Work

Concentration and recovery of nitrogen from municipal solid waste leachate by means of forward osmosis and membrane contactor

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Municipal Solid Waste Leachate (MSWL) is a liquid waste generated in the composting of municipal solid waste or in landfills. This waste has a high organic matter concentration and a very high nutrients content, particularly ammoniacal nitrogen representing both an environmental liability and a potential resource. This study evaluates the operational performance and limitations of forward osmosis (FO) and membrane contactor (MC) processes, applied independently and a sequentially, as a favourable solution for recovering ammoniacal nitrogen from real MSWL. On one hand, forward osmosis was tested using (NH4)2SO4 as draw solution to concentrate ammonium in the feed solution achieving ammonium concentration factors up to 1.76 times, with water fluxes between 2.9-7.9 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹ depending on feed composition. On the other hand, for MC experiments, ammonia fluxes up to 33.54 g·m⁻²·h⁻¹ were obtained using a 0.2 μm PTFE flat-sheet membrane with 0.1 M H₂SO₄ at pH 11. The integration of FO and MC revealed performance limitations associated with increased ionic strength and potential fouling effects in preconcentrated streams. These findings provide a critical assessment of the applicability boundaries of FO–MC integration for nitrogen recovery from highly variable real MSWL.

Source: Chemical Engineering Journal Advances

DOI: 10.1016/j.ceja.2026.101242

Authors: Iván Puchol-Candel, Beatriz Cuartas-Uribe, José-Antonio Mendoza-Roca, María-José Luján-Facundo

Institution: Universitat Politècnica de València

Language: English

Topic: Membrane Separation Technologies

Subfield: Water Science and Technology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Responsible consumption and production, Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,050