ISSN 2410-7751 (Print)
ISSN 2410-776X (Online)
License CC-BY.
Biotechnologia Acta Т. 19, No. 3, 2026
P. 24-31, Bibliography 52, Engl.
UDC: UDC 628.331:628.35:576.3.7
doi: https://doi.org/10.15407/biotech19.03.024
ANALYSIS AND SELECTION OF TECHNOLOGY FOR PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL FROM MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER
K.S. Kyrychenko, L.A. Sablii
National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”
Phosphorus removal from municipal wastewater is essential to prevent eutrophication and support the transition toward a circular economy. Efficient treatment requires not only compliance with discharge standards but also consideration of the potential for resource recovery.
Aim. To analyze modern phosphorus removal technologies and to develop recommendations for process optimization using mathematical modeling.
Methods. The study was based on the analysis of EU regulatory documents, Ukrainian standards, EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) guidelines, and scientific literature (2000-2026). Special attention was given to enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR), combined treatment systems, phosphorus recovery technologies, and modeling approaches such as ASM2d.
Results. Chemical precipitation provides high phosphorus removal efficiency (up to 90–95%), but it also significantly increases sludge production. EBPR reduces sludge formation and operational costs but is sensitive to influent conditions. Systems that combine EBPR with chemical post-treatment achieve the highest efficiency (up to 99,6%) with a moderate increase in sludge (10-20%).
Conclusions. The combination of biological phosphorus removal with chemical polishing is the most effective and economically viable solution. This approach enables phosphorus removal efficiencies exceeding 95% while minimizing sludge production and supporting resource recovery strategies.
Keywords: biotechnology, microorganisms, wastewater treatment, phosphorus removal, modelling
K.S. KYRYCHENKO http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2076-8239
L.A. SABLII http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4217-3535
References
- Wurtsbaugh, W.A., Paerl, H.W., Dodds, W.K. (2019). Nutrients, eutrophication and harmful algal blooms along the freshwater to marine continuum. WIREs Water, 6, e1373. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1373
- Poikane, S., Kelly, M.G., Salas Herrero, F., Pitt, J.-A., Jarvie, H.P., Claussen, U., ..., Phillips, G. (2019). Nutrient criteria for surface waters under the European Water Framework Directive: Current state of the art, challenges and future outlook. Science of the Total Environment, 695, 133888. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133888
- Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy (Water Framework Directive). (2000). Official Journal of the European Communities, L327.
- S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2010). Nutrient Control Design Manual. EPA/600/R-10/100. Cincinnati, OH: Office of Research and Development.
- Directive (EU) 2024/3019 of the European Parliament and of the Council on urban wastewater treatment (recast). (2024). Official Journal of the European Union. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/3019/oj
- Council Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste-water treatment. (1991). Official Journal of the European Communities, L135.
- Sena, M., Hicks, A. (2018). Life cycle assessment review of struvite precipitation in wastewater treatment. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 139, 194–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.08.017
- Ravi, R., Beyers, M., Bruun, S., Meers, E. (2022). Life cycle assessment of struvite recovery and wastewater sludge end use: A Flemish illustration. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 182, 106325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106325
- Morrissey, K.G., English, L., Thoma, G., Popp, J. (2022). Prospective Life Cycle Assessment and Cost Analysis of Novel Electrochemical Struvite Recovery in a U.S. Wastewater Treatment Plant. Sustainability, 14(20), 13657. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013657
- Prot, T., Wijdeveld, W., Eshun, L.E., Uijterlinde, C., Dugulan, A.I., Goubitz, K., ..., van Lier, J.B. (2020). Full-scale increased iron dosage to stimulate the formation of vivianite and its recovery from digested sewage sludge. Water Research, 182, 115911. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2020.115911
- Fang, L., Li, J., Donatello, S., Cheeseman, C.R., Wang, Q. (2021). Feasibility of wet extraction of phosphorus from incinerated sewage sludge ash (ISSA) for phosphate fertilizer production: A critical review. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2020.1740545
- Tominc, S., Ducman, V., Wisniewski, W., Luukkonen, T., Kirkelund, G.M., Ottosen, L.M. (2023). Recovery of phosphorus and metals from the ash of sewage sludge, municipal solid waste, or wood biomass: A review and proposals for further use. Materials, 16(21), 6948. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16216948
- Abdolrezayi, A., Puricelli, S., Dolci, G., Turolla, A., Canziani, R., Rigamonti, L. (2025). Phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge ash: Life cycle inventory and critical review of LCA case studies. Journal of Environmental Management, 389, 125620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.125620
- Ministry of Regional Development of Ukraine. (2017). Order No. 316 “On approval of the rules for accepting wastewater into centralized sewerage systems”.
