Waste and Biomass Valorization

, Volume 4, Issue 3, pp 675–681 | Cite as

Phosphorus Recovery from a Water Reservoir–Potential of Nanofiltration Coupled to Electrodialytic Process

  • N. Couto
  • P. Guedes
  • E. P. Mateus
  • C. Santos
  • M. Ribau Teixeira
  • L. M. Nunes
  • H. K. Hansen
  • C. Gutierrez
  • L. M. Ottosen
  • A. B. Ribeiro
Original Paper
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

Worldwide waste streams can represent an environmental problem if they are considered “deleterious material”. These streams may also be a source of secondary resources when enclosing compounds with potential to be recovered. Phosphorus (P) is one of those, with an increasing interest, as it is essential for life but its non-renewable reserves are expected to last about one century. Nanofiltration (NF) and electrodialytic process (ED) were applied to a stream from a Water Treatment Plant (WTP). Water from Funcho Dam Reservoir, Portugal, was subject of NF treatment followed by ED process for P recovery. The feed concentration of P for ED process was between 1,429 and 1,845 μg/L. Optimization studies were carried out in laboratory cells. Almost complete P removal out of the central compartment of the ED cell was observed under the action of an applied electric field. Experiments lasted between ca. 7 and 42 h experimental-period, depending on concentrate parameters. In less than 7 h of ED, 72 % of P was recovered in the anolyte and thereby separated from the concentrate stream. Nanofiltration coupled to ED can be considered a promising and sustainable technology to upgrade waste streams, recovering P and avoiding the intensive mining of phosphate rock.

Keywords

Phosphorus Electrokinetic recovery Nanofiltration Membrane concentrate Waste valorisation 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Acknowledgments

Financial support for the work was provided by projects PTDC/ECM/111860/2009—Electrokinetic treatment of sewage sludge and membrane concentrate: Phosphorus recovery and dewatering and FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IRSES-269289-ELECTROACROSS—Electrokinetics across disciplines and continents: an integrated approach to finding new strategies for sustainable development. A.B. Ribeiro, E.P. Mateus and H. Hansen also thank RIARTAS-Red Iberoamericana de Aprovechamiento de Residuos Industriales para el Tratamiento de Suelos y Aguas Contaminadas, Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo (Cyted) and N. Couto acknowledges Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia for her Post-Doc fellowship (SFRH/BPD/81122/2011).

