Phosphorus recovery as struvite from digested sludge - experience from the full scale

There is an ongoing paradigm shift; wastewater is often not considered a waste any more, but a source of valuable resources: nutrients (N: nitrogen, P: phosphorus, and K: potassium), energy and water. The recovery of phosphorus from municipal wastewater has gained a lot of attention because of limited phosphate rock reserves and associated geopolitics, and pollution of phosphate rock. At the WWTP of Leuven, Aquafin operates a full scale installation to recover phosphorus as struvite from digested sludge. This paper discusses the performance of the struvite plant, pollutants in the struvite, struvite use, and economics.

Automated summary

Wastewater is now seen as a valuable resource containing nutrients, energy, and water, leading to a paradigm shift. The recovery of phosphorus from municipal wastewater at the WWTP of Leuven is discussed, including performance, pollutants, use, and economics of the struvite plant.