Experimental Investigations of Removal of Phosphorus Compounds from Wastewater under Biological Purification

Abstract

Today, most surface waters of Ukraine are eutrophied due to the entry into water bodies of a significant amount of nutrients – compounds of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen and phosphorus enter water bodies with wastewater, sewage from agricultural lands and livestock farms, as well as with precipitation, due to the decomposition of water biomass, aquatic vegetation and zoocenoses. In the presence of free carbon dioxide (the concentration of which depends on bicarbonate alkalinity and water pH) and at certain rates of biochemical oxygen utilization (BOD) 7.2 g of nitrogen and 1 g of phosphorus produce 115 g of algae, which decomposition then consumes 115 g of oxygen.