Biodegradation of indole by a newly isolated Cupriavidus sp. SHE

Indole, a typical nitrogen heterocyclic aromatic pollutant, is extensively spread in industrial wastewater. Microbial degradation has been proven to be a feasible approach to remove indole, whereas the microbial resources are fairly limited. A bacterial strain designated as SHE was isolated and found to be an efficient indole degrader. It was identified as Cupriavidus sp. according to 16S rRNA gene analysis. Strain SHE could utilize indole as the sole carbon source and almost completely degrade 100 mg/L of indole within 24 hr. It still harbored relatively high indole degradation capacity within pH 4–9 and temperature 25°C–35°C. Experiments also showed that some heavy metals such as Mn^2 +, Pb^2 + and Co^2 + did not pose severe inhibition on indole degradation. Based on high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrum analysis, isatin was identified as a minor intermediate during the process of indole biodegradation. A major yellow product with m/z 265.0605 (C₁₅H₈N₂O₃) was generated and accumulated, suggesting a novel indole conversion pathway existed. Genome analysis of strain SHE indicated that there existed a rich set of oxidoreductases, which might be the key reason for the efficient degradation of indole. The robust degradation ability of strain SHE makes it a promising candidate for the treatment of indole containing wastewater.     

Application of internal standard method in recombinant luminescent bacteria test

Mercury and its organic compounds have been of severe concern worldwide due to their damage to the ecosystem and human health. The development of effective and affordable technology to monitor and signal the presence of bioavailable mercury is an urgent need. The Mer gene is a mercury-responsive resistant gene, and a mercury-sensing recombinant luminescent bacterium using the Mer gene was constructed in this study. The mer operon from marine Pseudomonas putida strain SP1 was amplified and fused with prompterless luxCDABE in the pUCD615 plasmid within Escherichia coli cells, resulting in pTHE30–E. coli. The recombinant strain showed high sensitivity and specificity. The detection limit of Hg^2 + was 5 nmol/L, and distinct luminescence could be detected in 30 min. Cd^2 +, Cu^2 +, Zn^2 +, Ca^2 +, Pb^2 +, Mg^2 +, Mn^2 +, and Al^3 + did not interfere with the detection over a range of 10^− 5–1 mM. Application of recombinant luminescent bacteria testing in environmental samples has been a controversial issue: especially for metal-sensing recombinant strains, false negatives caused by high cytotoxicity are one of the most important issues when applying recombinant luminescent bacteria in biomonitoring of heavy metals. In this study, by establishing an internal standard approach, the false negative problem was overcome; furthermore, the method can also help to estimate the suspected mercury concentration, which ensures high detection sensitivity of bioavailable Hg^2 +.     

The biological effect of metal ions on the granulation of aerobic granular activated sludge

As a special biofilm structure, microbial attachment is believed to play an important role in the granulation of aerobic granular activated sludge (AGAS). This experiment was to investigate the biological effect of Ca^2 +, Mg^2 +, Cu^2 +, Fe^2 +, Zn^2 +, and K⁺ which are the most common ions present in biological wastewater treatment systems, on the microbial attachment of AGAS and flocculent activated sludge (FAS), from which AGAS is always derived, in order to provide a new strategy for the rapid cultivation and stability control of AGAS. The result showed that attachment biomass of AGAS was about 300% higher than that of FAS without the addition of metal ions. Different metal ions had different effects on the process of microbial attachment. FAS and AGAS reacted differently to the metal ions as well, and in fact, AGAS was more sensitive to the metal ions. Specifically, Ca^2 +, Mg^2 +, and K⁺ could increase the microbial attachment ability of both AGAS and FAS under appropriate concentrations, Cu^2 +, Fe^2 +, and Zn^2 + were also beneficial to the microbial attachment of FAS at low concentrations, but Cu^2 +, Fe^2 +, and Zn^2 + greatly inhibited the attachment process of AGAS even at extremely low concentrations. In addition, the acylated homoserine lactone (AHL)-based quorum sensing system, the content of extracellular polymeric substances and the relative hydrophobicity of the sludges were greatly influenced by metal ions. As all these parameters had close relationships with the microbial attachment process, the microbial attachment may be affected by changes of these parameters.     

