Biological Wastes 30 (1989) 133-147

Struvite Deposi ts in Pipes and Aerators

Mo h a j i t , * K. K. Bha t t a r a i , E. Paul Ta i g a n i d e s & B. C. Ya p
Pig and Poultry Research and Training Institute,
Sembawang Road, 2776 Singapore
(Received 22 July 1987; revised version accepted 7 May 1989)
ABSTRACT
Struvite created maintenance and operational problems in the Ponggol
Pigwaste Plant ( PPP) in Singapore a few months after the commissioning of
the plant. Struvite growth was studied in the laboratory and in pipes and
aerators at the PPP. Struvite solubility and removal with addition of
chemicals and physical cleaning have been studied. Sulfuric acid removes
struvite cheaper and faster than acetic acid. The struvite crystals are
MgNH4PO 4 . 6H20. A general formula for the prediction of the growth rate
and control of deposition of struvite crystals in the shaft section of floating
aerators in the aerated anaerobic lagoon (AAL) in the PPP was developed
.from experimental data.
I NT RODUCT I ON
The Ponggol Pi gwast e Pl ant (PPP) is used for t he t r eat ment of wast es f r om
t he I ndust r i al Fa r m (Pte) Lt d pig f ar m in Si ngapor e whi ch has a st andi ng pig
popul at i on (SPP) of 35 000 pigs. The average capaci t y of t he pl ant is 500 m 3
day - t. The maj or unit operat i ons of t he pl ant are: a raw wast e sump, pr i mar y
and s econdar y sedi ment at i on t anks, ext ended aer at i on oxi dat i on ditches,
1500 m 3 anaer obi c sludge digester, an aerat ed anaer obi c l agoon (AAL), sand
filter beds, t reat ed wat er recycle pump, chemi cal dosi ng equi pment , decant i ng
centrifuge, and pump st at i ons at several poi nt s (Taiganides, 1986). The
sl udge pr oduced can be dr i ed in t he sand filter beds or dewat er ed usi ng t he
* Present address: Mombertstr. 10, 7500 Karlsruhe, FRG.
133
Biological Wastes 0269-7483/89/$03"50 ,f) 1989 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, England.
Printed in Great Britain
134 Mohajit, K. K. Bhattarai, E. Paul Taiganides, B. C. Yap
centrifuge decanter. The recycled wat er is stored in a pond and is used to
flush the waste, using aut omat i c flushing-siphons. The two areas of severe
struvite deposition are in the digester overflow pipe and in the floating
aerat ors in the aerated anaerobi c lagoon.
The probl em of struvite (magnesium ammoni um phosphat e crystals) in
the PPP was first detected when the digester overflow pipe choked. PPP had
been commi ssi oned for full operat i on three mont hs earlier. Besides the
struvite in the digester overflow pipe, struvite crystals were also found in the
floating aerators, raw wast e-pump pipelines and in the outfall pipe. It was
noticed t hat the struvite deposits occurred in places subject to a higher level
of t urbul ent flow, e.g. on elbows, valves, flange connections, shafts and
propellers.
Accordi ng to Borgerding (1972) struvite crystal is composed (on a weight
basis) of 9.8% magnesium, 7.3% ammoni um, 38.8% phosphate, 44-1%
wat er and organic compounds. Furt hermore, concent rat i ons of magnesium,
ammoni um and phosphat e required for struvite to precipitate at Ksp = 3-9 x
10- 1o are 17-5, 13.1 and 69.5 mg/liter, respectively. He hypothesized t hat the
factors which may be responsible for struvite format i ons are, first, relative
surface to volume ratio. Crystal growt h may also be enhanced when the
sludge is not being wi t hdrawn and the fluid in the pipeline is in a quiescent
state. Secondly, interior surface roughness aids crystalline growth, and the
increase in energy caused by vibration or t urbul ent flow and the raising of
pH when CO2 is released as a result of pressure decrease also contribute.
Struvite has a low solubility in water, is highly soluble in dilute acidic
solutions and highly insoluble in alkaline solutions, so the most favorable
envi ronment for struvite precipitation occurs at pH 10.7 (Cal dwel l -Connel l
Engineers, 1985). Accordi ng to West erman e t al . (1985), PVC and PE plastic
pipes and PVC fittings reduce the struvite buildup compared to metal pipes,
but struvite can occur in all systems.
