Work

Concentrating Nitrogen Waste with Electrodialysis for Fertilizer Production

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Recovery of nitrogen from wastewater presents a unique opportunity to valorize waste and contribute to a more circular nitrogen economy. However, dilute solution separations are challenging for most state-of-the-art separations technologies. This often results in technologies having low concentration factors that result in low-value products (e.g., < 1 wt % N). Here, we demonstrate how a cascading electrodialysis system combined with a hollow fiber membrane contactor (ED+HFMC) system can achieve efficient recovery of ammonia from simulated centralized animal feeding operation (CAFO) wastewater. The integrated system achieved an overall concentration factor of ∼200× (∼40× in ED and ∼5× in HFMC). This resulted in a ∼10 wt % NH 4 + -N fertilizer product. The specific energy consumption (SEC) for the three stages of the ED was 1.89–6.14 kWh/kg NH 4 + -N, which is lower than that of the Haber–Bosch process (8.9–19.3 kWh/kg N). Operating costs were <$0.90/kg NH 4 + -N for each of the electrodialysis stages and NH 3 stripping. This integrated ED+HFMC system holds promise for the recovery of ammonia from dilute feedstreams as the ED+HFMC achieves high concentration factors and has low energy demand.

Source: Environmental Science & Technology Letters

DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00595

Authors: Mohammed Tahmid, Hyuck Joo Choi, Sai Tarun Ganapavarapu, Joseph Scott, Marta C. Hatzell

Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Membrane-based Ion Separation Techniques

Subfield: Biomedical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Responsible consumption and production, Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,500