References

  1. 1.
    Heffer, P., et al.: Phosphorus Fertilization Issues and Outlook, Proceedings no 586, p. 32. International Fertilizer Society, York UK (2006)Google Scholar
  2. 2.
    Cordell, D., Drangert, J.-O., White, S.: The story of phosphorus: global food security and food for thought. Global Environmental Change 19(2), 292–305 (2009)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. 3.
    Elser, J.J., Phosphorus: a limiting nutrient for humanity? Current opinion in biotechnology, 2012(0)Google Scholar
  4. 4.
    Nations, F.a.A.O.o.t.U., The state of food insecurity in the world. (2011)Google Scholar
  5. 5.
    Cornel, P. and Schaum, C., Phosphorus recovery from wastewater: Needs, technologies and costs. (2009). p. 1069–1076Google Scholar
  6. 6.
    Rittmann, B.E., et al.: Capturing the lost phosphorus. Chemosphere 84(6), 846–853 (2011)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. 7.
    Carpenter, S.R. and E.M. Bennett, Reconsideration of the planetary boundary for phosphorus. Environ. Res. Lett. 6(1), 12pp (2011)Google Scholar
  8. 8.
    Ribau Teixeira, M., Rosa, M.J.: Neurotoxic and hepatotoxic cyanotoxins removal by nanofiltration. Water Res. 40(15), 2837–2846 (2006)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. 9.
    Yangali-Quintanilla, V., et al.: Proposing nanofiltration as acceptable barrier for organic contaminants in water reuse. J. Membr. Sci. 362(1–2), 334–345 (2010)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. 10.
    Zhang, Y., et al.: Removal of pesticides by nanofiltration: effect of the water matrix. Sep. Purif. Technol. 38(2), 163–172 (2004)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. 11.
    Mulder, M.: Basic Principles of Membrane Technology. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands (1998)Google Scholar
  12. 12.
    Blöcher, C., Niewersch, C., Melin, T.: Phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge with a hybrid process of low pressure wet oxidation and nanofiltration. Water Res. 46(6), 2009–2019 (2012)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. 13.
    Leo, C.P., et al.: Phosphorus removal using nanofiltration membranes. Water Sci. Technol. 64(1), 199–205 (2011)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. 14.
    Niewersch, C., et al.: Selectivity of polyamide nanofiltration membranes for cations and phosphoric acid. Desalination 250(3), 1021–1024 (2010)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. 15.
    Ottosen, L.M., et al.: Screening the possibility for removing cadmium and other heavy metals from wastewater sludge and bio-ashes by an electrodialytic method. Electrochim. Acta. 52(10), 3420–3426 (2007)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. 16.
    Ribeiro, A.B., et al.: Electrodialytic removal of Cu, Cr, and As from chromated copper arsenate-treated timber waste. Environ. Sci. Technol. 34(5), 784–788 (2000)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. 17.
    Ottosen, L.M., et al.: Electrodialytic removal of heavy metals from different solid waste products. Sep. Sci. Technol. 38(6), 1269–1289 (2003)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. 18.
    Ferreira, C., et al.: Removal of selected heavy metals from MSW fly ash by the electrodialytic process. Eng. Geol. 77(3–4), 339–347 (2005)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. 19.
    Cordell, D., et al.: Towards global phosphorus security: a systems framework for phosphorus recovery and reuse options. Chemosphere 84(6), 747–758 (2011)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. 20.
    Ribau Teixeira, M., Rosa, M.J.: Microcystins removal by nanofiltration membranes. Sep. Purif. Technol. 46(3), 192–201 (2005)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. 21.
    Rosa, M.J., de Pinho, M.N.: Separation of organic solutes by membrane pressure-driven processes. J. Membr. Sci. 89(3), 235–243 (1994)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. 22.
    Ribeiro, A.B., Use of electrodialytic remediation technique for removal of selected heavy metals and metalloids from soils, Ph.D. Thesis. Technical University of Denmark, Denmark (1998)Google Scholar
  23. 23.
    Clesceri, L.S., Greenberg, A.E., Steelink, C.: Stantard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. American Pubblic Health Association, American Water Works Association and Water Environment Federation, Washington, DC (1998)Google Scholar
  24. 24.
    Kirkelund, G., et al.: Test of electrodialytic upgrading of MSWI APC residue in pilot scale: focus on reduced metal and salt leaching. J. Appl. Electrochem. 40(6), 1049–1060 (2010)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. 25.
    Morse, G.K., et al.: Review: phosphorus removal and recovery technologies. Sci. Total Environ. 212(1), 69–81 (1998)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. 26.
    Le Corre, K.S., et al.: Phosphorus recovery from wastewater by Struvite crystallization: a review. Crit. Rev. Environ. Sci. Technol. 39(6), 433–477 (2009)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. 27.
    Johnston, A.E., Richards, I.R.: Effectiveness of different precipitated phosphates as phosphorus sources for plants. Soil Use Manag. 19(1), 45–49 (2003)CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  • N. Couto
    • 1
  • P. Guedes
    • 1
  • E. P. Mateus
    • 1
  • C. Santos
    • 2
  • M. Ribau Teixeira
    • 2
  • L. M. Nunes
    • 3
  • H. K. Hansen
    • 4
    • 1
  • C. Gutierrez
    • 4
    • 1
  • L. M. Ottosen
    • 5
  • A. B. Ribeiro
    • 1
  1. 1.CENSE, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e TecnologiaUniversidade Nova de LisboaCaparicaPortugal
  2. 2.CENSE, Faculdade de Ciências e TecnologiaUniversidade do AlgarveFaroPortugal
  3. 3.Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Centro de Geo-SistemasUniversidade do AlgarveFaroPortugal
  4. 4.Departamento de Ingenieria Quimica y AmbientalUniversidad Técnica Federico Santa MaríaValparaísoChile
  5. 5.Department of Civil EngineeringTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark

Personalised recommendations