The feasibility of phosphorus compounds recovery and recycling

This paper describes the current knowledge of phosphates removal and recovery from the municipal and industrial wastes. The removal of the phosphorus from the municipal wastewaters prior to their discharge into the receiving waters is widely practiced. The phosphorus is removed from the aqueous phase into the sludge phase and thus it can be recovered. The feasibility of the phosphate recycling into the phosphate industry and agriculture is discussed. The recovered P-product is likely to be of a better quality than the currently mined phosphate rock. Phosphorus compounds recovery should reduce the total wastewater biosolids production. The biological phosphorus removal has the potential to be used to the pre-concentrate phosphorus from the municipal wastewater prior to recycling via crystallization.