Phosphorus removal from piggery effluents of varying Quality Using lime and physico-chemical treatment methods

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1994

Journal Title

Environmental Pollution

Keywords

phosphorus, piggery effluent, lime, physico-chemical treatment

Disciplines

Agriculture | Agronomy and Crop Sciences | Environmental Health and Protection | Water Resource Management

Abstract

The choice of management practices for the treatment of piggery effluent prior to its disposal to waterways or land is governed by the desire to simultaneously minimise the cost of treatment whilst minimising pollution of the environment. Laboratory experiments were conducted to compare the removal of total and total filterable phosphorus (P) (·45 μm fraction because of the presence of unsettled flocs of P impregnated lime. The efficiency of total P removal by hydrated lime and lime kiln dust decreased as effluent quality declined. The efficiency of removal of total filterable P by hydrated lime or lime kiln dust was not affected by effluent quality. Hydrated lime was more efficient in removing P from effluent or ortho-phosphate solutions, but lime kiln dust was more cost effective. More than 95% of total P was removed from recycled piggery effluent when physico-chemical treatment followed settling with or without lime. The physico-chemical treatment decreased total P mainly by decreasing the number of suspended particles in the effluent and by precipitating some total filterable P as iron, aluminium or calcium compounds.

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS