Production and basic morphology of struvite crystals from a pilot-scale crystallization process.
A pilot-scale, struvite crystallization process was operated using anaerobic digester supernatants from two, full-scale, treatment plants as influent. It was found that the produced struvite crystals were easily separated from the process and were composed of very pure struvite (91.2 % to 94.1 % purity), with small amounts of calcium and carbonate, and traces of iron and aluminum. Most of the harvested struvite crystals, which were an aggregation of numerous fine crystals, were round, hard and larger than 1.5 mm in mean diameter. The crystal retention time in the reactor and the magnesium dosage in the supernatant appeared to have a significant effect on the crystal size, hardness and morphology.
Environmental Engineering Group, Department of Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
H
H
Huang
D S
DS
Mavinic
K V
KV
Lo
F A
FA
Koch
D003460:Crystallization; D017616:Magnesium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D010710:Phosphates / Q000737:chemistry*; D000069877:Struvite; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid
D017616:Magnesium Compounds; D010710:Phosphates; D000069877:Struvite