Sewage Parameters 4 Part 1: Phosphorus (P)
Welcome back,
Continuing on from Population Equivalent (PE) the next parameter is Phosphorus (P) The reason that Phosphorus is often a focused on in wastewater effluent is that it is an essential mineral in the growth of algae and other biological organisms along with Nitrogen.
Therefore releasing high Phosphorus levels into a water course can result in an algae bloom and the growth of other noxious organisms, which can lead to significant depletion of oxygen and thus a fish kill and the death of other organisms. Phosphate levels in waste water are normally stipulated in terms of Total Phosphate/Phosphorus or in terms of Orthophosphate (Orthophosphorus). Orthophosphates are immediately available for biological metabolism without further breakdown and are therefore the most important polluting form of Phosphorus. Typical Total Phosphorus values in wastewater are between 4 – 15 mg/l, with final effluent values in the region of 0.5 – 5 mg/l for Total Phosphorus increasingly being specified. The most usual way to reduce Phosphorus is by dosing Aluminium Sulphate or Ferric Sulphate into the primary settlement area of a sewage treatment plant.
An example of an algae bloom
Next up is methods of reducing Phosphorus in wastewater.
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