Recovery of Phosphorus as AlPO₄ from Dairy Digestate Liquid by Electrocoagulation and Preliminary Assessment of its Use in Aspergillus Niger Cultivation
Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, cilt.237, sa.17, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 237 Sayı: 17
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s11270-026-09696-7
- Dergi Adı: Water, Air, and Soil Pollution
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, ABI/INFORM, Artic & Antarctic Regions, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts Core, Chimica, Compendex, EMBASE, Environment Index, Geobase, Greenfile, Zoological Record, Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Earth, Atmospheric, & Aquatic Science Collection (ProQuest), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Aspergillus Niger, Dairy wastewater, Phosphate recovery, Process optimization
- İstanbul Üniversitesi-Cerrahpaşa Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study investigated phosphate recovery as AlPO₄ from dairy digestate liquid by electrocoagulation, evaluating the effects of electrode material, current density, initial pH, and retention time on COD removal and phosphate recovery, while also assessing the potential reuse of the treated digestate as a cultivation medium for Aspergillus niger. Among the tested configurations, the Al–Fe electrode pair demonstrated highest performance, achieving a COD removal efficiency of 90.4% and a PO₄3⁻ recovery efficiency of 94.0% at a current density of 40 mA/cm2, pH 7, and a retention time of 120 min. SEM and XRD analyses of the recovered sludge indicated the formation of AlPO₄, supporting efficient phosphorus precipitation and recovery. During cultivation, the total protein concentration in the treated digestate liquid reached 584.15 mg/mL on the fifth day, suggesting that the electrocoagulation-treated digestate may support microbial metabolic activity under the investigated conditions. These findings provide an initial feasibility assessment of the treated digestate as a potential nutrient source for Aspergillus niger cultivation. The operating cost of the electrocoagulation process was estimated as 1.25 US$ per kg COD removed. Overall, the results highlighted the potential importance of electrocoagulation as a treatment approach for simultaneous recovery and its possible role in supporting circular bio-based processes.