Abstract:
A method precipitating struvite in wastewater uses a magnesium sacrificial anode as the only source of magnesium. A high-purity magnesium alloy cast anode was found to be very effective in recovery of high-quality struvite from water solutions and from supernatant of fermented waste activated sludge (WAS) from a high-purity oxygen wastewater treatment plant. Struvite purity was strongly dependent on the pH and the electric current density. Optimum pH of the solution was in the broad range between 7.5 and 9.3, with struvite purities exceeding 90%. The precipitated struvite accumulated in bulk liquid with significant portions attached to the anode surface from which regular detachment occurred.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C.119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/702,989, filed Sep. 19, 2012. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to the treatment of wastewater including precipitation of struvite, and more particularly the present invention relates to precipitation of struvite in wastewater by electro-coagulation with a magnesium sacrificial anode. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Uncontrolled struvite (NH 4 MgPO 4 ·6H 2 O) deposition in pipes, on reactor walls and on submerged surfaces of devices (Ben Moussa et at 2006; Le Corre et at 2005; Suzuki et at 2007), significantly increases maintenance costs (Doyle et al 2002). Numerous researchers have shown feasibility of struvite production from anaerobically digested sludge dewatering liquors and from livestock manure (Schuiling and Andrade 1999; Suzuki et al 2005; Suzuki et al 2007; Zeng and Li 2006, Doyle et al 2002) since they are rich in phosphates and ammonia. Struvite precipitates in form of stable white orthorhombic crystals (Le Corre et al 2005)—the precipitation reaction can be expressed as (Zeng and Li 2006): 
         [0000]      Mg 2+ +NH 4   + +HPO 4   2− +6H 2 O→MgNH 4 PO 4 ↓6H 2 O+H +   [1]
 
         [0004]    Published research (Ben Moussa at al 2006; Doyle et al 2002; Le Corre et al 2005; Stratful et al 2001; Zeng and Li 2006) indicated that the most important factors affecting struvite precipitation were the molar ratio Mg 2+ :NH 4   + :PO 4   3− , pH, substrates saturation as well as the presence of other ions (e.g. Ca 2+ , K + , CO 3   2− ). According to Hao et al. (2008) optimal molar ratio of Mg:N:P was 1.2:3:1. The pH affects saturation index by changing the specification of struvite substrates and other competing precipitates, such as magnesium phosphate or magnesium carbonate. It is generally agreed that struvite precipitation occurs when pH is higher than 7.5 and it rapidly increases until pH 10.5 (Doyle et al. 2002; Zeng and Li 2006). Hao et al. (2008) showed that optimal pH for precipitation of high purity struvite (&gt;90%) was between 7.5 and 9 and dropped to 7.0 to 7.5 when Ca 2+  ions were present. Above pH of 9, or above pH of 7.5 in the presence of calcium, the precipitation of phosphates took place in form of magnesium or calcium phosphates (Hao et al 2008). 
         [0005]    The most popular method of struvite deposition from wastewater is chemical precipitation by dosing magnesium salts and adjusting pH with a base 
         [0006]    (Schuiling and Andrade 1999; Suzuki et al 2007; Zeng and Li 2006) or by stripping CO 2  using aeration (Suzuki et al 2005; Suzuki et al 2007). Among magnesium sources most frequently used are MgCl 2 , MgO and MgSO 4  (Hug and Udert 2013). Other magnesium compounds like Mg(OH) 2  and MgCO 3  are much less suitable due to their low solubility in water (Schuiling and Andrade 1999; Zeng and Li 2006). 
         [0007]    Ben Moussa (2006) and Wang (2010) proposed to eliminate the need for alkalinity dosing using electrolytic cell with inert anodes. In accordance with the overall reaction of oxygen reduction and hydrogen evolution, equations [2] and [3], hydroxide anions are produced on the cathode surface. The process was shown to increase the interfacial pH of cathode by as high as 1.5 units in comparison to the bulk solution (Ben Moussa et al 2006). Thus, struvite deposition can be done in neutral pH of bulk solution (Ben Moussa et al 2006; Wang et al 2010). Ben Moussa et al. 2006 reported that electrochemical methods allowed production of pure struvite. In both cases external magnesium source was dosed. 
         [0000]      O 2 +2H 2 O+4e − →4HO −   [2]
 
