REMOVAL OF PHOSPHORUS PRESENT IN DOMESTIC EFFLUENTS BY PRECIPITATION
The release of sewage into water bodies causes the degradation of water resources. Conventional biological sewage treatment systems are designed for the removal of solids and dissolved organic matter and are inefficient for the removal of phosphorus and nitrogen, since such nutrients would only be removed in tertiary treatment units, which are uncommon in Brazil. The presence of these compounds in water bodies, work as nutrients promoting the bloom of algae that can produce toxins and cause damage to the health of the population and economic losses for water treatment companies due to the early loss of charge in the filtration system. One of the possibilities for removing phosphorus in the form of phosphate from water bodies is its precipitation. Although this technology has been developed in other countries, including commercial applications, no successful cases have been identified in Brazil. Furthermore, the literature brings quite controversial data regarding the conditions under which it is possible to precipitate phosphate, particularly as struvite. In this study we will seek to optimize the precipitation of phosphates, by studying the main variables. For this, the methodology of Experimental Planning Factorial will be used, whose advantage is to allow the study of several factors at once, saving time and resources with metrological reliability. It is intended, through this methodology, to understand the main and interaction effects between the variables, in order to arrive at the optimized conditions of phosphorus removal by precipitation in domestic effluents.