• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.13
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• pp.37-44
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• 2012

White crystals on 46 costumes excavated from Shim Su-Ryun(1534 - 1589)'s tomb were examined their characterization and distribution. In 36 of such samples, white crystals with different shape and hardness were found. The formation of crystals did not correlated with a kind and use of textiles. However, crystals were found in the back side than the front of costume, specially around the marks of shrouding dead body. White crystals from 7 textiles were investigated by EPMA, XRD, or FT-IR. The composition of white crystal was analysed by EPMA and the structure characterization of crystals was used by X-ray diffraction. FT-IR spectroscopy was applied to check if non-crystalline compounds were also present. Mg and P were detected as the main element of white crystals and these compounds were identified a struvite and newberyite, the inorganic mineral magnesium ammonium phosphates. Struvite precipitation are influenced by many factors including concentration of Mg²⁺, NH₄⁺, and PO₄^3- ions, pH, and temperatures. It is assumed that magnesium, phosphorous, ammonia, a base material of struvite comes from decomposition product of human body. Tomb covered with lime, a unique triple-structure in Joseon period offering the basic condition, an anaerobe in a coffin, and high magnesium concentration of outer coffin with lime can be inferred as important factor for precipitation of crystals.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.866-871
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• 2006

The nutrient recovery in phosphate crystallization process was investigated by using laboratory scale uptlow reactors, adopting sequencing batch type configuration. The industrial waste lime was used as potential cation source with magnesium salt($MgCl_2$) as control. The research was focused on its successful application in a novel integrated sludge treatment process, which is comprised of a high performance fermenter followed by a crystallization reactor. In the struvite precipitation test using synthetic wastewater first, which has the similar characteristics with the real fermentation effluent, the considerable nutrient removal(about 60%) in both ammonia and phosphate was observed within $0.5{\sim}1$ hr of retention time. The results also revealed that a minor amount(<5%) of ammonia stripping naturally occurred due to the alkaline(pH 9) characteristic in feed substrate. Stripping of $CO_2$ by air did not increase the struvite precipitation rate but it led to increased ammonia removal. In the second experiment using the fermentation effluent, the optimal dosage of magnesium salt for struvite precipitation was 0.86 g Mg $g^{-1}$ P, similar to the mass ratio of the struvite. The optimal dosage of waste lime was 0.3 g $L^{-1}$, resulting in 80% of $NH_4-N$ and 41% of $PO_4-P$ removal, at about 3 hrs of retention time. In the microscopic analysis, amorphous crystals were mainly observed in the settled solids with waste lime but prism-like crystals were observed with magnesium salt. Based on mass balance analysis for an integrated sludge treatment process(fermenter followed by crystallization reactor) for full-scale application(treatment capacity Q=158,880 $m^3\;d^{-1}$), nutrient recycle loading from the crystallization reactor effluent to the main liquid stream would be significantly reduced(0.13 g N and 0.19 g P per $m^3$ of wastewater, respectively). The results of the experiment reveal therefore that the reuse of waste lime, already an industrial waste, in a nutrient recovery system has various advantages such as higher economical benefits and sustainable treatment of the industrial waste.