This paper reports on studies carried out to measure and predict struvite
growt h and to test different met hods for its removal from pipes and aerators.
METHODS
Field studies
Samples of raw waste, pri mary sludge, digester effluent supernatant, aerat ed
anaerobi c l agoon (AAL) liquor and crystal deposits in pipes and aerators,
were analysed for pH, Mg 2+, NH and PO 3- and ot her paramet ers while
the PPP was in full operation. Laborat ory analyses were carried out at the
Waste Analysis Laborat ory of the Pig and Poultry Research and Trai ni ng
Institute (PPRTI).
Struvite deposits in pipes and aerators 135
To measure t he gr owt h of struvite in aerators, t he number of r unni ng
hour s and days were recorded. The aerat ors were manual l y cl eaned by
scrapi ng out t he deposits. Ti mes needed for t he removal of t he aerat ors f r om
their moor i ng in t he AAL, cl eani ng and repl acement were recorded. St ruvi t e
crystals f r om different part s of t he aerat or were collected and washed, dri ed
in t he sun, and t he t hi ckness and densi t y det ermi ned. Thei r composi t i on was
tested in t he PPRTI l aborat ory.
Two experi ment s were r un to measur e t he gr owt h of struvite in pipes. I n
t he first experi ment a new pi pe and bend were installed at t he di gest er
overflow. One met er of vertical PVC pipe was connect ed to a 90 PVC el bow
whi ch was connect ed to a met er-l engt h hor i zont al acrylic pipe; t he PVC
bend and pipes were of 150 mm di amet er while t he acrylic pi pe was of
142 mm di amet er. The pri mary-sl udge pumps were r un to feed t he digester
and t hen st opped after several days. The flow rate of t he digester effluent was
measured. The pipes and bend were t hen removed, the crystals were manual l y
removed, and t he t hi ckness and densi t y measured.
In t he second experi ment , new PVC pipes ( 25. 4mm i nt ernal di amet er)
were connect ed to t he digester overflow and flow rates in t he pipes were
measured. The pipes were r emoved after 24days and crystal t hi ckness
measured. Aft er t he pipes were put back in their ori gi nal posi t i ons t hey were
washed with acid sol ut i ons and t he t i me requi red for compl et el y r emovi ng
t he struvite was recorded.
Laboratory experiments
Labor at or y experi ment s to det er mi ne struvite solubility in sul phuri c and
acetic acids were run. A large piece of struvite crystal ( about 3-5 g) was
wei ghed and pl aced in t he acid sol ut i on, whi ch was occasi onal l y stirred.
Aft er some t i me t he sol ut i on was filtered t hr ough a filter paper and t he
struvite was removed, dri ed at 100C for 20-30 mi n and t he crystal wei ghed
to det er mi ne its solubility. The crystals were dri ed for onl y 20-30 mi n as it
was f ound t hat after 30 mi n of dryi ng t he crystals decomposed.
Labor at or y studies on struvite f or mat i on in wast ewat er at different pH
levels were also carried out. The waste sampl e from t he digester out l et was
collected and t aken to t he l abor at or y where t hree sampl es in replicate were
pr epar ed in beakers. The first sampl e consi st ed of 600 ml of wastewater. To
300 ml of wast ewat er 300 ml of distilled wat er was added (sample no. 2) and
30 ml of 1N sulfuric acid was added to 600 ml of wast ewat er sampl e (sample
no. 3). The sampl es were first stirred by a magnet i c stirrer at ma xi mum speed
for 25 min. The stirring was st opped and 20-30 g of struvite crystals were
added to all the sampl es to act as catalysts. The wast ewat er sampl es were
t hen anal yzed for magnesi um after 24 h.
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Struvite deposits in pipes and aerators 137
Labor at or y experi ment s to r emove magnesi um as Mg(OH) 2 f r om t he
wast ewat er were carri ed out to det er mi ne t he feasibility of using lime to
i nhi bi t struvite f or mat i on. The tests were r un as follows. Raw waste sampl es
were collected and four replicate sampl es were pr epar ed in beakers. To t he
f our sampl es of 200 ml of wastewater, 1, 1.5, 2 and 2-5 g of lime were added.