         [0000]      2H 2 O+2e − →H 2 ↑+2HO − 
 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    Struvite precipitation using magnesium sacrificial anode as the only source of magnesium is presented. High-purity magnesium alloy cast anode was found to be very effective in recovery of high-quality struvite from water solutions and from supernatant of fermented waste activated sludge (WAS) from a high-purity oxygen wastewater treatment plant. Struvite purity was strongly dependent on the pH and the electric current density. Optimum pH of the solution was in the broad range between 7.5 and 9.3, with struvite purities exceeding 90%. Increasing current density resulted in elevated struvite purities. No upper limits were observed in the studied current range of 50 mA to 200 mA. Phosphorus removal rate was proportional to the current density and comparable for tests with water solutions and the supernatant from fermented sludge. The highest P-removal rate achieved was 4.0 mg PO 4 —P cm −2  h −1  at electric current density of 45 A m −2 . Initial substrate concentrations affected the rate of phosphorus removal. The precipitated struvite accumulated in bulk liquid with significant portions attached to the anode surface from which regular detachment occurred. 
         [0009]    The objective of this study was to assess the suitability of struvite precipitation from the supernatant of fermented waste activated sludge (WAS). The waste activated sludge in the experimental embodiments described herein were obtained from a high purity oxygen reactor at the South End Water Pollution Control Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, using a sacrificial magnesium anode as the sole source of magnesium. Specific objectives were to determine the impact of solution pH and electric current on purity of the produced struvite and the phosphorus removal ratio. 
         [0010]    According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of precipitating struvite in wastewater, the method comprising: 
         [0011]    providing a plurality of electrodes in contact with the wastewater in which at least one electrode comprises a sacrificial anode comprising magnesium; and 
         [0012]    applying a current across the electrodes so as to precipitate the struvite by electro-coagulation. 
         [0013]    Preferably the sacrificial anode consists substantially entirely of magnesium, for example the sacrificial anode may have a magnesium purity of approximately 99%. 
         [0014]    Preferably the sacrificial anode is the only magnesium added to the wastewater. 
         [0015]    The wastewater being treated can include treated wastewater, raw wastewater, livestock manure, or digested municipal sludge concentrates for example. 
         [0016]    When biologically treating the wastewater, the method preferably also includes maintaining a current density of the current applied to the sacrificial anode below a prescribed threshold which is detrimental to the biological treatment. 
         [0017]    When the objective is to remove phosphorous from the wastewater the method may include increasing a magnitude of the current being applied in response to a measured concentration of phosphorous in an effluent from the treatment chamber exceeding a prescribed phosphorous limit. 
         [0018]    One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  illustrates XRD spectra for precipitate produced in tests T 2 -T 7  and spectrum for pure struvite (NH4MgPO4.6H2O) according to International Centre for Diffraction Data. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  illustrates struvite purity and PO4-P removal rate as a function of bulk solution pH at I=50 mA. 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  illustrates struvite purity and PO4-P removal rate as a function of electric current at pH of 7.5. 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  illustrates combined profiles of ammonia and phosphate concentrations for tests T 8 -T 12 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  illustrates ammonia and phosphate concentrations profiles for test T 13 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  illustrates soluble P and pH profiles in struvite precipitation tests with fermented sludge supernatant; pH was not controlled; electric current was set to 50, 100 and 200 mA in consecutive tests; two test conducted on sludge fermented for 2d and one test on sludge fermented for 3d. 
           [0025]      FIG. 7  illustrates soluble P and ammonia N removed in struvite precipitation test wherein WAS was after 3d fermentation, pH was not controlled, and electric current was 50 mA. 
           [0026]      FIG. 8  is a schematic representation of an exemplary wastewater treatment system for precipitating struvite. 
       
