ABSTRACT: Phosphorus (P) supply shortage and aquatic P contamination are both emerging as serious crises around the world. Struvite precipitation is the most cost-effective method of P recovery and has been applied to a wide range of sewage resources. However， P recovery as struvite from P-rich groundwater has not been explored properly yet. This study explored the feasibility and influencing factors of P recovery as struvite from groundwater rich in P， Ca， Fe， and fulvic acid (FA). Synthetic and natural groundwater were analyzed by X-ray diffraction， scanning electron microscopy， and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results showed that a high concentration of Ca can significantly inhibit the formation of struvite. Effects of Fe and FA on struvite formation were relatively weak than Ca. The coupling of factors further exacerbated the inhibition of struvite formation. Notably， struvite precipitation obtained after the coupling of three factors was the most similar to the precipitation obtained from actual groundwater. This indicated that the coupling of three factors determines if struvite would be effectively precipitated in groundwater. This study identified the factors and mechanisms that hinder the recovery of P from groundwater through struvite precipitation. The findings of this study would be helpful in developing the strategies of P recovery from P-rich groundwater.
KEYWORDS: Struvite; Phosphorus Recovery; Groundwater; Calcium; Iron
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