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Leaching behavior of phosphorous compounds from sewage sludge ash based on quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis

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Abstract

Phosphorus (P) is an essential and limited resource. Incineration sewage sludge ash (ISSA) contains a high amount of P, which can be recovered using chemical leaching methods. However, the recovery ratio depends on the speciation of P and the leaching conditions. In this study, hydrochloric acid was used as a leaching agent, and the effects of the hydrochloric acid concentration, leaching time, temperature, and liquid–solid ratio on the P leaching ratio were investigated. Furthermore, the co-leaching of macro-metals Ca, Al, Fe, and Mg was analyzed. The results showed that P leached rapidly within 30 min, where the leaching rate reached more than 80% and then gradually stabilized. The leaching concentrations of Ca and Mg had a significant correlation (correlation coefficient r2 > 0.90), and both were leached completely. Al and P had similar leaching patterns, where the leaching rates increased initially and then decreased with time at 0.2 mol/L HCl. According to X-ray diffraction analysis and Rietveld refinement, the P in ISSA was mainly present in the forms of Mg3Ca3(PO4)4 and AlPO4. When leached using 0.2 mol/L HCl at 55 °C with a liquid-to-solid ratio of 20 L/kg, the AlPO4 and Fe3(H2O)3(PO4)2 in ISSA dissolved initially and then precipitated on the surface of the solid phase, thereby impeding further P leaching.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment (2017ZX07202005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Waste Treatment and Reclamation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China

    Pinjing He, Xiaotong Zhang, Liming Shao & Hua Zhang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China

    Xiaotong Zhang, Fan Lü & Hua Zhang

  3. Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, China

    Pinjing He, Fan Lü, Liming Shao & Hua Zhang

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  1. Pinjing He
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He, P., Zhang, X., Lü, F. et al. Leaching behavior of phosphorous compounds from sewage sludge ash based on quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis. Waste Dispos. Sustain. Energy 2, 113–125 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42768-020-00037-w

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