Phosphorus recovery from fosfomycin pharmaceutical wastewater by wet air oxidation and phosphate crystallization

Fosfomycin pharmaceutical wastewater contains highly concentrated and refractory antibiotic organic phosphorus (OP) compounds. Wet air oxidation (WAO)-phosphate crystallization process was developed and applied to fosfomycin pharmaceutical wastewater pretreatment and phosphorus recovery. Firstly, WAO was used to transform concentrated and refractory OP substances into inorganic phosphate (IP). At 200 °C, 1.0 MPa and pH 11.2, 99% total OP (TOP) was transformed into IP and 58% COD was reduced. Subsequently, the WAO effluent was subjected to phosphate crystallization process for phosphorus recovery. At Ca/P molar ratio 2.0:1.0 or Mg/N/P molar ratio 1.1:1.0:1.0, 99.9% phosphate removal and recovery were obtained and the recovered products were proven to be hydroxyapatite and struvite, respectively. After WAO–phosphate crystallization, the BOD/COD ratio of the wastewater increased from 0 to more than 0.5, which was suitable for biological treatment. The WAO–phosphate crystallization process was proven to be an effective method for phosphorus recovery and for fosfomycin pharmaceutical wastewater pretreatment.

► WAO–phosphate crystallization process for phosphorus recovery from fosfomycin pharmaceutical wastewater.
► 99% organic phosphorus was transformed into phosphate in WAO.
► 99.9% phosphate was recovered from WAO effluents.
► The BOD/COD ratio of the wastewater increased to above 0.5.