Regulating the distribution of phosphorus in sewage sludge hydrothermal carbonization products by complexation pretreatment

In this study, we investigated the effects of the concentrations of four pretreatment complexing reagents, namely ascorbic acid (AS), citric acid (CA), N, N-bis (carboxymethyl) glutamic acid (GLDA), and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), on the phosphorus contents and forms in hydrothermally carbonized sludge products. The results showed that among the four complexing reagents, EDTA had the greatest effect on the phosphorus transfer from the solid phase to the liquid phase during the hydrothermal process of the sludge, followed, respectively, by GLDA, CA, and AS. The phosphorus proportion of the liquid phase was 63.96% under hydrothermal process temperature, reaction time, and EDTA concentration of 160 °C, 60 min, and 0.2 mol/L, respectively. The results showed formations of EDTA complexes with Ca, Fe, and Al in the sludge, releasing phosphorus bound to the metal ions into the liquid phase. The highest total phosphorus concentration in the liquid phase was 2533.31 mg/L following the increase in the hydrothermal process temperature from 100 to 160 °C. However, the Fe and Al-EDTA complexes were thermally decomposed after continuously increasing the hydrothermal process temperature to 240 °C, resulting in a readsorption of phosphorus to the solid phase with Fe, Al, and other metals and, consequently, decreasing the phosphorus content to 880.93 mg/L in the liquid phase. The results of this study provide a scientific basis for regulating phosphorus distribution in the solid and liquid phases of hydrothermally carbonized sludge products and effectively recovering phosphorus in the liquid phase. [Display omitted] •The complexing reagents regulated P distribution during the hydrothermal process.•At 100-160 °C, EDTA binds to the metal releasing P into the liquid phase.•The P contents in the liquid phase is considerably reduced at 160-240 °C.