    
    
       [0027]    In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0028]    Turning initially to  FIG. 8 , a wastewater treatment system  10  according to the present invention is schematically represented. The system  10  includes a suitable vessel  12  for containing a batch of wastewater to be treated therein. The vessel  12  includes a wastewater inlet  14  for introducing wastewater into the vessel therethrough and a wastewater outlet 16 from which the treated wastewater is arranged to be discharged. 
         [0029]    A plurality of electrodes  18  are supported in the vessel for contact with the wastewater to be treated in the vessel. The electrodes  18  are connected to a suitable power supply  20  which is arranged to apply a current between the electrodes across the wastewater being treated. At least one of the electrodes  18  is a sacrificial magnesium electrode as described in the following. 
         [0030]    Additionally the system  10  can be provided with a pH probe  22  for monitoring pH in the wastewater being treated. Additional sensors  24  may be provided in communication with the wastewater being treated or the already treated wastewater in the effluent in the wastewater outlet for monitoring the effectiveness of the treatment. 
         [0000]    Material and methods 
         [0031]    Both the synthetic pure water solution and the WAS supernatant tests were conducted in a 1 L reactor equipped with a set of two magnesium electrodes, pH probe (Accumet 13-620-108A by Fisher Scientific) and a magnetic stirrer. The electrodes were shaped as 2 mm thick rectangular plates with an active surface area of 44 cm 2  and were made of high purity alloy AZ91 HP. Direct current was supplied to electrodes by KEPCO BOP 100-2D. Water deionized in Elix® Water Purification system (Milipore) with electro conductivity EC of 0.08±0.01 μS cm −1  was used for preparation of synthetic solutions. Conductivity measurements during tests were done with Accumet 13-620-165 electrode connected to Accumet XL50 meter by Fisher Scientific. 
       Impact of pH and Electric Current on Struvite Purity and Phosphorus Removal Rate 
       [0032]    Three-hour batch tests were conducted. The value of pH was continuously adjusted with 0.02N HCl solution dosed by Fisher Scientific Mini Variable-Flow Peristaltic Pump controlled by Eutech alpha pH700 controller. Solution for all tests contained 6.49 g Na 2 HPO 4 .7H 2 O and 2.48 g NH 4 Cl, which accounts for 1:1.9 molar ratio of P:N. Conductivity of electrolyte was adjusted to 10 mS cm −1  by dosing NaCl. 
         [0033]    Four tests (T 1  through T 4 ) were run with electric current of 50 mA and pH set points of 6.5, 7.5, 8.5 and 9.5. Three tests (T 5  through T 7 ) were run with pH set point of 7.5 and with the electric current of 100, 150 and 200 mA. 
         [0034]    During the tests 6 mL solution samples were grabbed every 30 min. To assess the nutrient removal rate phosphorus and ammonia in the samples were determined by flow injection analysis FIA (QuikChem8500 by Lachat Instruments). 
       Impact of Initial Substrate Concentration on Phosphorous Removal Rate 
       [0035]    Five three-hour tests (T 8 -T 12 ) were conducted at different initial ammonia and phosphate concentrations as summarized in the following Table 1. Applied electric current and pH set point (power source and pH control as in previous tests) were the same for all five tests, 100 mA and 7.5 respectively. As in all other tests, 6 mL grab samples were collected every 30 min, filtered and analyzed for ammonia nitrogen and phosphate using FIA. 
         [0036]    The following Table 1 summarizes initial ammonia and phosphate concentrations, pH set point and EC in tests T 8  through T 12 . 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                   
                 Bulk 
                 Current, 
                 Ammonia, 
                 Phosphate, 
                 N:P, 
               
               
                 Test 
                 pH 
                 mA 
                 mg N/L 
                 mg P/L 
                 mol:mol 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 T8 
                 7.5 
                 100 
                 490 
                 548 
                 1.98 
               
