Removal of ammonium from aqueous solutions using the residue obtained from struvite pyrogenation

2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 2508-2514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiming Huang ◽  
Qianwu Song ◽  
Chunlian Xu

This paper reports the results of laboratory studies on the removal of ammonium from aqueous solutions using struvite pyrogenation residues. A series of experiments were conducted to examine the effects of the pyrogenation temperature (90–210 °C) and time (0.5–4 h) on the ammonium release of struvite. In addition, the pyrolysate of struvite produced at different pyrogenation temperatures and times was recycled for ammonium removal from aqueous solutions. The experimental results indicated that the ammonium release ratio of struvite increased with an increase in the pyrogenation temperature and time, and the struvite pyrolysate used as magnesium and phosphate source for ammonium removal was produced at the optimal condition of pyrogenation temperature of 150 °C for 1 h. Furthermore, experimental results showed that the optimum pH and pyrolysate dosage for ammonium removal from 100 ml synthetic wastewater (1,350 mg ammonium/L) were at pH 9 and 2.4 g of struvite pyrolysate, respectively, and initial ammonium concentration played a significant role in the ammonium removal by the struvite pyrolysate. In order to further reduce the cost of struvite precipitation, the struvite pyrolysate was repeatedly used for four cycles. The results of economic analysis showed that recycling struvite for three process cycles should be reasonable for ammonium removal, with ammonium removal efficiencies of over 50% and a reduction of 40% in the removal cost per kg NH4+.

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (11) ◽  
pp. 2741-2748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiming Huang ◽  
Xianming Xiao ◽  
Liping Yang ◽  
Bo Yan

In general, saponification wastewater produced from the separation process of rare-earth elements contains high ammonium concentration. In this study, a series of experiments were conducted to investigate the parameters to enhance the struvite precipitation potential for ammonium removal from the wastewater having an ammonium concentration of 4,100 mg/L. Experimental results showed that increasing the dose and grain size of pre-formed struvite, which was added as the seeding material in struvite reaction, could increase ammonium removal. The removal efficiency increased 7.6% when the dose of pre-formed struvite with crystal grain size range of 0.098–0.150 mm increased from 0 g/L to 60 g/L. Additionally, struvite precipitation was tested with the intermittent addition of magnesium and phosphate to utilize the struvite crystals formed during the reaction process as the seeding material for the subsequent reaction. The results revealed that intermittently adding magnesium 7 times effectively enhanced ammonium removal by around 8%, which was equivalent to that of using pre-formed struvite as the seeding material. Furthermore, the chemical composition of the struvite recovered with intermittent addition of magnesium was characterized, showing the struvite could be used as fertilizer. An economic evaluation indicated that intermittent addition of magnesium 7 times can save 13.4% cost for recovering per kg NH4+ compared to that of bulk addition.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philiphi de Rozari

Nutrients from wastewater are a major source of pollution because they can cause significant impact on the ecosystem. Accordingly, it is important that the nutrient concentrations are kept to admissible levels to the receiving environment. Often regulatory limits are set on the maximum allowable concentrations in the effluent. Therefore, wastewater must be treated to meet safe levels of discharge. In this study, laboratory investigation of the efficiency of packed bed filters to remove nitrate, ammonium and phosphate from aqueous solutions were conducted. Sand and sand augmented with hydrochloric acid treated biochar (SBC) were used as packing media. Synthetic wastewater solution was prepared with PO43-, NO3-, NH4+ concentrations 20, 10, 50 mg/L, respectively. Each experiment ran for a period of five days; samples from the effluent were collected on alternate days. All experiments were duplicated. Over the experiment period, the average removal efficiency of PO43-, NO3-, NH4+ were 99.2%, 72.9%, 96.7% in the sand packed columns and 99.2%, 82.3%, 97.4% in the SBC packed columns, respectively. Although, the presence of biochar in the packing media had little effect on phosphate and ammonium removal, it significantly improved nitrate removal


2011 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 468-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. M. Huang ◽  
X. M. Xiao ◽  
L. P. Yang ◽  
B. Yan

This paper presents a study regarding ammonium removal from rare-earth wastewater by struvite precipitation with natural brucite mineral as a source of magnesium. Experimental results indicated that a pH ranging from 8.5 to 9.5 was the optimum for the removal of ammonium using the soluble form of brucite as a magnesium source. Additionally, when solid brucite was used as a magnesium source as well as an alkali reagent, the initial ammonium concentration of 4,535 mg/L decreased to 239–317 mg/L after an reaction time of 12 h in wastewater treated with the S/L (solid brucite/liquid wastewater) ratios ranging from 31.2 to 63.2 g/L. Furthermore, as some non-reacted brucite still remained in the precipitates obtained at the end of reaction, the precipitates were subjected to reuse. The reuse results demonstrated that the reuse of the precipitates obtained with 63.2 g/L was feasible, and almost half of the brucite dose could be saved.