The sampl es were stirred by a magnet i c stirrer at medi um speed for 30 s. The
stirring was st opped and t he flocs f or med were t hen settled for 30mi n.
Suspended-sol i ds removal was t hen det ermi ned.
Struvite f ormat i on in aerators
To measure t he gr owt h of crystals of struvite in aerators, six aerat ors were
t aken out, cl eaned and t hen replaced in t he AAL. The six aerat ors were
number ed 1-6 with Aer at or Number 1 being st opped for one day (full 24-h
period) before r unni ng it again. Similarly, Numbe r 2 aer at or was st opped for
48h before starting. The Numbe r 6 aerat or r emai ned at a standstill for
144 h before bei ng st art ed again. At t he end of t he experi ment , each aerat or
was t aken out of t he AAL. A series of experi ment s was set up for a per i od of
t hree mont hs, as expl ai ned in Fig. 1. The t hi ckness of struvite crystals at t he
aer at or shaft was measur ed and sampl es were t aken for l abor at or y analyses.
The shaft is t he most critical par t because bui l dup of struvite in this section
means mor e energy is requi red to force t hr ough t he same a mount of flow in a
smaller space. In ot her words, there is hi gher l oad on the mot or . Burned
electrical mot or s are a c ommon pr obl em with floating aerat ors whi ch are
subject to severe struvite format i ons.
RESULTS AND DI SCUSSI ON
Struvite composi t i on
Analyses of wast ewat er sampl es showed t hat t he average concent r at i ons of
magnesi um, a mmoni um and phosphat e were above t he concent r at i on
pr oduct r epor t ed by Borgerdi ng (1972) to be sufficient for struvite
f or mat i on. So it is not surpri si ng t hat struvite crystals grew in t he raw waste
pipe and digester overflow pipe, as well as in t he floating aerator. Results of
t he sampl e analyses are present ed in Table 1.
Quant i t at i ve analyses of t he crystals showed t hat t he crystal was not pure
struvite. Al t hough all el ement s were not present in st oi chi omet r i c
pr opor t i ons, it was assumed t hat t he crystalline mat eri al was struvite
( magnesi um a mmoni um phosphat e). The results of t he analyses are shown in
Tabl e 2.
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Struvite deposits in pipes and aerators
TABLE 2
Composition of Crystalline Deposits at the PPP
139
Constituent Actual composition Theoretical composition of
(wt %) struvite (wt %)
Mg 2 10"25 9"8
NH~ 5'01 7'3
PO 3- 38"99 38"8
H20 44"66 44"1 (H20 and organics)
Growth and removal of struvite in aerators
All t he necessary activities, tools and times requi red for t he cl eani ng of
struvite f r om t he aerat ors are given in Tabl e 3. It was det er mi ned t hat t he
t i me and manpower requi red to ' t ow an aer at or to t he jetty, lift it out by
crane, di smant l e, scrape off t he crystal deposi t s, clean, put back t oget her and
t ow it back t o its place in t he l agoon (AAL) was 8.25-10.15 man- hour s. It
t akes t hree peopl e to coor di nat e t he whol e operat i on. These t hree co-
or di nat or s are i ncl uded in t he man- hour s calculation. Aft er r emovi ng t he
struvite f r om t he vari ous part s of t he aer at or (Fig. 2), t he aerat ors were
pl aced back in t he AAL. Tabl e 4 shows t he a mount of struvite accumul at ed
in different aerat or parts.
Growth and removal of struvite in pipes and bends
St ruvi t e deposi t s in pipes and bends for experi ment s run in 1986 are shown
in Tabl e 5. The dat a i ndi cat e t hat struvite deposi t s can occur even wi t hi n 3
weeks as compar ed t o 6 weeks t hat was r epor t ed by West er man e t al . (1985).
It is to be not ed t hat dur i ng t he 24 days of t he experi ment t here were no
st ruvi t e deposi t s in t he acrylic pipe, whilst t he PVC pi pe accumul at ed
10-6 mm of st ruvi t e dur i ng t he same period. St ruvi t e densi t y is ar ound 1"5 kg
l i t er - 1. St ruvi t e deposi t s in t he pi pe bends were great er t han in ot her pi pe
port i ons.
