Abstract: Aluminum sulfate reacts with phosphates to create aluminum
phosphate and a sulfate. The conversion of the phosphate to aluminum
phosphate is very important because this allows the phosphate to be easily
extracted. This manipulation is used today in industrial waste treatment
sights. The removal of phosphates is very important for if phosphates are
not removed, they plague bodies of water by feeding algae which clog the
surface waters and eventually effect every living and nonliving thing in
that environment.

Chemical Process: The reactions which occur are the following:

Aluminum sulfate(alum) in combination with wastewater can flocculate
phosphorus. The Flocculation that happens with aluminum sulfate addition
is the formation of aluminum phosphate particles that attach themselves to
one another and become heavy and settle to the bottom of a clarifier. The
aluminum sulfate and phosphorus mixture can then be withdrawn, thereby
removing the phosphate or phosphorus from the wastewater flow.

Industrial Applications: The application of this reaction to the
industrial world consists of a set of processes to filter out the phosphate.
The setup is the following: Purpose: Restrict phosphates to aluminum
phosphates for easier disposal of phosphorus.

The first step in phosphorus removal is the Rapid Mix. In this stage,
alum and waste or water runoff(known as effluent) is blended together as
rapidly as possible with the use of a high-speed mixer called a "flash
mixer." After this instant mixing, a slower moving process called
coagulation and flocculation follows to allow the formation of a floc.
These processes occur in a Flocculation Chamber. This floc consists of
suspended and colloidal matter, mainly including the aluminum phosphate.
Next, the effluent travels to a clarifier in which sedimentation occurs.
The heavier aluminum phosphate settles to the bottom then pumps at the
bottom of the clarifier pump out the aluminum phosphate via pipes. This
aluminum phosphate is then disposed. Currently, there are no economical
uses for aluminum phosphate.
Also, this chemical process is similar to the process used by laundry
detergents. Many detergents contain synthetic phosphates, called
tripolyphosphates(TTPs). These chemicals ...