Phosphorus Recovery from Sewage Sludge Using Acidithiobacilli
Sewage sludge contains a significant amount of phosphorus (P), which could be recycled to address the global demand for this non-renewable, important plant nutrient. The P in sludge can be solubilized and recovered so that it can be recycled when needed. This study investigated the P solubilization...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-07-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/13/7135 |
| Summary: | Sewage sludge contains a significant amount of phosphorus (P), which could be recycled to address the global demand for this non-renewable, important plant nutrient. The P in sludge can be solubilized and recovered so that it can be recycled when needed. This study investigated the P solubilization from sewage sludge using <i>Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans</i> and <i>Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans</i>. The experiment was conducted by mixing 10 mL of sewage sludge with 90 mL of different water/liquid medium/inoculum and incubated at 30 °C. The experiment was conducted in three semi-continuous phases by replacing 10% of the mixed incubated medium with fresh sewage sludge. In addition, 10 g/L elemental sulfur (S) was supplemented into the medium in the third phase. The pH of the <i>A. thiooxidans</i> and <i>A. ferrooxidans</i> treated sludge solutions was between 2.2 and 6.3 until day 42. In phase 3, after supplementing with S, the pH of <i>A. thiooxidans</i> treated sludge was reduced to 0.9, which solubilized and extracted 92% of P. We found that acidithiobacilli supplemented with S can be used to treat sludge, i.e., achieve hygienization, removal of heavy metals, and solubilization and recovery of P. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-7827 1660-4601 |