For t he experi ment al studies of st r uvi t e gr owt h in pipes and bends in 1987,
t hree pipes were installed in parallel to receive flow f r om t he di gest ed-
super nat ant overflow. The same flow rate was mai nt ai ned in each of t he
t hree pipes. The flow rate varied f r om 0.15~)' 501iters s-1. When t he flow
rate was less t han 0-15 liters s-1, t he pi pes choked frequent l y due to t he
sludge. For flows above 0. 50liters s -1, it was assumed t hat t he st ruvi t e
f or med woul d be r emoved due to t he hi gh fluid velocity. The average crystal
t hi ckness was 2.58 mm and 2"80 mm for 24 days oper at i on in t wo pipes (1, 3)
140 Mohajit, K. K. Bhattarai, E. Paul Taiganides, B. C. Yap
TABLE 3
Procedures and Time Required to Remove Struvite Deposits from Floating Aerators
]tem Aerator
Number 8 Number 6
Date of cleaning 7 Aug.
Manpower needed (persons) 3
Time taken (min):
- - t o prepare equipment for the whole process 5
- - t o release wire and cable of the aerator from the boat 11
- - t o row and bring aerator to the bank 5
- - t o fasten aerator on to the crane 7
- - t o bring aerator to the cleaning platform 8
- - t o remove motor and place on the platform 12
- - t o clean aerator (one person) 120
- - t o fasten motor back in place 23
- - t o fasten aerator to the crane and tow to the lagoon 17
- - t o put aerator back in its place in thellagoon 15
- - t o connect wire and cable back to the aerator 55
- - t o row back to the bank 5
Total time (h):
--before and after cleaning 8.15
- - f or cleaning 2.00
Total time: man-hours aerator i 10.15
Equipment needed for cleaning only:
---chisel
--hammer
--scraper
--brush
1986 12 Aug. 1986
3
5
9
5
4
7
15
180
10
27
5
13
5
5.25
3.00
8.25
The same equipment was used for
cleaning both aerators
and 3.48 mm for 20 days operat i on in the ot her pipe (2). Pipe Number 2
choked after 20 days of operat i on but was removed for weighing, measuri ng
and cleaning on the same day as the ot her pipes. The struvite formed in the
pipes was flushed by sulphuric and acetic acid solutions in pipes Numbers 2
and 3, respectively. Fl ushi ng pipe Number 2 twice with normal sulfuric acid
removed 3.48 mm in 4 h, while flushing pipe Number 3 three times with
acetic acid removed 2.8 mm in 6 h. Sulfuric acid was more effective t han
acetic acid in completely removi ng struvite. This verified the results of
l aborat ory experiments.
Struvite solubility in acids
The results of the struvite solubility l aborat ory tests at 29C with respect to
det ent i on time in acids are shown in Fig. 3. In 120min det ent i on time,
Struvite deposits in pipes and aerators 141
TABLE 4
St ruvi t e Fo r ma t i o n i n Aer at or s in t he PPP
Date Aerator
of number
cleaning
Position Weight Thickness Struvite Number Number
of (ram) density of hours t~f days
struvite kg liter-1 aerator aerator
(g) max. mean was run was in
lagoon
8 Aug. 86 8
19 Aug. 86 1
i nl et 255.0 9.10 7.39 1.71
out si de 1 149.07 10.95 8-74 1.65
propel l er a 12.92 6 " 3 5 5' 88 1.76
shaft s 38.34 1-85 1.05 1.55
out l et None
i nl et 3096.87 13"10 10.00 1.59
out si de 1 753.35 11'10 8-38 1.70
propel l er 890-42 14"05 12.00 1-60
shaft 1 617.42 17'60 14.44 1"58
out l et 3434. 84 12.15 11'25 1.49
95.30 220
1 793.65 367
a Fi bregl ass-coat ed.
4
5 ~
Fig. 2. Hi gh- speed fl oat i ng aer at or used in the aerat ed anaer obi c l agoon (AAL) showi ng
sect i ons whi ch were studied. 1, Mot or : 2, out l et : 3, shaft: 4, propel l er: 5 and 6, out si de: 7, inlet.
