TITLE:
Real-Wastewater-Derived-Struvite Effects on Dissolved Nutrients in Simulated Rainfall-Runoff Water
AUTHORS:
Lauren Pruitt, Kristofor R. Brye, David M. Miller
KEYWORDS:
Dissolved Nutrients, Struvite, Rainfall Simulation, Runoff, Water Quality
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.17 No.5,
May
15,
2026
ABSTRACT: Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient needed in agriculture for proper plant growth and is often introduced into agricultural systems in the form of synthetic-P fertilizers. Struvite (MgNH4PO4·6H2O) can be precipitated from municipal wastewater, recovering P, and has potential use as an alternative fertilizer-P source. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of fertilizer-P source [i.e., synthetic electrochemically precipitated struvite (ECSTsyn), real-wastewater derived ECST (ECSTreal), chemically precipitated struvite (CPST), and monoammonium phosphate (MAP)], soil, and water source (i.e., rainwater, groundwater, and struvite-removed real wastewater) on dissolved nutrient concentrations in runoff water from laboratory rainfall-runoff simulations. Concentration changes in runoff K, Na, Mn, Zn, and Cu were not attributed to fertilizer-P source (P > 0.05), but rather significant (P P −1 and Na concentration changes ranging from −7.46 to 0.25 mg·L−1. Runoff concentration changes in Mn, Zn, and Cu did not differ from zero across most water source-soil combinations or were relatively small (−1). Monoammonium phosphate produced a significant change in runoff S concentration (0.20 mg∙L−1), while changes in S concentration from CPST (0.04 mg·L−1), ECSTreal (−0.02 mg·L−1), and ECSTsyn (−0.03 mg·L−1) did not differ from a change of zero. The similarities in micronutrient responses between MAP and struvite treatments suggested potential parallels in fertilizer-P source behavior within an agroecosystem.