Production of struvite from beverage waste as phosphorus source

Abstract

In this work was investigated the influence of pH on the synthesis of struvite using cola beverage waste as source of phosphorus. The process was operated in a batch reactor. The reaction time was 20 minutes, and the chemicals MgCl2.6H2O and NH4Cl were used in the experiment, with a molar ratio of Mg+2:NH4+:PO4(3-) = 1:1:1. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), surface area (BET), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and infra-red (IR). From the results was verified the formation of a crystalline phase at pH 9.5, with a surface area of 6.59 m² g-1 and a particle size of about 0.25 µm.

Keywords

• struvite
• characterization
• beverage waste
• phosphorous