Abstract
Objectives: The purpose of this experiment is to understand the phosphorus removal ratio effects of iron plates per unit of surface area through the iron electrolysis system, which consists of an anoxic basin, aerobic basin, and iron precipitation apparatus. Methods: Iron electrolysis, which uses an iron precipitation reactor in anoxic and oxic basins, consisted of iron plates with total areas of 400 $cm^2$, 300 $cm^2$ and 200 $cm^2$ respectively. The FNR process was operated with a hydraulic retention time and a sludge retention time of 12 hours and three days, respectively. Wastewater used in the experiments was prepared by dissolving $KH_2PO_4$ in influent water. Results: The iron plates 400 $cm^2$ (16.6 $mA/cm^2$), 300 $cm^2$ (13.3 $mA/cm^2$) and 200 $cm^2$ (7.3 $mA/cm^2$) in surface area in the phosphorus reactor had respective phosphorus of 2.4 mg/l, 2.7 mg/l and 3.2 mg/l in the effluent and phosphorus removal respective efficiencies of 90.3%, 89.1% and 87.1%. The effluent in the reactor, where the iron plate was not used, had relatively very low phosphorus removal efficiency showing phosphorus concentration of 15.3 mg/l and a phosphorus removal efficiency about 38.3%. Phosphorus removal per ferrous was 0.472 mgP/mgFe in the iron electrolysis system where the surface area of iron was low. Phosphorus pollution load per active surface area and the phosphorus removal efficiency had an interrelation of RE = -0.27LS + 89.0 (r = 0.85). Conclusion: With larger iron plate surface area, the elution of iron concentration and phosphorus removal efficiency was higher. The removal efficiency of phosphorus has decreased by increasing the initial phosphate concentration in the iron electrodes. This shows a tendency of decreasing phosphorus removal efficiency because of decreasing of iron deposition as the phosphorus pollution load per active surface area increases.