Author(s):  
Shamim A. Begum ◽  
A. H. M. Golam Hyder ◽  
Qwanikwia Hicklen ◽  
Taylor Crocker ◽  
Ben Oni

Abstract Ammonium contamination in water is a major concern worldwide. This study focuses on the removal of ammonium from aqueous solution by batch adsorption experiments using biochar derived from a combination of various wood chips (spruce, pine, and fir). Adsorption characteristics of ammonium onto biochar were evaluated as a function of biochar dosages, initial concentrations of ammonium, contact time and pH. Results demonstrated that ammonium removal increased with the increase of biochar dosage. The percentage of ammonium removal reached a value of 80% at a biochar dosage of 100 g/L. Ammonium removal decreased by 15% with the increase of initial ammonium concentration by 50 mg/L. The optimum pH for ammonium removal was considered in the range from 6 to 8. Ammonium removal reached its stable value within 3 days. The maximum adsorption capacity of ammonium was 0.96 mg/g for 80 mg/L of initial ammonium concentration. The adsorption isotherm followed both the Langmuir and Freundich models for ammonium adsorption onto biochar. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy results indicated the presence of amine, amide and nitrile functional groups on the surface of biochar which could contribute to the adsorption of ammonium onto biochar. Thus, biochar derived from various wood chips showed the potential to remove ammonium from aqueous solution.


Author(s):  
Marcus Ze Yuan Lim ◽  
Woon Chan Chong ◽  
Woei Jye Lau ◽  
Chai Hoon Koo

Abstract Ammonium is known to be one of the most significant pollutants in water bodies. The presence of ammonium in water is mainly originated from agricultural activities, domestic sewage and industrial effluent. This study evaluates the performance of two commercial thin film composite (TFC) membranes, i.e., NF270 and XLE from FilmTec™ for ammonium removal using synthetic wastewater and domestic sewage. The filtration experiment was conducted at different feed ammonium concentrations, humic acid concentrations, pHs and pressure. Results showed that the membrane rejection against ammonium increased dramatically with increasing ammonium concentration. However, the membrane flux was slightly compromised at higher ammonium concentration. With respect to pH, highest ammonium removal rate was able to be achieved at an optimum pH of 10. Besides, the permeation flux increased gradually with increasing feed pressure. From the results, the XLE membrane outperformed the NF270 membrane in terms of ammonium rejection. The retentate of XLE membrane filtration process was found to be useful as liquid fertiliser for plant growth. The results indicated that the TFC membrane process is not only able to produce permeate with an ammonium concentration below the acceptable limit of 10 mg/L but also able to produce retentate with enriched ammonium for plant growth.


Author(s):  
Judith Molina-Burgos ◽  
Juan A. Jácome-Burgos ◽  
Joaquín Suárez-López

A lab-scale non-stirred membrane-aerated biofilm reactor with a volume of 14.2 L was operated under laminar flow regime with inorganic synthetic wastewater to assess tertiary nitrification rates. Nitrifying counter-diffusive biofilm grown over microporous polypropylene tubular membranes supplied with atmospheric air at low pressure (3.45 kPa). The reactor was operated at very low water-velocities (in cm/s): from 2.3×10-4 to 2.3 × 10-3. In all runs, the influent ammonium concentration was kept constant ( 26 mg-N/L). By changing the volumetric inflow, the membrane-aerated biofilm (MAB) was tested at seven different ammonium applied loads (range: 0.57 - 6.04 g-N/m2 d). The corresponding ammonium removal rates ranged 0.56 to 3.02 g-N/(m2 d). The percentage of biological ammonium removal presented a range from 50% to 98%. As expected, due to passive experimental dynamic conditions to achieve an ammonium removal percentage greater than 80% a hydraulic retention time of 19 h was required. Clean membrane oxygen transfer rate was evaluated. The nitrifying MAB was found to enhance the oxygen transfer across the membrane when the surface nitrification rates were high. A significant drop in electrical conductivity that is proportional to the ammonium removed was observed. Thus, conductivity measurement can be used as a simple control method of ammonium removal extent. Effluent suspended solids were not detected, therefore a sedimentation process was unnecessary.