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St ruvi t e deposits in pipes and aerators
TABLE 5
Struvite Formation in Pipes for Digester Effluent in the PPP (1986)
143
Dat e Position Wei ght Thickness St ruvi t e
o f o f (ram) densi t y
cleaning struvite (kg l - 1)
(g) max. mean
Runni ng
t i me
(days)
18 Feb. 87 90 Elbow 1 633.54 69.43 28.38 1-43
11 Aug. 86 90 Elbow 1 820.27 19.85 12-52 1.61
2 Sep. 86 90 Elbow 999"71 13-40 8"81 1-56
11 Aug. 86 Horizontal 2066"19 20- 06 12"55 1.40
2 Sep. 86 VerticaP 1402"28 13"25 10'65 1"51
2 Sep. 86 Horizontal b 2.52 Negligible - -
169
174
24
174
24
24
a Height of digester effluent vertical pipe, 7-6 m.
b Pipe material transparent acrylic; the material for the other pipes was PVC.
Dat e Average f l ow rate o f
digester effluent (liter s - 1)
12 Aug. 86 2.294
13-23 Aug. 86 5.754
24 Aug. 86 2.294
solubility ofst ruvi t e in acetic and sulfuric acids reached respective saturated
values. Struvite solubility in sulfuric acid was greater t han in acetic acid for
the same normal i t y (IN). Based on market prices for acids as of Januar y
1987, it was eight times cheaper to use sulfuric acid (US$0.17 kg- 1 struvite
removed) t han acetic acid (US$1.41 kg -~ struvite removed) for struvite
flushing.
Struvite crystallization
Dat a on the format i on of struvite crystals in the diluted wastewater and in
the presence of acids obt ai ned from l aborat ory experiments are given in
Table 6. In Sample 1, magnesi um concent rat i on in the solution decreased
from 158 ppm to 68 ppm, which shows t hat struvite format i on occurred.
There was no evidence of struvite format i on in Samples 2 and 3.
Removal of magnesi um as Mg( OH) 2
As the pH is increased above 10 to 11, Mg 2+ will start preci pi tati ng out as
Mg(OH)2, thus l oweri ng the avai l abl e Mg 2+ concent rat i on ( Cal dwel l -
Connel l Engineers, 1985). If Mg 2+ coul d be removed usi ng l i me it coul d
144 Mohafit, K. K, Bhattarai, E. Paul Taiganides, B. C. Yap
TABLE 6
Laboratory Test on Struvite Formation at Room Temperature
Sampl e Tot al Li qui d added
number* volume to wast ewat er b
(mr)
p H Ti me o f Wei ght o f Magnesium concentration
stirring struvite (mg l i t er- l)
(min) added (g)
(initial) (final) c
1 600 None 8.02 25 22.998 158 68
2 600 300ml distilled water 7.88 25 30-260 79 78
3 630 30ml 1N sulfuric acid 7.03 25 22-208 150 182
Experiment was done using a magnetic stirrer at maximum speed, and small pieces of struvite
were added as an auto-catalyst.
See text.
b Wastewater sample was collected at the digester overflow outlet. See Methods.
c After 24h.
i nhi bi t struvite crystallization. Thus, l abor at or y experi ment s were per-
f or med to preci pi t at e Mg 2 f r om raw waste usi ng different lime dosages.
The results of t he experi ment s are present ed in Tabl e 7. Dat a show t hat a
lime dosage of 5 g l i t er - 1 removes 98"5% of t he suspended solids. I f used
daily, it woul d be uneconomi cal to use lime to preci pi t at e magnesi um so as
to i nhi bi t struvite gr owt h (see Tabl e 7).