               
                 T9 
                 7.5 
                 100 
                 378 
                 418 
                 2.00 
               
               
                 T10 
                 7.5 
                 100 
                 286 
                 313 
                 2.02 
               
               
                 T11 
                 7.5 
                 100 
                 194 
                 214 
                 2.00 
               
               
                 T12 
                 7.5 
                 100 
                 98 
                 105 
                 2.05 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0037]    An additional seven-hour test T 13  was conducted to access phosphorus removal rate at the elevated N:P concentration ratio. Initial concentrations of ammonia nitrogen and phosphate were 482 mg N/L and 554 mg P/L (N:P molar ratio 1.92), respectively. In order to keep ammonia concentration at a high level throughout the test, 10 mL of 30.6 g NH 4 Cl/L (which accounts for 80 mg N) solution was dosed manually to the reaction beaker every two hours. 
         [0000]    Phosphorus Removal from Fermented Waste Activated Sludge 
         [0038]    Sludge used in the study was waste activated sludge (WAS) originated from South End Water Pollution Control Centre (SEWPCC) in Winnipeg. SEWPCC is high purity oxygen plant (HPO) without nutrient removal. The sludge was collected via return activated sludge (RAS) sampling tap. The sludge was sampled at the same time in the morning during a sludge pumping phase to ensure as much consistency as possible. Sludge was fermented for 48 to 72 h in a 4 L Nalgene batch reactors with low speed impeller mixer. After fermentation the sludge was decanted using IEC Multi centrifuge by Thermo at 6500 RPM. Sludge characteristic is presented in Table S1 (in Supplementary Material). 
         [0039]    Three 3-hour tests of struvite precipitation were conducted on the supernatant of fermented sludge. The reactor setup was as in the previous tests. The value of pH was not controlled and the impressed current was set at 50 mA, 100 mA and 200 mA (current density CD of 11.4 A m −2 , 22.7 A m −2  and 45.4 A m −2 ) in consecutive tests. During the tests 6 mL solution samples were grabbed every 10 to 15 min for FIA analysis of ammonia and phosphates. 
       Precipitate Analysis 
       [0040]    At the end of tests T 1 -T 7 , the precipitate was harvested by filtration of treated solution on glass fiber filters (Whatman 934-AH by GE Healthcare UK Ltd) and dried at room temperature for 48 h. Due to frequent detachment of the precipitate from the surface of the anode harvested samples were mixture of the precipitate from the bulk solution and from the anode. After homogenization of samples, X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra were collected using a Siemens D5000 powder diffractometer using Cu Kα 1  radiation and operated at 40 kV and 40 mA. The XRD analysis was not conducted on the sample from test T 1  due to the insufficient amount of precipitate. Remaining samples were digested in 2% nitric acid for 24 h at 40° C. The magnesium, sodium and phosphorus content of digested samples were assessed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy analysis (Vista-MPX CCD Simultaneous ICP-OES analyzer by Varian). Digested samples after pH adjustment to were also analysed using FIA to determine the concentrations of ammonium and phosphate. Standard deviation of phosphate results from ICP-OES and FIA analyses did not exceed 2.5%. 
       Struvite Purity Calculation 
       [0041]    Most of the common struvite mineral impurities do not contain nitrogen, i.e. Mg(OH) 2 , MgHPO 4 , Mg 3 (PO 4 ) 2 ; MgKPO 4 , CaHPO 4 , Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 OH (Hao et al 2008; Le Corre et al 2005; Zeng and Li 2006). Thus, for purity quantification it was assumed that each mole of ammonium stands for one mole of struvite. The struvite purity SP was calculated as per equation [4]. 
         [0000]      SP=[NH 4 —N] prec .[NH 4 —N] struv   −1 =[NH 4 −N]prec··(57 mg g −1 ) −1    [4]
 
         [0042]    where [NH 4 —N] prec  is the measured concentration of the ammonium nitrogen in the precipitate and [NH 4 —N] struv  the theoretical content of the nitrogen in the pure struvite (57 mg N g −1 ). 
         [0043]    Precipitates may also contain magnesium ammonium phosphates (MAP) with different hydration levels than struvite. Dittmarite for instance is MAP monohydrate and its molecular weight is 37% lower than struvite and theoretical content of the nitrogen in pure dittmarite is 90 mg g −1 . Since many of the MAP hydrates may exist simultaneously and it is not possible to quantify all of them in the mixture (Sarkar 1991), the assumption was made that in the ambient room temperature and humidity all MAP is hexahydrate (struvite). Even though that this approach may result in purities values higher than 100% authors find this method suitable for engineering use. 
         [0044]    The following Table 2 summarizes the characteristics of the sludge used for the phosphorous removal tests. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Standard 
               
               
                   
                 Units 
                 Value 
                 deviation 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 Raw WAS 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 VS 
                 g L −1   
                 6.94 
                 0.20 
               
               
                   
                 TS 
                 g L −1   
                 9.30 
                 0.85 
               
               
                   
