Partitionable-space enhanced coagulation (PEC) reactor and its working mechanism: A new prospective chemical technology for phosphorus pollution control

• A novel reactor named PEC was invented to control phosphorus pollution.
• The PEC reactor was highly efficient and cost-effective for phosphorus removal.
• Partitionable-space and flocculation filter attributed to PEC's good performance.
• The phosphorus content of precipitate was high and propitious to reuse.

Phosphorus pollution control and phosphorus recycling, simultaneously, are focus of attention in the wastewater treatment. In this work, a novel reactor named partitionable-space enhanced coagulation (PEC) was invented for phosphorus control. The working performance and process mechanism of PEC reactor were investigated. The results showed that the PEC technology was highly efficient and cost-effective. The volumetric removal rate (VRR) reached up to 2.86 ± 0.04 kg P/(m3 d) with a phosphorus removal rate of over 97%. The precipitant consumption was reduced to 2.60–2.76 kg Fe(II)/kg P with low operational cost of $ 0.632–0.673/kg P. The peak phosphorus content in precipitate was up to 30.44% by P2O5, which reveal the benefit of the recycling phosphorus resource. The excellent performance of PEC technology was mainly attributed to the partitionable-space and ‘flocculation filter’. The partition limited the trans-regional back-mixing of reagents along the reactor, which promoted the precipitation reaction. The ‘flocculation filter’ retained the microflocs, enhancing the flocculation process.

(I) (II) (III). Sections in reaction zone, (IV). Separation zone. 1. influent tank with synthetic wastewater, 2. influent pump, 3. influent jet, 4. chemical reagent tank with precipitant and NaOH, 5. chemical reagent pump, 6. PEC reactor, 7. sediment discharge, 8. effluent.Figure optionsDownload high-quality image (107 K)Download as PowerPoint slide