Biodegradation of nicosulfuron by a novel Alcaligenes faecalis strain ZWS11

A bacterial strain ZWS11 was isolated from sulfonylurea herbicide-contaminated farmland soil and identified as a potential nicosulfuron-degrading bacterium. Based on morphological and physicochemical characterization of the bacterium and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA sequence, strain ZWS11 was identified as Alcaligenes faecalis. The effects of the initial concentration of nicosulfuron, inoculation volume, and medium pH on degradation of nicosulfuron were investigated. Strain ZWS11 could degrade 80.56% of the initial nicosulfuron supplemented at 500.0 mg/L under the conditions of pH 7.0, 180 r/min and 30°C after incubation for 6 days. Strain ZWS11 was also capable of degrading rimsulfuron, tribenuron-methyl and thifensulfuron-methyl. Four metabolites from biodegradation of nicosulfuron were identified, which were 2-aminosulfonyl-N, N-dimethylnicotinamide (M1), 4, 6-dihydroxypyrimidine (M2), 2-amino-4, 6-dimethoxypyrimidine (M3) and 2-(1-(4,6-dimethoxy-pyrimidin-2-yl)-ureido)-N,N-dimethyl-nicotinamide (M4). Among the metabolites detected, M2 was reported for the first time. Possible biodegradation pathways of nicosulfuron by strain ZWS11 were proposed. The degradation proceeded mainly via cleavage of the sulfonylurea bridge, O-dealkylation, and contraction of the sulfonylurea bridge by elimination of a sulfur dioxide group. The results provide valuable information for degradation of nicosulfuron in contaminated environments.     

Bio-remediation of acephate–Pb(II) compound contaminants by Bacillus subtilis FZUL-33

Removal of Pb~(2+)and biodegradation of organophosphorus have been both widely investigated respectively. However, bio-remediation of both Pb~(2+)and organophosphorus still remains largely unexplored. Bacillus subtilis FZUL-33, which was isolated from the sediment of a lake, possesses the capability for both biomineralization of Pb~(2+)and biodegradation of acephate. In the present study, both Pb~(2+)and acephate were simultaneously removed via biodegradation and biomineralization in aqueous solutions.Batch experiments were conducted to study the influence of p H, interaction time and Pb~(2+)concentration on the process of removal of Pb2+. At the temperature of 25°C, the maximum removal of Pb~(2+)by B. subtilis FZUL-33 was 381.31 ± 11.46 mg/g under the conditions of p H 5.5, initial Pb~(2+)concentration of 1300 mg/L, and contact time of 10 min. Batch experiments were conducted to study the influence of acephate on removal of Pb~(2+)and the influence of Pb2+on biodegradation of acephate by B. subtilis FZUL-33. In the mixed system of acephate–Pb2+, the results show that biodegradation of acephate by B. subtilis FZUL-33 released PO43+, which promotes mineralization of Pb2+. The process of biodegradation of acephate was affected slightly when the concentration of Pb2+was below 100 mg/L. Based on the results, it can be inferred that the B. subtilis FZUL-33 plays a significant role in bio-remediation of organophosphorus-heavy metal compound contamination.     

Effects of metal ions on the catalytic degradation of dicofol by cellulase

A new technique whereby cellulase immobilized on aminated silica was applied to catalyze the degradation of dicofol, an organochlorine pesticide. In order to evaluate the performance of free and immobilized cellulase, experiments were carried out to measure the degradation efficiency. The Michaelis constant, K_m, of the reaction catalyzed by immobilized cellulase was 9.16 mg/L, and the maximum reaction rate, V_max, was 0.40 mg/L/min, while that of free cellulase was K_m = 8.18 mg/L, and V_max = 0.79 mg/L/min, respectively. The kinetic constants of catalytic degradation were calculated to estimate substrate affinity. Considering that metal ions may affect enzyme activity, the effects of different metal ions on the catalytic degradation efficiency were explored. The results showed that the substrate affinity decreased after immobilization. Monovalent metal ions had no effect on the reaction, while divalent metal ions had either positive or inhibitory effects, including activation by Mn^2 +, reversible competition with Cd^2 +, and irreversible inhibition by Pb^2 +. Ca^2 + promoted the catalytic degradation of dicofol at low concentrations, but inhibited it at high concentrations. Compared with free cellulase, immobilized cellulase was affected less by metal ions. This work provided a basis for further studies on the co-occurrence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals and heavy metal ions in the environment.     