                 TP 
                 mg L −1   
                 163 
                 18 
               
               
                   
                 mg TP/g 
                 mg g −1   
                 23.43 
                 3.6 
               
               
                   
                 VS 
               
               
                   
                 PO 4 —P 
                 mg PO 4 —P L −1   
                 15.1 
                 1.2 
               
               
                   
                 tCOD 
                 g L −1   
                 10.74 
                 0.24 
               
               
                   
                 sCOD 
                 mg L −1   
                 56.50 
                 1.50 
               
               
                   
                 pH 
                   
                 6.53 
                 0.11 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Fermented WAS supernatant 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 PO 4 —P 
                 mg L −1   
                 56.1 
                 4.2 
               
               
                   
                 NH 4 —N 
                 mg L −1   
                 113.8 
                 28 
               
               
                   
                 pH 
                 — 
                 7.65 
                 0.40 
               
               
                   
                 EC 
                 mS cm −1   
                 1.8 
                 0.2 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0045]    The following Table 3 summarizes Molar ratios N:P:Mg in precipitates from tests T 1  to T 7 . 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 Molar ratio in precipitate 
               
               
                   
                 Test 
                 bulk pH 
                 current, mA 
                 N:P:Mg 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 T1 
                 6.5 
                 50 
                 1:1.15:2.36 
               
               
                   
                 T2 
                 7.5 
                 50 
                 1:1.16:1.44 
               
               
                   
                 T3 
                 8.5 
                 50 
                 1:1.11:1.28 
               
               
                   
                 T4 
                 9.5 
                 50 
                 1:1.14:1.57 
               
               
                   
                 T2 
                 7.5 
                 50 
                 1:1.16:1.44 
               
               
                   
                 T5 
                 7.5 
                 100 
                 1:1.12:1.29 
               
               
                   
                 T6 
                 7.5 
                 150 
                 1:1.09:1.30 
               
               
                   
                 T7 
                 7.5 
                 200 
                 1:1.05:1.12 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
       Results and Discussion 
       [0046]    Impact of pH and Electric Current on Struvite Purity and Phosphorus Removal rate 
         [0047]    XRD spectra of precipitates from tests T 2 -T 7 , presented in  FIG. 1 , demonstrated high similarity in the position of peaks and relative peaks values to spectrum of struvite standard. That indicated high purity of produced struvite. The molar ratios N:P:Mg in precipitate presented in Tab. S 2  (Supplementary Materials) were calculated based on results of ICP and FIA analysis conducted on digested precipitate samples. Molar concentration of N was lower than P and Mg in all samples. This is in agreement with expectations, since most of struvite impurities, e.g. Mg(OH) 2 , MgHPO 4 , Mg 3 (PO 4 ) 2;  and when other ions are present e.g. MgKPO 4 , CaHPO 4 , Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 OH, do not contain ammonium ions (Hao et al 2008; Le Corre et al 2005; Zeng and Li 2006). Thus, for purity quantification it was assumed that each mole of ammonium stands for one mole of struvite. 
         [0048]    Purities calculated for tests T 1 -T 14 , where the current was constant at 50 mA and the pH was changed in consecutive steps from 6.5 to 9.5 ( FIG. 2 ), indicate that optimum pH for struvite precipitation is in the vicinity of 8.5. High struvite purity above 90% was achieved in whole range of pH from 7.5 to 9.3. There are few reports of struvite precipitation at pH below 7 (Doyle et al 2002; Zeng and Li 2006), however in this study, even at pH of 6.5 the purity at 76% was still relatively high. The increase of pH from 6.5 to 7.5 resulted in an over three-fold increase of phosphorus removal rate, from 0.25 to 0.82 mg PO 4 —P cm −2  h −1  ( FIG. 2 ). Further increase of pH resulted only in a 5% increase of P removal rate and reached plateau at 0.86 mg PO 4 —P cm −2  h −1  at pH of 8.5. Thus, increasing the solution pH above 8.5 was not beneficial for the quantity or for the quality of produced struvite. 
         [0049]    It was shown that struvite purity increased with increased values of applied electric current ( FIG. 3 ). The current increase from 50 mA to 200 mA resulted in a 13% increase of struvite purity at pH of 7.5. According to the Faraday&#39;s laws of electrolysis, mass of magnesium released from the anode is proportional to the delivered charge. Theoretical magnesium release can be calculated using the following equation. 
         [0000]        m   t   =A·I·t ( n·F)   − , [g]  8 5]
 
