Re: Phosphate removal from waste treatment lagoons

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Re: Phosphate removal from waste treatment lagoons
From: krombhol at felix_TECLink.Net (Paul Krombholz)
Date: Sun, 14 Apr 1996 17:29:09 -0500


>From: joao jayme iess <jjiess at iconet_com.br>
>Date: Sat, 13 Apr 96 23:02:24 -0700
>Subject: Phosphate removal from Waste Treatment Lagoons
>
>Hi, my name is joao jayme iess, environmental consultant in south Brasil.
>Recently, one of mine customers passed to me the following problem :
>1-The WTP is made up of four Lagoons : A, B, C and D. A,B,C are aerated
>lagoons and D is a final, decanting and polishing lagoon where the total
>inorganic phosphates concentration is about 600 mg/l (milligrams !!!).
>This results in legal violation and large algae bloom.I have read from
>previous e-mail communications that a good phosphate removal agent is
>vermiculite or laterite. I would like to know where can I get additional
>information about this materials, what is their specific absorption rate,
>and where to buy them. Please send me some information to :
>
I believe that lime is used to pick up phosphate and precipitate it as
insoluble calcium phosphate in some chemical nutrient removal systems.
Lime, which reacts with phosphate, ought to be a lot more efficient than
vermiculite or laterite, which can only absorb some phosphate on their
surfaces.   I am sure that there are extensive lists of references and even
journals on the subject of wastewater treatment and nutrient removal.  For
instance, there is a journal called Water Engineering and Management that
sounds like it might be a good place to start.  Biological removal of
nutrients by running treated effluent through marshes and harvesting the
plants is a technique that is becomming more popular.  Go to
http://www.oneworld.org/patp/pap_sewage.html to see an article about a
system for Calcutta, India, which is touted as being highly effective.
There is a huge amount of information about sewage treatment and nutrient
removal available on the WWW.  I have not even scratched the surface.

Good luck!


Paul Krombholz                  Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS  39174

where I got my income tax done but ought to be grading lab reports, now.