Kinetics of nitrobenzene degradation coupled to indigenous microorganism dissimilatory iron reduction stimulated by emulsified vegetable oil

Widespread contamination by nitrobenzene(NB) in sediments and groundwater requires better understanding of the biogeochemical removal process of the pollutant. NB degradation, coupled with dissimilatory iron reduction, is one of the most efficient pollutant removal methods. However, research on NB degradation coupled to indigenous microorganism dissimilatory iron reduction stimulated by electron donors is still experimental. A model for remediation in an actual polluted site does not currently exist.Therefore, in this study, the dynamics was derived from the Michaelis–Menten model(when the mass ratio of emulsified vegetable oil and NB reached the critical value 91:1). The effect of SO_4~(2-), NO_3~-, Ca~(2+)/Mg~(2+), and the grain size of aquifer media on the dynamics were studied, and the NB degradation dynamic model was then modified based on the most significant factors. Utilizing the model, the remediation time could be calculated in a contaminated site.     

Remediation of saline–sodic soil with flue gas desulfurization gypsum in a reclaimed tidal flat of southeast China

Salinization and sodicity are obstacles for vegetation reconstruction of coastal tidal flat soils. A study was conducted with flue gas desulfurization(FGD)-gypsum applied at rates of 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 Mg/ha to remediate tidal flat soils of the Yangtze River estuary.Exchangeable sodium percentage(ESP), exchangeable sodium(ExNa), p H, soluble salt concentration, and composition of soluble salts were measured in 10 cm increments from the surface to 30 cm depth after 6 and 18 months. The results indicated that the effect of FGD-gypsum is greatest in the 0–10 cm mixing soil layer and 60 Mg/ha was the optimal rate that can reduce the ESP to below 6% and decrease soil p H to neutral(7.0). The improvement effect was reached after 6 months, and remained after 18 months. The composition of soluble salts was transformed from sodic salt ions mainly containing Na~+, HCO_3~-+ CO_3~(2-)and Cl-to neutral salt ions mainly containing Ca~(2+)and SO_4~(2-). Non-halophyte plants were survived at 90%. The study demonstrates that the use of FGD-gypsum for remediating tidal flat soils is promising.     

Modeling of acute cadmium toxicity in solution to barley root elongation using biotic ligand model theory

Protons（H⁺）as well as different major and trace elements may inhibit cadmium（Cd）uptake in aquatic organisms and thus alleviate Cd toxicity.However,little is known about such interactions in soil organisms.In this study,the independent effects of the cations calcium(Ca²⁺),magnesium(Mg²⁺),potassium（K⁺）,H+and zinc(Zn²⁺)on Cd toxicity were investigated with 5-day long barley root elongation tests in nutrient solutions.The tested concentrations of selected cations and trace metal ions were based on the ranges that occur naturally in soil pore water.The toxicity of Cd decreased with increasing activity of Ca²⁺,Mg²⁺,H⁺and Zn²⁺,but not K⁺.Accordingly,conditional binding constants were obtained for the binding of Cd²⁺,Ca²⁺,Mg²⁺,H⁺,and Zn²⁺ with the binding ligand:log K_CdBL5.19,logK_CaBL2.87,logK_MgBL2.98,logK_HBL5.13 and logK_ZnBL5.42,respectively.Furthermore,it was calculated that on average 29% of the biotic ligand sites needed to be occupied by Cd to induce a 50% decrease in root elongation.Using the estimated constants,a biotic ligand model was successfully developed to predict the Cd toxicity to barley root elongation as a function of solution characteristics.The feasibility and accuracy of its application for predicting Cd toxicity in soils were discussed.     

