Precipitation of Struvite (Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate) from Wisconsin Landfill Leachate
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Date
2015-01Author
Roche, Anthony J.
Publisher
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, College of Natural Resources
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Show full item recordAbstract
The treatment of leachate is a focal point of landfill management. Every landfill produces
leachate, and consequently, every landfill must treat its leachate in one way or another. It is
typical that leachates with high ammonium concentrations encounter a surcharge from
wastewater treatment facilities. In addition, leachate recirculation is also practiced by some
landfills. While recirculation can lead to higher biogas production, ammonium levels can spike,
thereby rendering methanogenic bacteria ineffective. For these reasons, a pretreatment
method to remove ammonium needs to be explored. Precipitating ammonium in the form of
magnesium ammonium phosphate, or struvite, is an attractive management alternative.
Besides removing ammonium from the leachate, this pretreatment technique converts
ammonium into a reusable product. Struvite has been shown to be an excellent fertilizer, with
heavy metal concentrations below conventional store‐bought fertilizers. This study sought to
optimize the operating conditions for producing struvite from landfill leachate and test the
effectiveness struvite as a multi‐nutrient fertilizer.