Water and Effluent Treatment Magazine
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22 WET NEWS OCTOBER 2014 THE CONCEPT • Magnesium phosphate is added to form magnesium ammonium phosphate • This is then heated up, and the vapour is collected • Vapour and nitrogen are blown into a water tank • The water tank collects nitrogen which can be used as fertiliser NEED TO KNOW 1 The technology has received EU funding for further development and research 2 Around 8kWh of electricity is used per kg of separated ammonium in a traditional wastewater treatment system 3 Up to 90% of the ammonium content can be collected and heated up, producing a fertiliser that can be used for industrial or agricultural purposes THE VERDICT "With our system, 0.7kWh per kg of separated ammonium is used which means that we can save more than 7kWh per kg of ammonium" Karsten Poulsen, NUTREC inventor T he consortium says the NUTREC technology will help make traditional plants up to 25 times more effi- cient as well as reduce costs by up to 40% through substantial energy savings. The new system enables plants to produce in- dustrially exploitable fertiliser by accumulating ammonium. The technology, which has EU funding for further develop- ment and research, allows for up to 90% of the ammonium content to be collected and heated up, producing a fertiliser that can be applied for indus- trial or agricultural purposes. Karsten Poulsen, inventor, patented his system for biologi- cally separating ammonium from wastewater 15 years ago, but has recently developed a method whereby the ammo- nium can be collected instead of released as nitrogen. In princi- ple, a CO2 neutral wastewater treatment process is thereby achieved. www.teekaycouplings.com tel: +44 (0)1494 679500 UK's Fastest Growing Pump Hire Specialists www.marispumps.com | 01246 201111 Pump Hire Inflatable Pipe Stoppers Road Ramp www.roadramp.co.uk Approved Vetter Distributor Leeds Depot Now Open! Leeds 27 Industrial Estate, Bruntcliffe Avenue Morley, Leeds, LS27 0SS Faster response times and more efficient service to Yorkshire and Lancashire regions sales@marispumps.com www.marispumps.com Call Us : 01246 201111 facebook.com/marispumps twitter.com/marispumpsltd Pump Sales & Hire | Settlement Tanks | Hoses & Accessories | Road Ramps | Pipe Stoppers 1 ACRE site that's easily commutable A solution: Revolutionising wastewater treatment A technology that can provide energy and cost savings at wastewater treatment plants is being trialled in Denmark. By using this method, waste- water can be turned into a resource while saving energy, chemicals and costs related to the treatment process. In tradi- tional treatment plants, the ammonium is usually reduced to nitrogen that is sent back into the air, explains Poulsen. He says: "About 8kWh of electricity is used per kg of sepa- rated ammonium in a tradi- tional wastewater treatment system with a biogas plant for cleaning the wastewater. With our system, 0.7kWh per kg of separated ammonium is used which means that we can save more than 7kWh per kg of ammonium. "One kilogram of nitrogen col- lected from the air uses approx 10kWh. One kilogram of nitrogen collected by using our system costs 0.7kWh, which means that the system is approx 25 times more cost effective." The plant is expected to be marketed by GreenAqua Solutions, and the system will also be exported to other Euro- pean countries such as Germany. Earlier this year a team of sci- entists from German research institute Fraunhofer and the Dan- ish Knowledge Centre for Agricul- ture as well as partners from Ger- many, Portugal and Spain gathered in Hobro in Denmark, where the future research and development of the project was discussed. The visit also included a demonstration of a full scale pilot system. The system has been pat- ented, and a pilot system is in use at Mariagerœord Vand, a waste- water treatment plant in Hobro, Denmark. n Up to 90% of ammonia can be collected and heated up to produce fertiliser INSIGHT