         [0050]    where m t  is theoretical magnesium release [g], A is atomic weight of magnesium (24.3 g mol −1 ), I is electric current [A], t is time elapsed [s], n is magnesium valence (2) and F is Faraday constant (96,485 C mol −1 ). 
         [0051]    However observed magnesium release can be even higher due to: (a) the loss of metal by spalling (detachment of metal chunks), (b) self-corrosion, (c) the formation of meta-stable monovalent magnesium ions and (d) charge wastage due to hydrogen evolution (Kim et al 2000; Andrei et al 2003). Hug and Udert (2013) reported observed magnesium release to be up to 220% higher than theoretical. Stratful et al (2001) identified magnesium concentration as the main factor limiting struvite precipitation. Thus, correlation between the purity and the current observed in the present study may be explained by the aforementioned higher magnesium release rate at higher current, which elevated the Mg:P molar concentration ratio in the vicinity of the anode. 
         [0052]    The phosphorus removal rate was established to be proportional to the electric current in the studied current range ( FIG. 3 ). Phosphorus removal rate from the synthetic solution of 4.0 mg PO 4 —P cm −2  h −1  was achieved at a current density of 45.5 A m −2 , which is comparable with 3.7 mg PO 4 —P cm −2  h −1  at 55 A m −2  reported by Hug and Udert (2013). Based on the results it seems that the higher the current the better is the overall system efficiency. However, to establish an optimum operation current two major factors should be considered: (a) local electric power and struvite prices and (b) impact of current density on biomass if coupled with biological treatment. Wei et al (2011) discovered that electric current density of 6.2 A m −2  does not significantly affect biomass viability for at least 4 hours. They did find though that the current density of 24.7 m −2  decreased live cell count by 29%. 
         [0053]    Cycles of deposition crust build-up and self-detachment on the surface of the anode were observed. Cycle time decreased when impressed current increased. On the surface of the cathode only a thin, white film-like layer was deposited. Therefore, no electrodes scraping was required. 
         [0000]    Impact of Initial Substrate Concentration on Phosphorus Removal rate 
         [0054]    Tests T 8  to T 12 , presented in  FIG. 4  indicate that the phosphorus removal rate decreased with initial concentrations of ammonia and phosphate in the solution. Phosphorus removal rate deteriorated from 2.00 mg PO 4 —P cm −2  h −1  in test T 8  to 0.57 mg PO 4 —P cm −2  h −1  in test T 12  (initial concentrations presented in Tab.1). This is in agreement with the expected decrease of struvite precipitation due to lower supersaturation of solution. 
         [0055]    Tests T 8 -T 12  were conducted with initial N:P mass concentration ratio close to 1. In practice, the mass concentration of phosphorus (PO 4 —P) is much smaller than mass concentration of ammonium nitrogen, e.g. liquor from sludge dewatering at wastewater treatment plants. Thus, concentration of ammonium nitrogen in test T 13  was kept at elevated level throughout the test by dosing ammonium chloride. In T 13  ( FIG. 5 ) it was shown that it is possible to obtain high phosphorus removal rates in lower phosphorus concentration range, i.e. an average of 1.38 mg PO 4 —P cm −2  h −1 , at concentration of phosphorus between 95 and 35 mg PO 4 —P L −1 . This meant that the decrease of phosphorus removal rate due to lower concentration of phosphorus may have been offset by higher N:P molar concentration ratio. 
         [0000]    Phosphorus Removal from Fermented Waste Activated Sludge 
         [0056]    Tests performed on SEWPCC WAS fermented for 2-days and for 3-days showed high phosphorus removal rates, strongly dependent on applied electric current (EC). At 200 mA maximum removal rate was 3.95 mg PO 4 —P cm −2  h −1 , and at 50 mA 1.45 mg PO 4 —P cm −2  h −1 . The results are comparable to those achieved in tests with synthetic solutions 4.00 mg PO 4 —P cm −2  h −1  in T 7  (pH of 7.5 and EC of 200 mA) and 0.82 mg PO 4 —P cm −2  h −1  in T 2  (pH of 7.5 and EC of 50 mA). The presented method was capable of reducing phosphorus to very low levels, i.e. 1.3 mg PO 4 —P L −1  at applied current of 200 mA or 2.4 mg PO 4 —P L −1  at 50 mA. That translated to P removal efficiencies in the range of 95 to 98% at relatively low initial P concentrations of 56 mg PO 4 —P L −1 . For comparison, fluidized bed struvite precipitation processes have been shown to successfully remove only 70% of P from digester supernatant at concentrations of 40 mg PO 4 —P L −1  and achieve up to 90% removal at PO 4  concentrations of 70 mg P L −1  with sufficient Mg addition and pH control (Britton et al 2005). In this research, even at the lowest tested electric current, the almost complete removal of soluble P required not more than 1:45 hours ( FIG. 6 ). 
