Simultaneous Ammonia-Phosphate Recovery from Wastewater As Struvite Fertilizer for Food Quality

Rapid world population growth, climate change, increasing urbanization, and excessive nutrient inputs into open bodies of water are pressing on wastewater utilities to provide treated water in an energy-efficient manner that promotes human health and protection to the environment. Expected increased population will exert a huge demand for food, thus scarcity of nutrient requirements in food production will prevail. Wastewater contains a high amount of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus, and considerable amounts of magnesium, which are the potential source for nutrient recovery. In this study, ammonia and phosphorus were simultaneously recovered from a wastewater effluent by using natural and modified Clinoptilolite zeolites. The adsorbent materials were tested in a semi-pilot system using simulated and real wastewater. The recovered nutrients were efficiently converted into Struvite, a fertilizer that can help to save food, energy, and water. The used zeolites were recovered and reuse to recover additional nutrients.