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Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143392
Document accepted manuscript
Title (Primary) A framework for P-cycle assessment in wastewater treatment plants
Author Vučić, V.; Süring, C.; Harms, H.; Müller, S.; Günther, S.
Source Titel Science of the Total Environment
Year 2021
Department UMB
Volume 760
Page From art. 143392
Language englisch
Topic T7 Bioeconomy
Keywords phosphorus; biological phosphorus recovery; phosphorus accumulation; calculation of process streams; microbial community flow cytometry; microbial co
Abstract Phosphorus (P) in wastewater has a variety of negative effects and is usually permanently lost as a non-renewable resource. To mitigate future P shortage, P must be recovered from wastewater, preferably by bio-based technologies to avoid toxic side streams. A standardized procedure for the determination of P types and P concentrations in all liquid and solid process stages was established, which is applicable to all full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Based on this, an equally universal calculation framework for P-cycle assessment based on volume flow and mass load rates was designed to identify the most promising process streams for biologmmunityical P recovery. As an example, in 16 process streams of a typical WWTP concentrations of free, bound and total P were calculated and microbial communities were analyzed by flow cytometry over 748 days. The most promising process streams for the recovery of free P were anaerobic digester sludge, centrate and the water-extracts of the biosolids with 0.510 kg P m-3, 0.075 kg P m-3 and 1.023 kg P m-3, while the best process streams for the recovery of bound P were return sludge, excess sludge, and the solids of the biosolids with 0.300 kg P m-3, 0.268 kg P m-3, and 1.336 kg P m-3, respectively. Microorganisms capable of P accumulation were active in all process stages and it was observed that chemical P precipitation antagonizes biological P removal. The framework for P-cycle assessment was able to identify process streams that are economically viable to make future in-stream technologies for biological P removal feasible.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=23886
Vučić, V., Süring, C., Harms, H., Müller, S., Günther, S. (2021):
A framework for P-cycle assessment in wastewater treatment plants
Sci. Total Environ. 760 , art. 143392 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143392