         [0057]    In addition, phosphorus and ammonia were removed in molar ratio close to 1:1. That suggests precipitation of high-purity struvite. Results from tests with the highest initial ammonia concentration (153 mg L −1 ) are presented in Fig. S 1  (Supplementary Material). 
       Conclusions 
       [0058]    Electrolytic magnesium dissolution was shown to be an effective method of high-purity struvite precipitation and phosphorus removal. The method proved to be very effective in phosphorus removal from fermented waste activated sludge supernatant, achieving removal efficiency of 98% with required hydraulic residence time of under 2 h. 
         [0059]    The highest struvite purity was obtained at pH 8.5. Purities higher than 90% were obtained in pH range between 7.5 and 9.3. Although struvite was produced in the whole pH range (6.5-9.5) studied, precipitation at pH 6.5 was inefficient. The increase of applied electric current resulted in an increase of struvite purity and in proportional increase of phosphorus removal. 
         [0060]    High phosphorus removal rate of 4.0 mg PO4—P cm-2 h-1 was attained at electric current density of 45 A m-2. The rate depended strongly on initial concentration of ammonia and phosphate in the solution, decreasing when concentrations decreased. The impact of low phosphorus concentration may be offset by increasing the N:P molar concentration ratio. However, the range of current density of 45 A m-2 might inhibit bacteria growth. 
         [0061]    Since the proposed method does not require any chemical dosing, does not have any harmful by-products and can produce high purity struvite at relatively low pH of 7.5, it can provide an alternative to chemical and biological phosphorus removal processes in water and wastewater treatment systems. Unlike traditional chemical coagulation or precipitation with aluminium sacrificial anodes, this method allowed actual phosphorus removal and direct recovery as struvite. 
       REFERENCES 
       [0062]    The following references are referred to in the preceding by author and date and are incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0063]    Andrei, M., Di Gabriele, F., Bonora, P. L., Scantlebury, D., 2003. Corrosion behaviour of magnesium sacrificial anodes in tap water. Materials and Corrosion 54 (1), 5-11. 
         [0064]    Bellezze, T., Fratesi, R., 2010. Assessing the efficiency of galvanic cathodic protection inside domestic boilers by means of local probes. Corrosion Science 52 (9), 3023-3032. 
         [0065]    Britton, A., Koch, F., Mavinic, D., Adnan, A., Oldham, W. and Udala, B., 2005. Pilot-scale struvite recovery from anaerobic digester supernatant at an enhanced biological phosphorus removal wastewater treatment plant. Journal of Environmental Engineering and Science 4,265-277. 
         [0066]    Le Corre, K., Valsami-Jones, E., Hobbs, P., Parsons, S., 2005. Impact of calcium on struvite crystal size, shape and purity. Journal of Crystal Growth 283 (3-4), 514-522. 
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         [0082]    Hug and Uder (2013) presented struvite precipitation from source-separated urine dosing magnesium by electrolytical dissolution. Phosphorus removal rate of 3.7 mg P cm −2 h −1  at an impressed current density of 55A m −2  was achieved in a sequencing batch reactor process with a 2 hours cycle. Struvite production cost with electrochemical magnesium dosing at 4.45           kg −1  was shown to be competitive with dosing of MgCl 2  and MgSO 4 . The results were published after the present study was completed and both research teams were unaware of each other&#39;s work. 
         [0083]    Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.