Non-Point-Source Nitrogen and Phosphorus Loadings from a Small Watershed in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area

Non-point-source pollution has become a major threat to the water quality of the Three Gorges Reservoir(TGR);however,nutrient loadings from terrestrial sources are unclear due to a lack of in situ monitoring.A representative small watershed in the central part of the TGR area was selected to monitor the loss of nitrogen(N) and phosphorous(P) continuously along with the runoff from 2007 through 2009 to understand the exact sources and loadings.Results show that the non-point-source nitrogen and phosphorus comes mainly from the storm runoff from residential areas,citrus orchards and sloping croplands,which contributes up to 76% of the loadings in this watershed.Thus,a crucial measure for controlling non-point-source pollution is to intercept storm runoff from the three sources.Paddy fields provide a sink for non-point-source N and P by intercepting the runoff and sediment along with their different forms of nitrogen and phosphorus.The N and P removal efficiency by paddy fields from residential areas is within the range of 56% to 98%.Paddy fields are an important land-use option for reducing the non-point-source loading of N and P in the TGR area.

Influencing Factors of Ammonium Nitrogen Removal by Composite Phosphate and Magnesium

It is necessary to adjust reaction pH when a single kind of PO4^3- is used as phosphorus source to remove NH4^＋- N in a chemical precipitation process. However, this tedious step could be avoided in experiments that use the buffering effect of the composite phosphate and employ PO4^3- and HPO4^2- as phosphorus sources, pH was controlled by properly changing the proportion of PO4^3- to HPO4^2-. The influences of pH, material proportion and different addition modes of magnesium on NH4^＋-N removal efficiency were investigated, with NH4^3--N concentration in influent being 200 mg/L. It showed that the ratio of HPO4^2- ： PO4^3- was concerned with phosphorus and NH4^＋-N removal. Under the condition that the total amount of phosphate is definite, the removal efficiency of NH4^＋-N decreased with the enhancement of HPO4^2- concentration, while the efficiency of phosphorus increased. When increasing PO4^3- concentration, it benefited the removal of NH4^＋-N, but the remaining phosphorus was high. The results showed that NH4^＋-N concentration decreased from the initial 200 mg/L to 39.14 mg/L with the remaining PO4^3- at 5.14 mg/L if the ratio of HPO4^2- ： PO4^3- remained at 1：3.

Biogas residue biochar integrated with phosphate from its ash for the effective recovery of nutrients from piggery biogas slurry

Magnesium ammonium phosphate(MAP)precipitation generally requires an external phosphorus source to increase the recovery of NH_(4)^(+)-N from biogas slurry.However,P-rich piggery biogas residue has been ignored as a phosphorus source.In this study,biogas residue was carbonized into biogas residue biochar(BRC),followed by acid leaching to synthesize functionalized BRC and release PO_(4)^(3−)-P from its ash as the phosphorus source.The effects of different acids on the leaching efficiency and morphological changes of P in BRC were investigated,and NH_(4)^(+)-N and PO_(4)^(3−)-P in the biogas slurry were recovered with functionalized BRC and MAP precipitation.The results showed that oxalic acid-hydrochloric acid mixed acid could leach more than 96%of P in BRC,while weakening the inhibitory effect of Ca^(2+)on MAP precipitation.The BRC was mainly composed of inorganic P,and most nonapatite IP and apatite P(Ca_(3)(PO_(4))2)were leached during acid leaching,with the latter more easily leached.Under optimal recovery conditions,the method had a significant recovery effect on NH_(4)^(+)-N(96.4%)and PO_(4)^(3−)-P(99.3%)in biogas slurry.The recovery of NH_(4)^(+)-N and PO_(4)^(3−)-P by functionalized BRC was mainly through chemical precipitation(forming NH_(4)MgPO_(4)·H_(2)O precipitate)while bonding with-OH,C=O and C-H functional groups.The final recovery product was also a BRC-based slow-release N-P fertilizer rich in struvite.This study solved the disposal problems of P-rich biogas residue and N-rich biogas slurry while providing an innovative technology for the resource utilization of faecal sewage at pig farms.