1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 67-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Okabe ◽  
Kikuko Hirata ◽  
Yoshimasa Watanabe

Dynamic changes in spatial microbial distribution in mixed-population biofilms were experimentally determined using a microslicer technique and simulated by a biofilm accumulation model (BAM). Experimental results were compared with the model simulation. The biofilms cultured in partially submerged rotating biological contactors (RBC) with synthetic wastewater were used as test materials. Experimental results showed that an increase of substrate loading rate (i.e., organic carbon and NH4-N) resulted in the microbial stratification in the biofilms. Heterotrophs defeated nitrifiers and dominated in the outer biofilm, whereas nitrifiers were diluted out in the outer biofilm and forced into the inner biofilm. At higher organic loading rates, a stronger stratified microbial spatial distribution was observed, which imposed a severe internal oxygen diffusion limitation on nitrifiers and resulted in the deterioration of nitrification efficiency. Model simulations described a general trend of the stratified biofilm structure. However, the actual stratification was stronger than the simulated results. For implication in the reactor design, when the specific carbon loading rate exceeds a certain limit, nitrification will be deteriorated or require a long start-up period due to the interspecies competition resulting in oxygen diffusion limitation. The extend of microbial stratification in the biofilm is especially important for determination of feasibility of nitrification in the presence of organic matters.


1897 ◽  
Vol 60 (359-367) ◽  
pp. 336-337 ◽  

The wave-length of sound in gaseous and in liquid ethyl oxide (sulphuric ether) has been determined by the two first-mentioned of the authors, by means of Kundt’s method, between limits of temperature ranging from 100° C. to 200° C., and of pressure ranging from 4000 mm. to 31,000 mm. of mercury, and of volume ranging from 2·6 c. c, per gram to 71 c. c. per gram. Making use of the same apparatus throughout, the results obtained are to be regarded as comparative, and, by careful determination of the pitch of the tone transmitted through the gas, it is probable they are approximately absolute. The sections of the complete memoir deal with (I) a description of the apparatus employed, (II) the method of ascertaining the weights of ether used in each series of experiments, (III) determinations of the frequency of the vibrating rod, (IV) the calculations of the adiabatic elasticity and tables of the experimental results, and (V) a mathematical discussion of the results. The last section is due to Mr. Rose-Innes.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih Ming Ma ◽  
Yung Shuen Shen ◽  
Po Hsiang Lin

This study discussed the photoreduction of Cr(VI) ions in aqueous solutions by UV/TiO2photocatalytic processes under various operational factors. Experimental results showed that the removal rate of Cr(VI) increased with decreasing solution pH values and with increasing dosages of organic compounds, indicating that the recombination rate of electrons and h+can be retarded in the reaction systems by the addition of the scavenger, thus raising the reaction rate of Cr(VI). The relationship of the chemical reaction rate of Cr(VI), TiO2dosage, and changes of Cr(VI) concentration was expressed by the pseudo-first-order kinetic equation. Comparing the experimental results of two different doping metals in modified TiO2photoreduction systems, the removal rate of Cr(VI) by the Ag/TiO2process is larger, possibly because the electron transferring ability of Ag is superior to that of Cu. However, the photoreduction rates of Cr(VI) by modified UV/TiO2processes are worse than those by a nonmodified commercial UV/TiO2process.


2006 ◽  
pp. 83-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blagica Cekova ◽  
Dragi Kocev ◽  
Elena Kolcakovska ◽  
Daniela Stojanova

The potential usage of zeolites as adsorbents for the removal of organic molecules from water was investigated in a series of experiments with aqueous solutions of lower alcohols. This could represent a simple solution to the problem of cleaning up industrial wastewater as well as recovering valuable chemicals at relatively low costs. Adsorption isotherms of the Langmuir type were applied, and calculations showed that the amount of propanol adsorbed on silicalite corresponded to approximately 70% of the pore volume. The adsorption process is simple, and recovery of the more concentrated products is easily done by heat treatment and/or at lowered pressures. Adsorption experiments with aqueous acetone showed that silicalite had approximately the same adsorption capacity for acetone as for n-propanol. Heats of adsorption were determined calorimetrically.


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