully eluted as pre-concentrated phosphorus with a small amount of 0.2 M NaOH. Throughout the elution process, zirconium was not leaked from the adsorption gel. The solution obtained after elution had high concentrations of potassium and phosphorus, which was precipitated as potassium-magnesium-phosphate with the addition of magnesium.