ARTICLE
Achieve phosphorus limits as low as 0.07 mg/L with ClariPhos rare earth coagulant
Hitting an ultra-low phosphorus limit for treated wastewater effluent can be difficult using ferric- or aluminum-based coagulants alone. Often, large amounts of these conventional coagulants must be used, yet treatment plants may still be unable to meet low phosphorus targets without the addition of costly tertiary filtration equipment.
But ClariPhos rare earth coagulant is enabling treatment plants to achieve phosphorus levels as low as 0.07 mg/L without filtration and without the need to use large amounts of coagulant. The rare earth elements in ClariPhos™, cerium and lanthanum, bind tightly to phosphorus and form a dense precipitate that readily settles out of solution within minutes.
Easily switch to ClariPhos
In most cases, plant operators can simply replace conventional coagulants with ClariPhos to easily and cost-effectively improve the chemical precipitation and settling of phosphorus. ClariPhos requires no special chemical feed equipment and will often work with existing feed pumps. This simple switch can not only enable a plant to achieve regulatory compliance for phosphorus discharge, but it can also help communities to avoid spending millions for costly filtration equipment and ongoing operating costs.
Dozens of treatment plants are already using ClariPhos rare earth coagulant to meet stringent phosphorus targets and lower operating costs from reduced sludge production improved sludge dewatering and decreased sludge hauling and disposal costs.
Watch our video to see faster settling and lower sludge volume for ClariPhos compared to conventional Al- and Fe-based coagulants.
Case Study
3.4 MGD municipal wastewater treatment plant
In just one example, a 3.4 MGD municipal wastewater treatment plant tested Neo rare earth coagulant for its ability to meet a new final water quality effluent limit on phosphorus of 0.075 mg/L. The trial showed that the coagulant alone could consistently reduce phosphorus in the treated effluent to 0.036 mg/L.
This result was far superior to what the plant was able to achieve with its conventional coagulant, ferrous chloride, which could only reduce phosphorus to an average of 0.5 mg/L. After switching to Neo rare earth coagulant, the plant was also able to avoid installing new nutrient removal equipment, at an estimated cost of $2.8 million, and reduce solids production by about 35%.