- Cordell, D., Drangert, J.-O., White, S. (2009). The story of phosphorus: Global food security and food for thought. Global Environmental Change, 19(2), 292–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2008.10.009
- Walsh, M., Schenk, G., Schmidt, S. (2023). Realising the circular phosphorus economy delivers for sustainable development goals. npj Sustainable Agriculture, 1, 2. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44264-023-00002-0
- Haque, S.E. (2021). How effective are existing phosphorus management strategies in mitigating surface water quality problems in the U.S.? Sustainability, 13(12), 6565. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126565
- Solon, K., Flores-Alsina, X., Kazadi Mbamba, C., Ikumi, D., Volcke, E.I.P., Vaneeckhaute, C., ..., Batstone, D.J. (2017). Plant-wide modelling of phosphorus transformations in wastewater treatment systems: Impacts of control and operational strategies. Water Research, 113, 97–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2017.02.007
- Bashar, R., Gungor, K., Karthikeyan, K.G., Barak, P. (2018). Cost effectiveness of phosphorus removal processes in municipal wastewater treatment. Chemosphere, 197, 280–290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.12.169
- Revollar, S., Vega, P., Francisco, M., Martínez, S. (2020). Wastewater Treatment Plant Operation: Simple Control Strategies for Plant Wide BSM2 Benchmark. Sustainability, 12(3), 768. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030768
- Henze, M., Gujer, W., Mino, T., Matsuo, T., Wentzel, M.C., Marais, G.v.R., Van Loosdrecht, M.C.M. (1999). Activated sludge model No. 2d, ASM2D. Water Science and Technology, 39(1), 165–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0273-1223(98)00829-4
- Henze, M., Gujer, W., Mino, T., van Loosdrecht, M.C.M. (2000). Activated Sludge Models ASM1, ASM2, ASM2d and ASM3. IWA Scientific and Technical Report No. 9. London: IWA Publishing. https://doi.org/10.2166/9781780402369
- Nadagouda, M.N., Wei, Y., Sahajwalla, V., ..., Varma, R.S. (2024). Recent advances in technologies for phosphate removal and recovery: A review. ACS Environmental Au, 4(6), 271–291. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenvironau.3c00069
- Abdoli, S., Asgari Lajayer, B., Dehghanian, Z., Maghsoodi, M.R., Astatkie, T., Ghorbanpour, M. (2024). A review of the efficiency of phosphorus removal and recovery from wastewater by physicochemical and biological processes: Challenges and opportunities. Water, 16(17), 2507. https://doi.org/10.3390/w16172507
- Bunce, J.T., Ndam, E., Ofiteru, I.D., Moore, A., Graham, D.W. (2018). A review of phosphorus removal technologies and their applicability to small-scale domestic wastewater treatment systems. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 6, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2018.00008
- Oehmen, A., Lemos, P.C., Carvalho, G., Yuan, Z., Keller, J., Blackall, L.L., Reis, M.A.M. (2007). Advances in enhanced biological phosphorus removal: From micro to macro scale. Water Research, 41(11), 2271–2300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2007.02.030
- Barnard, J.L., Dunlap, P., Steichen, M. (2017). Rethinking the mechanisms of biological phosphorus removal. Water Environment Research. https://doi.org/10.2175/106143017X15051465919010
- Wang, D., Gu, A.Z., He, M., ..., Peng, Y. (2019). Side stream enhanced biological phosphorus removal (S2EBPR) process improves system performance: A full-scale comparative study. Water Research, 167, 115109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2019.115109
- Water Environment Federation. (2017). Liquid Stream Fundamentals: Tertiary Filtration (Fact Sheet). WEF.
- S. Environmental Protection Agency. (1987). Design Manual: Phosphorus Removal. EPA/625/1-87/001. Cincinnati, OH: Center for Environmental Research Information.
