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.