Enhanced catalytic complete oxidation of 1,2-dichloroethane over mesoporous transition metal-doped γ-Al2O3

High-surface-area mesoprous powders of γ-Al₂O₃ doped with Cu^2 +, Cr^3 +, and V^3 + ions were prepared via a modified sol–gel method and were investigated as catalysts for the oxidation of chlorinated organic compounds. The composites retained high surface areas and pore volumes comparable with those of undoped γ-Al₂O₃ and the presence of the transition metal ions enhanced their surface acidic properties. The catalytic activity of the prepared catalysts in the oxidation of 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) was studied in the temperature range of 250–400°C. The catalytic activity and product selectivity were strongly dependent on the presence and the type of dopant ion. While Cu^2 +- and Cr^3 +-containing catalysts showed 100% conversion at 300°C and 350°C, V^3 +-containing catalyst showed considerably lower conversion. Furthermore, while the major products of the reactions over γ-alumina were vinyl chloride (C₂H₃Cl) and hydrogen chloride (HCl) at all temperatures, Cu- and Cr-doped catalysts showed significantly stronger capability for deep oxidation to CO₂.     

Performance and microbial community of a membrane bioreactor system——Treating wastewater from ethanol fermentation of food waste

In this study, a lab-scale biological anaerobic/anaerobic/anoxic/membrane bioreactor(A_-~3MBR) was designed to treat wastewater from the ethanol fermentation of food waste,a promising way for the disposal of food waste and reclamation of resources. The 454 pyrosequencing technique was used to investigate the composition of the microbial community in the treatment system. The system yielded a stable effluent concentration of chemical oxygen demand(202 ± 23 mg/L), total nitrogen(62.1 ± 7.1 mg/L), ammonia(0.3 ±0.13 mg/L) and total phosphorus(8.3 ± 0.9 mg/L), and the reactors played different roles in specific pollutant removal. The exploration of the microbial community in the system revealed that:(1) the microbial diversity of anaerobic reactors A_1 and A_2, in which organic pollutants were massively degraded, was much higher than that in anoxic A_3 and aerobic MBR;(2) although the community composition in each reactor was quite different, bacteria assigned to the classes Clostridia, Bacteroidia, and Synergistia were important and common microorganisms for organic pollutant degradation in the anaerobic units, and bacteria from Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria were the dominant microbial population in A_3 and MBR;(3) the taxon identification indicated that Arcobacter in the anaerobic reactors and Thauera in the anoxic reactor were two representative genera in the biological process. Our results proved that the biological A_-~3MBR process is an alternative technique for treating wastewater from food waste.     

Interaction between Cu and different types of surface-modified nanoscale zero-valent iron during their transport in porous media

This study investigated the interaction between Cu^2 + and nano zero-valent iron (NZVI) coated with three types of stabilizers (i.e., polyacrylic acid [PAA], Tween-20 and starch) by examining the Cu^2 + uptake, colloidal stability and mobility of surface-modified NZVI (SM-NZVI) in the presence of Cu^2 +. The uptake of Cu^2 + by SM-NZVI and the colloidal stability of the Cu-bearing SM-NZVI were examined in batch tests. The results showed that NZVI coated with different modifiers exhibited different affinities for Cu^2 +, which resulted in varying colloidal stability of different SM-NZVI in the presence of Cu^2 +. The presence of Cu^2 + exerted a slight influence on the aggregation and settling of NZVI modified with PAA or Tween-20. However, the presence of Cu^2 + caused significant aggregation and sedimentation of starch-modified NZVI, which is due to Cu^2 + complexation with the starch molecules coated on the surface of the particles. Column experiments were conducted to investigate the co-transport of Cu^2 + in association with SM-NZVI in water-saturated quartz sand. It was presumed that a physical straining mechanism accounted for the retention of Cu-bearing SM-NZVI in the porous media. Moreover, the enhanced aggregation of SM-NZVI in the presence of Cu^2 + may be contributing to this straining effect.     

Pseudomonas sp. ZXY-1, a newly isolated and highly efficient atrazine-degrading bacterium, and optimization of biodegradation using response surface methodology

Atrazine, a widely used herbicide, is increasing the agricultural production effectively, while also causing great environmental concern. Efficient atrazine-degrading bacterium is necessary to removal atrazine rapidly to keep a safe environment. In the present study, a new atrazine-degrading strain ZXY-1, identified as Pseudomonas, was isolated. This new isolated strain has a strong ability to biodegrade atrazine with a high efficiency of 9.09 mg/L/hr.Temperature, p H, inoculum size and initial atrazine concentration were examined to further optimize the degradation of atrazine, and the synthetic effect of these factors were investigated by the response surface methodology. With a high quadratic polynomial mathematical model(R~2= 0.9821) being obtained, the highest biodegradation efficiency of 19.03 mg/L/hr was reached compared to previous reports under the optimal conditions(30.71°C, pH 7.14, 4.23%(V/V) inoculum size and 157.1 mg/L initial atrazine concentration).Overall, this study provided an efficient bacterium and approach that could be potentially useful for the bioremediation of wastewater containing atrazine.     

