Volume 44 Issue 1
Jan.  2025
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CHEN Weixi,DU Yao,XIE Xianjun,et al. Exploring the feasibility and influencing factors of phosphorus recovery from phosphorus-rich groundwater based on struvite precipitation methods[J]. Bulletin of Geological Science and Technology,2025,44(1):274-284 doi: 10.19509/j.cnki.dzkq.tb20230379
Citation: CHEN Weixi,DU Yao,XIE Xianjun,et al. Exploring the feasibility and influencing factors of phosphorus recovery from phosphorus-rich groundwater based on struvite precipitation methods[J]. Bulletin of Geological Science and Technology,2025,44(1):274-284 doi: 10.19509/j.cnki.dzkq.tb20230379

Exploring the feasibility and influencing factors of phosphorus recovery from phosphorus-rich groundwater based on struvite precipitation methods

doi: 10.19509/j.cnki.dzkq.tb20230379
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  • Author Bio:

    E-mail:wish00312@163.com

  • Corresponding author: E-mail:yaodu@cug.edu.com
  • Received Date: 05 Jul 2023
  • Accepted Date: 27 Sep 2023
  • Rev Recd Date: 22 Sep 2023
  • Available Online: 17 Dec 2023
  • Objective

    The global phosphorus (P) supply shortage and water pollution crisis necessitate an urgent shift from simply removing polluted phosphorus to leveraging it as a resource. Among recovery methods, the struvite precipitation method is recognized for its cost-effectiveness and high efficiency, achieving phosphorus recovery rate exceeding 95%. This method has been widely used in the reclamation of phosphorus in sewage. Despite extensive research on naturally P-rich groundwater in recent years, there is a lack of studies focusing on phosphorus recovery using the struvite method.

    Methods

    This study explores the influencing factors and feasibility of employing the struvite method to recover phosphorus from groundwater abundant in phosphorus, calcium, iron, and fulvic acid (FA) at an optimal pH of 9.5. The aim is to develop an integrated phosphorus recycling system for P-rich groundwater and offer constructive suggestions for groundwater phosphorus recycling. Advanced techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were utilized alongside the molybdenum blue method for phosphoric acid detection, the Nash reagent was used for ammonia nitrogen detection, and Origin 9.0 was used for data visualization. These techniques have been used to thoroughly study both synthetic and natural groundwater.

    Results

    The results show that as calcium concentration increases, the purity of struvite declines rapidly to below 10%, with the struvite peak vanishing in XRD patterns and amorphous calcium phosphate covering struvite surface in SEM patterns. When iron and/or fulvic acid were added individually, the struvite purity remained relatively unchanged. The XRD patterns revealed a weakened struvite peak, while the SEM patterns showed that flocculation precipitation occurred on the solid surface. The X-ray spectra of struvite precipitates obtained under the coexistence of influencing factors showed irregular peaks, with the peaks at 453 cm−1, 720 cm−1, 750 cm−1, 1608 cm−1, and 1679 cm−1 disappearing from the FTIR spectra. These results suggest that high calcium ion concentrations significantly inhibit struvite formation in groundwater, whereas iron ions and fulvic acid have minor effects. The coexistence of these factors intensifies the inhibition of struvite formation, ultimately determining whether struvite can be effectively precipitated in groundwater.

    Conclusion

    This study identifies the key factors and mechanisms affecting phosphoric recovery from groundwater through struvite precipitation. The insights gained from this research are valuable for formulating effective recovery strategies for phosphorus in P-rich groundwater.

     

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