- Tchobanoglous, G., Stensel, H.D., Tsuchihashi, R., Burton, F.L. (2014). Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Resource Recovery (5th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
- Izadi, P., Izadi, P., Eldyasti, A. (2020). Design, operation and technology configurations for enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) process: A review. Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11157-020-09538-w
- Izadi, P., Andalib, M. (2023). Anaerobic zone functionality, design and configurations for a sustainable EBPR process: A critical review. Science of the Total Environment, 862, 162018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162018
- Liu, R., Hao, X., Chen, Q., Li, J. (2019). Research advances of Tetrasphaera in enhanced biological phosphorus removal: A review. Water Research, 166, 115003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2019.115003
- Petriglieri, F., Petersen, J.F., Peces, M., Nierychlo, M., Hansen, K., Wagner, D.S., ..., Nielsen, P.H. (2022). Quantification of biologically and chemically bound phosphorus in activated sludge from full-scale plants with biological P removal. Environmental Science & Technology, 56(8), 5132–5140. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c02642
- Sablii, V. Zhukova, and J. Drewnowski (2024) The Strategies of Nutrient Removal Compounds from Wastewater by Using Higher Aquatic Plants in the Green Deal Implementation, Desalination and Water Treatment, 100954, ISSN 1944-3986 https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S1944-3986(24)20464-1
- Sabliy, L., Kuzminskiy, Y., Zhukova, V., Kozar, M., Sobczuk, H. (2019). New approaches in biological wastewater treatment aimed at removal of organic matter and nutrients. Ecological Chemistry and Engineering S, 26(2), 331–343. https://doi.org/10.1515/eces-2019-0023
- Sablii L., Korenchuk M., Kozar M. The influence of nitrate on the phosphate removal from wastewater in activated sludge treatment process / Biotechnologia acta, V. 12, No 4, 2019. P. 50-56. https//doi.org/10.15407/biotech12.04.050
- Brun, R., Kühni, M., Siegrist, H., Gujer, W., Reichert, P. (2002). Practical identifiability of ASM2d parameters: Systematic selection and tuning of parameter subsets. Water Research, 36(16), 4113–4127. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0043-1354(02)00104-5
- Water Environment Federation. (2020). Phosphorus Removal (Webcast handouts). WEF.
- Jeppsson, U., Pons, M.-N., Nopens, I., Alex, J., Copp, J.B., Gernaey, K.V., ..., Vanrolleghem, P.A. (2007). Benchmark simulation model no. 2: General protocol and exploratory case studies. Water Science and Technology, 56(8), 67–78. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2007.604
- Nopens, I., Benedetti, L., Jeppsson, U., Pons, M.-N., Alex, J., Copp, J.B., ..., Vanrolleghem, P.A. (2010). Benchmark Simulation Model No. 2: Finalisation of plant layout and default control strategy. Water Science and Technology, 62(9), 1967–1974. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2010.044
- Gernaey, K.V., Jeppsson, U., Vanrolleghem, P.A., Copp, J.B. (2014). Benchmarking of Control Strategies for Wastewater Treatment Plants. IWA Scientific and Technical Report No. 23. London: IWA Publishing. https://doi.org/10.2166/9781780401171
- Drewnowski, J. (2019). Advanced supervisory control system implemented at full-scale WWTP – A case study of optimization and energy balance improvement. Water, 11(6), 1218. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11061218
- Drewnowski, J., Mąkinia, J., Szaja, A., Aguilar, J.A. (2019). Comparative study of balancing SRT by using modified ASM2d in control and operation strategy at full-scale WWTP. Water, 11(3), 485. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11030485
- Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 laying down rules on EU fertilising products. (2019). Official Journal of the European Union, L170.
- Regulation (EU) 2020/741 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 May 2020 on minimum requirements for water reuse. (2020). Official Journal of the European Union, L177.
- DSTU ISO 6878:2008. (2008). Water quality. Determination of phosphorus. Spectrometric method using ammonium molybdate (ISO 6878:2004, IDT).
- Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (Nitrates Directive). (1991). Official Journal of the European Communities, L375.
- Lanham, A.B., Oehmen, A., Saunders, A.M., Carvalho, G., Nielsen, P.H., Reis, M.A.M. (2014). Metabolic modelling of full-scale enhanced biological phosphorus removal sludge. Water Research, 66, 283–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2014.08.036
- Rieger, L., Gillot, S., Langergraber, G., Ohtsuki, T., Shaw, A., Takács, I., Winkler, S. (2012). Guidelines for Using Activated Sludge Models. IWA Scientific and Technical Report No. 22. London: IWA Publishing. https://doi.org/10.2166/9781780401164
- APHA, AWWA, WEF. (2017). Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (23rd ed.). Washington, DC.
© Palladin Institute of Biochemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 2026