Removal and recovery of phosphorous from swine wastewater by demonstration crystallization reactor and struvite accumulation device

A demonstration crystallization reactor and struvite accumulation device for the removal and recovery of phosphorous was constructed and their performance was evaluated using actual swine wastewater for 3.5 years. The wastewater pH was increased by aeration, and the concentrations of total P and soluble PO4–P were reduced by a struvite crystallization reaction induced under a high pH condition. A 30% MgCl2 addition was effective in enhancing the struvite crystallization reaction. The concentrations of suspended solids, total Zn and total Cu, were also decreased by the settling function of the reactor. On removing the efficiencies of these components, no noticeable seasonal fluctuation in performance was observed during the 3.5-year operation. In terms of maximum yield, 171 g struvite was obtained from 1 m3 swine wastewater by the demonstration accumulation device for struvite recovery. The recovered struvite needed only air-drying before use since it was approximately 95% pure even without washing.