Recovery of phosphorus from source separated urine by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans culture supernatant

• Source separated urine is a good source of phosphorus.
• At. ferrooxidans culture supernatant provide ferric ions.
• The ferric ions react with phosphorus to form iron phosphate.
• The At. ferrooxidans culture supernatant is useful for recovery of phosphorus.

In the present study, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (At. ferrooxidans) culture supernatant was used for phosphate (PO43−) removal and recovery from source separated urine. The results indicated that the solution pH and ferric ion (Fe3+) concentration influenced the PO43− precipitation. The 5.6 pH was found optimum for PO43− recovery. An increase in Fe3+ concentration increased PO43− recovery. Recovered iron phosphate (FePO4) was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX). Source separated urine can be a renewable source for phosphate recovery using At. ferrooxidans culture supernatant. This will help in sustainable agricultural development.