Improvement of phosphorus removal in the wastewater treatment

Abstract

This research study is dedicated to sustainable use of backwash residual from groundwater treatment plants. A high concentration of phosphorus ranging from more than 12 mg/l was detected after primary sedimentation of domestic wastewater and cannot be removed with the existing biological reactors at wastewater treatment plants (Vilnius, Lithuania). Previous research results showed that the high levels of nitrogen compounds are also connected with phosphorus sub­stances. A new reused material is presented in this article for the removal of phosphorus substances from wastewater by use of iron saturated backwash solids obtained from groundwater treatment plants. The treated wastewater quality increased during the treatment that used the 1 g/l dosage of backwash residual from groundwater treatment filters: phosphorus compounds concentration decreased by 98%. All results obtained from this research can be used with the background of sustainable development approach, when backwash residuals from gravitational filters can be collected and used for the removal of phosphorus compounds from domestic wastewater.