Phosphorus (P) recovery was carried out through struvite precipitation from urines. Human urine, however, contains not only high nutrients for plants, such as P and nitrogen, but also pharmaceuticals and hormones. In this work, effects of magnesium (Mg) dose (in terms of Mg:P ratio) on P recovery efficiency and pharmaceutical amounts contained in struvite were investigated. Batch-scale experiments of synthetic and human urines revealed that struvite precipitation formed more X-shaped crystals with an increased molar ratio of Mg:P, while the amount of pharmaceuticals (tetracycline, demeclocycline, and oxytetracycline) in struvite decreased with an increased molar ratio of Mg:P. The lowest pharmaceutical amounts in struvite were found at the Mg:P ratio of 2:1 from both samples. Moreover, the maximum P recovery efficiency, quantity and purity of struvite were found in the range of 1.21 to 2:1. It indicated that the molar ratio of Mg:P has a significant impact on struvite precipitation in terms of pharmaceutical amounts in struvite; morphology, quantity and purity of struvite; and P recovery.
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Research Article|
June 19 2015
Effect of magnesium dose on amount of pharmaceuticals in struvite recovered from urine
Patiya Kemacheevakul;
1Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Pracha-uthit Rd, Bangmod, Tungkru, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
E-mail: patiya.kem@kmutt.ac.th
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Surawut Chuangchote;
Surawut Chuangchote
2The Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Pracha-uthit Rd, Bangmod, Tungkru, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
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Sosuke Otani;
Sosuke Otani
3Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
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Tomonari Matsuda;
Tomonari Matsuda
3Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
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Yoshihisa Shimizu
Yoshihisa Shimizu
3Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
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Water Sci Technol (2015) 72 (7): 1102–1110.
Article history
Received:
February 23 2015
Accepted:
June 01 2015
Citation
Patiya Kemacheevakul, Surawut Chuangchote, Sosuke Otani, Tomonari Matsuda, Yoshihisa Shimizu; Effect of magnesium dose on amount of pharmaceuticals in struvite recovered from urine. Water Sci Technol 1 October 2015; 72 (7): 1102–1110. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2015.313
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