Phosphate Removal from Wastewaters by Combining Different Electrochemical Processes

水对生命至关重要，但在使用过程中，它会被许多不同的材料污染，需要在安全排放到环境中之前进行清理。这些污染物之一是磷，它是洗涤剂中的主要成分。生活水平的提高和人口的增长导致污水中的浓度不断增加。磷是一种不可或缺但有限的资源，无法被任何其他元素取代，因此越来越多的人努力回收废水中含有的磷。磷是DNA的重要组成部分，也是ATP（三磷酸腺苷）的关键元素。此外，磷酸盐是一种正在枯竭的开采材料。回收这些磷是重要的，因为磷酸盐被用作肥料中的营养物质，并且对于维持粮食生产以满足不断增长的人口的需求至关重要。该工艺的目的是回收磷进行再利用，从污水处理中提供宝贵的资源。磷酸盐（和硝酸盐）是水中的营养物质，浓度过高会导致藻类大量繁殖（富营养化）。磷酸盐通常是限速营养素，去除这种污染物将减少富营养化。这是很重要的，因为蓝绿色藻类可以释放毒素，可以致命的野生动物和驯养动物（如牲畜），以及阻止阳光穿透水，限制光合作用。当这些藻类死亡时，它们沉降到底部，它们的分解消耗了水中的氧气，这给鱼类和其他需要氧气呼吸的生物造成了困难。它可以导致水变得有色和浑浊。水质下降影响到水的美学和娱乐价值，导致处理费用增加，除了淡水藻类大量繁殖外，在河流排放沃茨的一些地方发现了大量的沿海藻类繁殖。世界资源研究所已经确定了数百个易受藻华影响的沿海地区。传统的生物污水处理可以去除大约20%的磷（这一点很重要，因为人类每年排放330万吨磷），但目前的标准要求去除90%。化学工艺能够将磷去除到这些水平，但需要大量的化学品。污水处理厂被认为贡献了水中70%的磷，导致增加监管以减少这一来源。Arvia拥有一项获奖的专利技术（NyexTM），用于去除和破坏水中有毒和危险的有机化学品，如农药和工业化学品。这种创新的工艺通过吸附将有机物浓缩到Nyex颗粒的表面上，Nyex通过使电流通过颗粒而电化学再生。这会将有机物破坏成二氧化碳和水。然而，通过将Arvia的Nyex系统与其他电化学工艺相结合，可以提供一种无化学品的除磷工艺。这个简短而密集的项目旨在证明工艺组合可以实现必要的水质，并提供处理成本数据。

Water is essential to life, but during its use it becomes contaminated with many different materials that need cleaning up before it can be safely discharged to the environment. One of these pollutants is phosphorous which is a major constituent in detergents. Increasing standards of living and population growth are resulting in increasing concentrations in sewage. Phosphorous is an essential yet limited resource that cannot be replaced by any other element, resulting in increasing efforts to recycle the phosphorous contained in the wastewater. Phosphorous is a vital component of DNA and the key element of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Additionally, phosphate is a mined material that is becoming depleted. Recycling this phosphorous is important as the phosphate is used as a nutrient in fertiliser and will be essential to maintaining food production to meet the needs of a growing population. The proposed process aims to recover the phosphorous for reuse, providing a valuable resource from the treatment of sewage.Phosphate (and nitrates) are nutrients in water and too high a concentration can result in algal blooms (Eutrophication). Phosphate is often the rate limiting nutrient and removal of this contaminant will reduce eutrophication. This is significant as the blue green algae can release toxins that can be lethal to wildlife and domesticated animals (eg lifestock), as well as preventing sunlight penetrating the water, limiting photosynthesis. When these algae die, they settle to the bottom and their decomposition uses up the oxygen in the water, which causes difficulties for fish and other organisms that need oxygen to breath. It can result in the water becoming coloured and cloudy. Reduction in water quality affects the aesthetic and recreational value of the water and results in increased treatment costs.In addition to fresh water algal blooms, large costal blooms have been detected in a number of locations where rivers discharge their waters. The World Resources Institute has identified hundreds of costal areas that are susceptible to algal blooms.Traditional biological sewage treatment removes around 20% of phosphorous (significant as humans excrete 3.3 million tonnes of phosphorous annually), but current standards require the removal of 90%. Chemical processes are able to achieve phosphorous removals down to these levels but require significant quantities of chemicals. Sewage works are believed to contribute 70% of the phosphorous in water, leading to increased regulation to reduce this source.Arvia have a patented, award winning technology (NyexTM) which is used for the removal and destruction of toxic and hazardous organic chemicals in water, eg pesticides and industrial chemicals. This innovative process concentrates the organics onto the surface of the Nyex particles through adsorption with the Nyex being electrochemically regenerated by passing electricity through the particles. This destroys the organics to carbon dioxide and water. However, by combining Arvia's Nyex system with other electrochemical processes, a chemical free process for the removal of phosphorous can be delivered.This short, intensive project aims to demonstrate that the combination of processes can achieve the necessary water quality and provide data of the treatment costs.