A Sustainable Solution – Unlocking the Hidden Potential of Wastewater — University of Toronto Engi |
Researchers have developed a method to extract and recover valuable nutrients like phosphate and ammonium from wastewater using a specially designed membrane containing inorganic particles. The research, which positions wastewater as a resource rather than a nuisance, could potentially contribute to a circular economy by providing materials for agricultural fertilizer production, and mitigate impending shortages of these nutrients which could threaten the global food supply.Engineering Ph.D.
Used water from bathing, toileting, laundry, and other sources flows down drains to sewers that lead to wastewater treatment plants, where it is cleaned so it can be safely discharged into nature without impacting the environment. Current wastewater treatment facilities have established processes for removing phosphate and ammonium during the treatment process. Typically, a chemical treatment converts the phosphate into a solid form that settles at the bottom of the water, where it is then collected as sludge and sent to a landfill. Ammonium is traditionally removed using biological treatment, where bacteria consume it and turn it into nitrate and then to nitrogen gas.
While many membranes used for water filtration rely on carefully designed pores to filter their target substances out of the water, Abu-Obaid’s approach is different. Her membrane contains tiny particles made of akaganeite and zeolite 13X with high affinities for phosphate and ammonium adsorption.
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