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Wastewater–phosphorus coupling accelerates biofilm–mineral–particulate interactions in irrigation pipelines

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Abstract

Biogas slurry, a liquid by-product of anaerobic digestion, is increasingly reused in agriculture, but its low phosphorus content often requires external supplementation. When phosphorus is introduced into slurry fertigation, it interacts with Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, bicarbonates, and organic matter, creating conditions that can accelerate pipeline clogging. In this study, we combined a 60-day accelerated pipeline experiment with mineralogical analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and high-throughput sequencing to examine how wastewater–phosphorus coupling influences fouling. Slurry alone caused little short-term clogging, but the addition of phosphorus led to sharp increases in fouling mass (up to 130%) and flow reduction (up to 90%). Mineralogical analyses identified secondary phosphate precipitates such as brushite, baricite, and apatite, while microbial community profiling showed greater diversity, persistence, and biofilm-forming capacity under phosphorus conditions. Correlation analysis and structural equation modeling demonstrated that precipitates provided scaffolds for biofilm growth, particulates enhanced microbial attachment, and biofilms linked physical and chemical processes to hydraulic decline. These results show that pipeline fouling under wastewater–phosphorus coupling arises from the synergy of biofilms, minerals, and particulates, and they offer mechanistic guidance for designing fouling control systems that support sustainable reuse of livestock wastewater.

Data availability

The data that supports the findings of this study will be made available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

Funding support for this research was provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52309054, U2443211, 52209074), the National Key Research and Development Plan (2021YFD1900900), Key R&D Program of Shandong Province, China (2023TZXD087), Technical System of Ecological Agriculture of Modern Agricultural Technology System in Shandong Province (SDAIT-30-01) and the Taishan Scholars Program (tstp20230646).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China

    Changjian Ma, Enkai Cao, Bowen Li, Ning Shi, Zeqiang Sun & Yan Li

  2. National Center of Technology Innovation for Comprehensive Utilization of Saline-Alkali Land, Institute of Modern Agriculture on Yellow River Delta of SAAS, Dongying, China

    Changjian Ma

  3. College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China

    Enkai Cao & Bowen Li

  4. School of Water Conservancy and Transportation, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China

    Peng Hou

  5. College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China

    Yang Xiao

Authors

  1. Changjian Ma
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  2. Enkai Cao
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  3. Bowen Li
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  4. Ning Shi
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  5. Zeqiang Sun
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  6. Yan Li
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  7. Peng Hou
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  8. Yang Xiao
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Contributions

M.C. conceived the study, conducted the investigation, administered the project, and drafted the original manuscript. C.N. contributed to the methodology and reviewed the manuscript. L.B. performed data visualization and formal analysis and reviewed the manuscript. S.N. provided resources, performed formal analysis, and reviewed the manuscript. S.Z. validated the results and reviewed and edited the manuscript. L.Y. supervised the study and reviewed and edited the manuscript. H.P. conceptualized the study, developed the methodology, validated the results, and reviewed and edited the manuscript. X.Y. supervised the overall research, validated the findings, administered the project, and reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to
Peng Hou or Yang Xiao.

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Ma, C., Cao, E., Li, B. et al. Wastewater–phosphorus coupling accelerates biofilm–mineral–particulate interactions in irrigation pipelines.
npj Clean Water (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00547-2

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