Influences of electrode distance and electrolysis time on phosphorus precipitation and composition during electrolysis of anaerobic digestion effluent

Global demand for phosphorus (P) is increasing, which has led to concerns over future drought and has driven efforts to recover P from wastewater streams for reuse. In this study, platinum-coated titanium electrodes were applied to the electrochemical precipitation of P from anaerobic digestion effluent that was collected from a domestic wastewater treatment plant. The influence of the electrode distance on P removal and precipitation was investigated. In addition, the influence of the electrolysis time on the chemical structure and composition of the P precipitate was evaluated from the viewpoint of utilising the P precipitate as fertiliser. Regardless of the electrode distance (10, 5 and 1 mm), PO43−, Ca2+ and Mg2+ were removed. The bulk solution pH increased during electrolysis because of the consumption of generated H+ as HCO3− transitioned to H2CO3 near the anode. A greater increase in the bulk solution pH was observed when the electrode distance was narrowed because of the enhanced H+ consumption. Narrowing the electrode distance reduced the energy consumption for P precipitation. The increase in the bulk solution pH with the narrowing electrode distance changed the dominant P precipitation pathway from onto the cathode to in the bulk solution. X-ray diffraction spectra of the precipitates showed that increasing the electrolysis time transformed amorphous P to hydroxyapatite and struvite. Most P existed in a citric acid-soluble form, which is recommended for use as a slow P release fertiliser. There were no significant changes in the citric acid-soluble P content of the precipitates with increasing electrolysis time. Therefore, increasing the electrolysis time has little influence on the suitability of the precipitate as a slow P release fertiliser. [Display omitted] •Electrochemical precipitation of P from actual anaerobic digestion effluent•Narrowing the electrode distance reduced the energy consumption for precipitation.•Dominant pathway of P precipitation changed with electrode distance.•Extending the electrolysis time transformed amorphous P to HAP and struvite.•Transformation of the chemical structure had little influence on the P composition.