Sewage phosphorus recovery through sachets loaded with water treatment plant sludge

Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) present low phosphorus (P) removal capacity. Conversely, water treatment plants (WTPs) produce sludge with great P sorption from wastewater; however, directly adding the sludge into the wastewater treatment system could increase the effluent turbidity. As a novel approach, the present study evaluated the performance of WTP sludge within paper sachets for P removal from treated sewage. Different sludge concentrations (2–30 g L−1) and contact times (1–27 d) were applied to treat sewage from a university WWTP outlet. The sludge was characterized by P, Fe, and Al content. Larger sludge masses showed higher P removal efficiencies due to their high Fe content, especially at longer contact times (up to 100% at the final of the experiment). However, there is a more significant P reduction in the first 10 d (more than 90% in the most efficient treatment – 30 mg L−1). Based on the kinetic and isotherm analyses and the sludge chemical composition, precipitation proved to be a mechanism of great importance in P removal. Therefore, WTP sludge sachets can be a promising way to remove P from sewage, and the formed solid waste might be reused as an alternative fertilizer. HIGHLIGHTS Water treatment plant (WTP) sludge has a potential for phosphorus (P) sorption.; WTP sludge into sachets can be a promising way to recover P from sewage.; Sachets can provide lower concentrations of suspended solids and P removal.; The use may become promising in wastewater treatment tanks.; The contact time, sludge mass, and chemical composition influence P removal.