WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — The Water Research Foundation (WRF) has granted $200,000 for the Advancing Low-Energy Biological Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal project. The project will develop research and guidelines for the design, implementation and operation of sustainable, low energy processes for biological nutrient removal at water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs).
For WRRFs, nutrient management is key to addressing water quality issues in watersheds challenged with rapid urbanization and a growing population. While conventional biological nutrient removal (BNR) technologies are effective, they are energy- and cost-intensive.
Led by a principal research team of Jose Jimenez (Brown and Caldwell), Belinda Sturm (University of Kansas) and Leon Downing (Black & Veatch), the project will advance low dissolved oxygen (DO) BNR to intensify wastewater treatment processes and significantly reduce energy demands and chemical dependency. The $1 million project is partly funded by WRF’s Research Priority Program, with $800,000 in-kind contributions from several utility partners.
“This important study seeks to pave the way for full-scale implementation of low DO BNR to improve effluent quality while significantly reducing the energy footprint of water resource recovery facilities,” said University of Kansas Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Belinda Sturm. “Our team is proud to partner with WRF to help utilities meet stringent nutrient effluent limits while maximizing the use of existing infrastructure.”
The research will utilize bench-scale, pilot-scale and full-scale testing at several WRRFs throughout the U.S. to cover a host of influent and operational conditions to develop a fundamental understanding of low DO BNR implementation at WRRFs. Additionally, the research aims to develop innovative process control strategies, combining aeration control with process intensification strategies such as selective wasting and sludge densification.
Scheduled for completion by year-end 2022, project results will provide a practitioner’s blueprint/guidance document which synthesizes key findings for implementing low DO BNR for use by utilities, consulting firms and other practitioners.
At its core, the project seeks to reduce the environmental footprint and ratepayer costs of essential wastewater treatment.