Click here to enlarge imageThe question then becomes: “How do you get more phosphorous to wastewater microbes while discharging less?”
An Agricultural Solution
The answer for the Shanghai Chlor-alkali Chemical Co., in Shanghai, China, is in a product called Super Phos.
This product is an organically complexed form of phosphoric acid that’s designed to prevent premature formation of insoluble phosphorous precipitates. It starts out as food-grade phosphoric acid and is complexed with a humic acid complex derived from “Leonardite,” a soft lignite similar to brown coal.
Pre-complexing phosphorous with organic acids makes this phosphorous product many times more bio-available than regular phosphorous compounds because it is protected by carbon molecules from tying up in the water column. For years, it has proven itself as a superior agricultural nutrient and is now used in wastewater applications where maximum bioavailability is required and minimum effluent phosphorous concentrations are demanded.
Typically, a fourth to a tenth of the amount of this material is used compared to common grade agricultural type green 0-50-0 phosphoric acid fertilizers. This means reduced costs, easier handling with fewer regulatory constraints, and greater bioavailability that results in less phosphorous discharge and better wastewater treatment plant performance.
While Super Phos is primarily used as an agricultural nutrient, its application in wastewater was discovered by Dr. Lei Yuan while visiting the United States from China.
Beyond spuds
Dr. Yuan is a remediation expert in China specializing in cleaning up rivers, waterways and soils. His remediation projects and research are performed in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Science, East China Normal University, in Shanghai, China. While visiting the Pacific Northwest, he noticed potato farmers using this product in Washington state and thought it might have application in refineries and the paper and pulp industry in China.