Cu(II), Fe(III) and Mn(II) combinations as environmental stress factors have distinguishing effects on Enterococcus hirae

Pollution by various heavy metals as environmental stress factors might affect bacteria. It was established that iron (Fe(III)), manganese (Mn(II)) and copper (Cu(II)) ion combinations caused effects on Enterococcus hirae that differed from the sum of the effects when the metals were added separately. It was shown that the Cu^2 +–Fe^3 + combination decreased the growth and ATPase activity of membrane vesicles of wild-type E. hirae ATCC9790 and atpD mutant (with defective F_oF₁-ATPase) MS116. Addition of Mn^2 +–Fe^3 + combinations within the same concentration range had no effects on growth compared to control (without heavy metals). ATPase activity was increased in the presence of Mn^2 +–Fe^3 +, while together with 0.2 mmol/L N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD), ATPase activity was decreased compared to control (when only 0.2 mmol/L DCCD was present). These results indicate that heavy metals ion combinations probably affect the F_OF₁-ATPase, leading to conformational changes. Moreover the action may be direct or be mediated by environment redox potential. The effects observed when Fe^3 + was added separately disappeared in both cases, which might be a result of competing processes between Fe^3 + and other heavy metals. These findings are novel and improve the understanding of heavy metals ions effects on bacteria, and could be applied for regulation of stress response patterns in the environment.     

Pseudomonas flava WD-3在人工湿地污水净化中的应用研究

为了研究Pseudomonas flava WD-3在复合垂直流人工湿地中对污水的处理效果,将其按照不同梯度接种量(菌悬液浓度为4.575×108个·mL-1)投加到复合垂直流人工湿地中,研究其对污水中氨氮、CODCr、NO-2-N、NO-3-N、总磷的去除效果,确定该菌株的最佳投加量,建立降解动力学模型.结果表明,该菌株对污水中的有机污染物以及氮磷等营养物具有明显的去除效果.菌株的最佳投加量为6.0%,且对污水中NH+4-N、COD、亚硝酸盐氮、硝酸盐氮、TP的去除效果分别为未投加该菌的1.49、1.48、1.45、1.41、1.83倍,且去除性能稳定.低温菌Pseudomonas flava WD-3对污水中各污染物的降解过程符合一级反应动力学模型.     

Effect of organic matter on phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge subjected to microwave hybrid pretreatment

Microwave (MW) hybrid processes are able to disrupt the flocculent structure of complex waste activated sludge, and help promote the recovery of phosphorus as struvite. In this study, to optimize struvite yield, (1) the characteristics of matter released in MW-hybrid treatments were compared, including MW, MW-acid, MW-alkali, MW-H₂O₂, and MW-H₂O₂-alkali. The results showed that selective release of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, Ca^2 +, and Mg^2 + achieved by sludge pretreatment using MW-hybrid processes. MW-H₂O₂ is the recommended sludge pretreatment process for phosphorus recovery in the form of struvite. The ratio of Mg^2 +:NH₄⁺-N:PO₄^3 −-P was 1.2:2.9:1 in the supernatant. (2) To clarify the effects of organic matter on struvite recovery, the composition and molecular weight distribution of organic matters were analyzed. Low molecular weight COD was found to facilitate the removal rate of NH₄⁺-N and PO₄³-P via crystallization, and the amorphous struvite crystals (< 1 kDa) from the filtered solutions had high purity. Therefore, the present study reveals the necessity of taking into consideration the interference effect of high molecular weight organic matters during struvite crystallization from sewage sludge.     

