Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Preparation of high-purity magnesium-ammonium-phosphate fertilizer using sea bittern and industrial waste streams

  • Short Research and Discussion Article
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

A Correction to this article was published on 28 January 2021

This article has been updated

Abstract

The production of fertilizer magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP, Mg.NH4PO4.6H2O), commonly known as struvite, has been investigated in this study by mixing waste effluents of different sources. Effluents form pigment preparation industry rich in ammonium carbonate and poly phosphoric acid have been used as source of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), respectively, whereas sea bittern has been used as a source of Mg. The stoichiometric mole ratio of the Mg2+ to NH4+ to PO43− in the mixed reaction liquid was maintained as 1:0.5:1 and 1:1:1, and the pH value of the reaction liquid was adjusted to 8.5 using sodium hydroxide. Struvite formation has been confirmed by using FTIR and P-XRD techniques. Thermal stability and morphology of the product were characterized employing thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The method reported is easy to implement and cost-effective. The adoption of the method will not only help in waste management but also in controlling environment hazards of P and N discharge in water bodies with economic benefits. The method is particularly useful for solar works which are in vicinity of industries releasing P- and N-containing effluents. After precipitation of struvite, the left out liquor can be further recycled into the salt works for enhanced recovery of common salt.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Change history

  • 28 January 2021

    A Correction to this paper has been published: <ExternalRef><RefSource>https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12557-x</RefSource><RefTarget Address="10.1007/s11356-021-12557-x" TargetType="DOI"/></ExternalRef>

References

  • APHA (1998) Standard methods for water and wastewater examination, 20th edn. Amer. Public Health Assoc, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bae JH, Kim SK, Chang HS (1997) Treatment of landfill leachates: ammonia removal via nitrification and denitrification and further COD reduction via Fenton’s treatment followed by activated sludge. Wat Sci Tech 36(12):341–349

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Banks E, Chianelli R (1974) Crystal and spectroscopic data for SrNaPO4.9H2O and BaNaPO4.9H2O. J Appl Crystallogr 7:301–303

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Banks E, Chianelli R, Korenstein R (1975) Crystal chemistry of struvite analogs of the type MgMPO4.6H2O (M+)= potassium (1+), rubidium (1+), cesium (1+), thallium (1+), ammonium (1+). Inorg Chem 14:1634–1639

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ҫelen I, Türker M (2001) Recovery of ammonia from anaerobic digester effluents. Environ Technol 22:1263–1272

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cotton FA, Wilkinson G (1962) Advanced inorganic chemistry: a comprehensive text. Wiley International, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Dao NQ, Daudon M (1997) infrared and Raman spectra of calculi. Elsevier, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • El Rafie S, Hawash S, Shalaby MS (2013) Evaluation of struvite precipitated from chemical fertilizer industrial effluents. Adv Appl Sci Res 4(1):113–123

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang H, Zhang D, Guom G, Jiang Y, Wang M, Zhang P, Li J (2018) Dolomite application for the removal of nutrients from synthetic swine wastewater by a novel combined electrochemical process. Chem Eng J 335:665–675

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kofina AN, Koutsoukos PG (2005) Spontaneous precipitation of Struvite from synthetic Wastewater Solutions. CRYST GROWTH DES 5(2):489–496

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kratz S, Vogel C, Adam C (2019) Agronomic performance of P recycling fertilizers and methods to predict it: a review. NUTR CYCL AGROECOSYS 115:1–39

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li B, Boiarkina I, Yu W, Huang HM, Munir T, Wang GQ, Young BR (2019) Phosphorous recovery through struvite crystallization: challenges for future design. Sci Total Environ 648:1244–1256

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li XZ, Zhao QL (2002) MAP precipitation from landfill leachate and seawater bittern waste. Environ Technol 23(9):989–1000

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nigam P, Armour G, Banat IM, Singh D, Marchant R (2000) Physical removal of textile dyes and solid state fermentation of dye adsorbed agricultural residues. Bioresour Technol 72:219–226

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Paul I, Varghese G, Ittyachen MA (2002) Thermal decomposition studies of struvites. INDIAN J PURE AP PHY 40:664–669

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Péra J, Soudée E (2000) Mechanism of setting reaction in magnesia phosphate cement. Cem Concr Res 30:315–321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Römer W, Steingrobe B (2018) Fertilizer effect of phosphorus recycling products. Sustainability 10:1166. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10041166

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shu L, Schneider P, Jegateesay V, Jhoson J (2006) An economic evaluation of phosphorus recovery as struvite from digester supernatant. Bioresour Technol 97:2211–2216

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stefov V, Šoptrajanov B, Kuzmanovski I, Lutz HD, Engelen B (2005) Infrared and Raman spectra of magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate (struvite) and its isomorphous analogues. III. Spectra of protiated and partially deuterated magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate. J Mol Struct 752:60–67

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stowa 2006, Web Site, WWW.Stowa-selected technologies.nl, Retrieved on August 07,

  • Türker M, Ҫelen I (2007) Removal of ammonia as struvite from anaerobic digester effluents and recycling of magnesium and phosphate. Bioresour Technol 98:1529–1534

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tünay O, Kabdaşl I, Orhon D, Kolçak S (1997) Ammonia removal by magnesium ammonium phosphate precipitation in industrial wastewaters. Wat Sci Tech 36(2–3):225–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang LK, Pereira NC, Hung Y-T (2009) Advanced biological treatment processes. wileyinc. pub., edition 1, pp 345

  • Whitaker A, Jeffery JW (1970) The crystal structure of struvite, MgNH4PO4·6H2O. Acta Crystallogr B 26:1429–1440

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xin-Yuan S, Jian-Ming O, Feng-Xin W, Yu-Shan X (2015) Formation mechanism of magnesium ammonium phosphate stones: a component analysis of urinary nanocrystallites. J Nanomater 2015:1–9

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Communication number CSIR-CSMCRI - 198/2018. The analytical division & central instrumentation facility of CSIR-CSMCRI is acknowledged for helping with sample characterization. The authors acknowledge Mr. Sumesh C Upadhyay for assisting in techno-economic analysis of the process.

Funding

Financial support from CSIR-CSMCRI under an in-house project MLP 0029 is gratefully acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Salt and Marine Chemicals Division, CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, G. B. Marg, Bhavnagar, 364002, India

    Rahul J. Sanghavi, Rakesh Dobariya, Sameer Bhatti & Arvind Kumar

Authors
  1. Rahul J. Sanghavi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rakesh Dobariya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sameer Bhatti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Arvind Kumar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Arvind Kumar.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Philipp Gariguess

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sanghavi, R.J., Dobariya, R., Bhatti, S. et al. Preparation of high-purity magnesium-ammonium-phosphate fertilizer using sea bittern and industrial waste streams. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 7720–7728 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-07445-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-07445-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation