Thermal decomposition of magnesium ammonium phosphate and adsorption properties of its pyrolysis products toward ammonia nitrogen

High-purity magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) was precipitated by controlling pH value of the reaction system of 9.0-9.5. The thermal decomposition behavior of MAP and the adsorption properties of its pyrolysis products toward ammonia-nitrogen were also studied by XRD, SEM, TGA-DTA and FT-IR methods. The results indicated that high-purity MAP was obtained at pH value of 9.0-9.5. Upon heating to 100-120 °C for 120 min, MAP was thermally decomposed, losing water and ammonia concomitantly with a reduction in grain size and crystallinity. The capacity of pyrolysis products for ammonia nitrogen adsorption reached 72.5 mg/g, with a removal rate of up to 95% from an 800 mg/L solution. The characteristic diffraction peaks corresponding to MAP mainly appeared in their XRD patterns after adsorption of ammonia nitrogen. The pyrolysis products of MAP at 100-120 °C could be recycling-used as the chemical treatment regents of ammonia nitrogen in the practical application.