Particulate matter assessment of a wetland in Beijing

To increase the knowledge on the particulate matter of a wetland in Beijing, an experimental study on the concentration and composition of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 was implemented in Beijing Olympic Forest Park from 2013 to 2014. This study analyzed the meteorological factors and deposition fluxes at different heights and in different periods in the wetlands. The results showed that the mean mass concentrations of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 were the highest at 06:00–09:00 and the lowest at 15:00–18:00. And the annual concentration of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 in the wetland followed the order of dry period (winter) > normal water period (spring and autumn) > wet period (summer), with the concentration in the dry period significantly higher than that in the normal water and wet periods. The chemical composition of PM_2.5 in the wetlands included NH₄⁺, K⁺, Na⁺, Mg^2 +, SO₄^2 −, NO₃⁻, and Cl⁻, which respectively accounted for 12.7%, 1.0%, 0.8%, 0.7%, 46.6%, 33.2%, and 5.1% of the average annual composition. The concentration of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 in the wetlands had a significant positive correlation with relative humidity, a negative correlation with wind speed, and an insignificant negative correlation with temperature and radiation. The daily average dry deposition amount of PM₁₀ in the different periods followed the order of dry period > normal water period > wet period, and the daily average dry deposition amount of PM_2.5 in the different periods was dry period > wet period > normal water period.     

Quantum chemical investigation on photodegradation mechanisms of sulfamethoxypyridazine with dissolved inorganic matter and hydroxyl radical

Sulfamethoxypyridazine(SMP) is one of the commonly used sulfonamide antibiotics(SAs).SAs are mainly studied to undergo triplet-sensitized photodegradation in water under natural sunlight with other coexisting aquatic environmental organic pollutants.In this work,SMP was selected as a representative of SAs.We studied the mechanisms of triplet-sensitized photodegradation of SMP and the influence of selected dissolved inorganic matter,i.e.,anions(Br~-,Cl~-,and NO~-_3) and cations ions(Ca~(2+),Mg~(2+),and Zn~(2+)) on SMP photodegradation mechanism by quantum chemical methods.In addition,the degradation mechanisms of SMP by hydroxyl radical(OH·) were also investigated.The creation of SO_2 extrusion product was accessed with two different energy pathways(pathway-1 and pathway-2) by following two steps(step-I and step-II) in the tripletsensitized photodegradation of SMP.Due to low activation energy,the pathway-1 was considered as the main pathway to obtain SO_2 extrusion product.Step-II of pathway-1 was measured to be the rate-limiting step(RLS) of SMP photodegradation mechanism and the effect of the selected anions and cations was estimated for this step.All selected anions and cations promoted photodegradation of SMP by dropping the activation energy of pathway-1.The estimated low activation energies of different degradation pathways of SMP with OH·radical indicate that OH·radical is a very powerful oxidizing agent for SMP degradation via attack through benzene derivative and pyridazine derivative ring.     

Phosphate recovery from anaerobic digester effluents using CaMg(OH)4

Dolomite lime(DL)(CaMg(OH)_4) was used as an economical source of Mg~(2+)for the removal and recovery of phosphate from an anaerobic digester effluent of a municipal wastewater treatment plant(MWWTP) wastewater. Batch precipitation results determined that phosphate was effectively reduced from 87 to less than 4 mg-P/L when the effluent water was mixed with 0.3 g/L of DL. The competitive precipitation mechanisms of different solids in the treatment system consisting of Ca~(2+)–Mg~(2+)–NH_4~+–PO_4~(3-)CO_3~(2-)were determined by comparing model predictions with experimental results. Thermodynamic model calculations indicated that hydroxyapatite(Ca_(10)(PO_4)_6(OH)_2), Ca_4H(PO_4)_3?3H_2O, Ca_3(PO_4)_2(beta), and Ca_3(PO_4)_2(am2)were more stable than struvite(MgNH_4PO_3?6H_2O) and calcite(CaCO_3). However, X-ray diffraction(XRD) analysis determined the formation of struvite and calcite minerals in the treated effluent. Kinetic experimental results showed that most of the phosphate was removed from synthetic effluent containing NH_4~+within 2 hr, while only 20% of the PO_4~(3-)was removed in the absence of NH_4~+after 24 hr of treatment. The formation of struvite in the DL-treated effluent was due to the rapid precipitation rate of the mineral. The final pH of the DL-treated effluent significantly influenced the mass ratio of struvite to calcite in the precipitates. Because more calcite was formed when the p H increased from 8.4 to 9.6, a p H range of 8.0–8.5 should be used to produce solid with high PO_4~(3-)content. This study demonstrated that DL could be used for effective removal of phosphate from the effluent and that resultant precipitates contained high content of phosphate and ammonium.