Formula for Struvite growth rate
The average struvite t hi ckness and gr owt h rates in t he shaft section of t he
aer at or are t abul at ed in Tabl e 8. The struvite t hi ckness for each aer at or was
measur ed at t he end of each exper i ment wi t h a vernier calliper at 18-22
TABLE 7
Removal of Magnesium Using Lime in Laboratory Tests
I t em Sampl e number
1 2 3 4 5
Volume (ml) 200 200 200 200 200
Lime added (g) 0 1 1-5 2 2-5
Dose (g/liter) 0 5 7.5 10 12.5
pH of solution 7.83 8'8 10'30 11'71 11'76
Suspended solid removal (%) 0 98.5 98.5 96.3 90-4
Cost to precipitate Mg per m 3 of
waste (US$ per m 3) - - 0.33 0.50 0.66 0"83
St ruvi t e deposits in pipes and aerators 145
TABLE $
Struvite Growth Rate and Thickness in Aerator Shaft
Unit Growt h time, Tot al thickness Growt h rate, Thickness
stopped-time, T s S D G T per unit T
T (days) L s (ram d - ~) x 10- 3 L
(days) (2) (ram) (4) = (3)/(2) (ram) x 10- 3
( 1 ) (3) ( 5 ) = ( 4 ) x ( 1 )
1 32 3' 02 ___0"40 94.4 94.4
(19)
2 34 4-14 + 0' 52 121"8 243-6
(22)
3 42 11"52 + 1"07 274"3 822"9
(21)
4 31 4-24 + 0' 99 136-8 547"2
(20)
5 22 3"08 + 0"79 140"0 700"0
(18)
6 24 3-40 + 0-6 1417 8502
(20)
Fi gur es in br acket s r epr esent t he numbe r of meas ur ement s t aken in or der t o cal cul at e t he
mean shown.
The + number s ar e t he s t andar d devi at i on (SD).
di fferent poi nt s on t he shaft in or der t o arri ve at t he average t hi ckness
i ndi cat ed in col umn (3) of Tabl e 8.
The general f or mul a for st ruvi t e gr owt h rat e can be expressed as:
/
Gr = Gs - - (1)
T
wher e
G r = gr owt h rat e at uni t st opped- t i me T ( mm da y- 1)
Gs = ma xi mum gr owt h r at e ( mm d a y - 1)
l = cons t ant (mm)
T = uni t st opped- t i me (days)
Fr om Fig. 4 t he values of Gs and l ar e 0-151 mm day -1 and 0.058 mm,
respect i vel y (the line of best fit has been dr awn usi ng l i near regressi on; t he
coefficient of cor r el at i on r = 0"999...). Subst i t ut i ng t he val ues of Gs and 1
i nt o eqn (1) t hen,
0.058
Gr = 0.151 - ~ - -
146 Mohajit, K. K. Bhattarai, E. Paul Taiganides, B. C. Yap
1000
800
T
o
x 600
E
z. o o
t ~
200
AT
~L
r =0. 999 . . . .
Tz
I 2 3 ~ 5 6 7 8 9 10
UNIT STOPPED TIME, d (T)
Fig. 4. Struvite thickness in the aerator shaft at different unit stopped-times showing the
two constants; the minimum stopped-time duration (Tz) before significant deposition of
struvite occurs and the maximum thickness (l) which is expected to be scraped offdue to the
start of liquid movement when the propeller is put in motion.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The work reported here was carried out as part of the two-month Research
and Training Programme in Waste Resource Recovery Biotechnologies and
Pollution Control, sponsored by the International Development Research
Centre (IDRC) of Canada in collaboration with the Primary Production
Department (PPD) at the Pig and Poultry Research and Training Institute
(PPRTI), Singapore. The facilities used were those developed under projects
partially funded by the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP/FAO-SIN/74/006) and the Australian Development Assistance
Bureau (ADAB) (GCP/SIN-001/AUL), IDRC, and Industrial Farm (Pte)
Ltd.
REFERENCES
Borgerding, J. (1972). Phosphate deposits in digestion system. J. Wat er Poll. Cont.
Fed., 44, 813--19.
Struvite deposits in pipes and aerators 147
Caldwell-Connell Engineers (1985). Disposal of Digested Sludge from Glenelg
STW. Engineering and Water Supply Department South Australia Report
4-1-4-5.
Taiganides, E. P. (1986). Animal farming effluent problems--an integrated
approach: Resource recovery in large scale pig farming. Water Sci. Tech., 18,
47-55.
Westerman, P. W., Safley, L. M. Jr & Barker, J. C. (1985). Crystalline buildup in
swine and poultry recycle flush systems. In Proceedings of the 5th International
Symposium of Agricultural Wastes. American Society of Agricultural
Engineers, St Joseph, MI, 16-17 December 1985, pp. 613-23.