It promotes the unchecked growth of algae in bodies of water. You can read about the issue here:
Calling Launderess....... STPP Ponder
- Thread starter aquarius1984
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It promotes the unchecked growth of algae in bodies of water
So do nitrates, the main component of polluted water.
Limiting phosphates just gives polluters a chance to dump more nitrates into the environment.
If you add STPP to clean water, it will not promote algal growth. Algae need nitrates (nitrogen) in addition to phosphate.
As has been pointed out, human waste contains more phosphates than a typical home washer would put out with phosphated detergents. Most dishwasher detergents still contain a lot of phosphates. Many municipal waste water treatment plants have in place ways to greatly reduce the phosphate levels in their final effluent; the by product is calcium phosphate which can be used as a fertilizer or animal feed supplement (chickens love the stuff). Phosphated detergents are not really an environmental problem for septic systems, since soil naturally binds up phophates and it doesn't readily leach out of soil.
So do nitrates, the main component of polluted water.
Limiting phosphates just gives polluters a chance to dump more nitrates into the environment.
If you add STPP to clean water, it will not promote algal growth. Algae need nitrates (nitrogen) in addition to phosphate.
As has been pointed out, human waste contains more phosphates than a typical home washer would put out with phosphated detergents. Most dishwasher detergents still contain a lot of phosphates. Many municipal waste water treatment plants have in place ways to greatly reduce the phosphate levels in their final effluent; the by product is calcium phosphate which can be used as a fertilizer or animal feed supplement (chickens love the stuff). Phosphated detergents are not really an environmental problem for septic systems, since soil naturally binds up phophates and it doesn't readily leach out of soil.
