Chemical Phosphorus Removal

Phosphorus, usually in the form of phosphates, originates from sources such as human and animal waste, detergents and food residues. Food and beverage processing plants will very often have phosphate inputs from all of these sources.

Wastewater treatment systems that are commonly used in the food and beverage industry typically manage to reduce biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and nitrogen effectively, but very often are not as effective at reducing phosphorus to acceptable levels. To protect the environment, industrial wastewater treatment plants are tasked with reducing the levels of contaminants including phosphorus, so that the treated effluent meets environmental standards before it is discharged into a local water body.

The simplest method of removing phosphorus is through the use of a metal-based coagulant.

The metal targets phosphates via two routes:

1. When a metal is added to wastewater it reacts directly with phosphates present in the wastewater, forming the metal phosphate, which is insoluble.
2. The metal ions hydrolyse in water, forming a dense, gel-like precipitate, (metal hydroxide), which binds with phosphorus to form the metal phosphate.

Chemical treatment combined with physical removal in a dissolved air flotation system provides an effective solution for removing phosphate in industrial wastewater, allowing the clean treated effluent to be safely discharged.

Contact your local Hydroflux representative to understand how you can use chemical precipitation to manage Phosphorus in your trade waste discharge. 

About Hydroflux

The Hydroflux Group consist of eleven specialist companies which aim to deliver the highest level of engineering and scientific knowhow to the emerging issues of sustainability, climate adaption and environmental protection with a specific focus on water and wastewater.

The Group employees over 100 staff and operates throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands with office locations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Auckland, Suva and Portsmouth.

Contact
Hydroflux Pty Ltd
Level 26, 44 Market St. Sydney NSW 2000 Australia
P +61 2 9089 8833 F +61 2 9089 8830
[email protected]

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