Lost Crystals- Investigating when Nutrient Recovery isn't meeting low-P expectations

摘要

The sensitivity analysis has shown that uncaptured struvite could result in higher effluent TP for facilities with lower BOD_5:TP ratios. Howver, while ample research has been conducted on struvite crystallization, there was very little research found on the dissolution rates. Future research will need to be conducted to further quantify the rates of struvite dissolution on the basis of environmental conditions (pH, temperature, turbulence, etc). The effect of particle size could also be considered as smaller particles with a high surface area generally will dissolve faster than larger particles or chunks. The resulting rate parameters could be tested in simulations of full scale nutrient recovery facilities where expectations for low discharge phosphorus have not been fully realized. The dynamics of these facilities should also be tested to determine the reliability of the reactor to achieve a consistent removal efficiency and struvite capture.