Researchers recover vital resources from wastewater sludge: New technique can extract and recycle phosphorus from municipal waste
Researchers recover vital resources from wastewater sludge: New ... Science Daily
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If you were ever to see sewage sludge up close, you might be hard-pressed to find any redeemable value; however, researchers at UBC’s Bioreactor Technology Group see it another way.
Introduction
If you were ever to see sewage sludge up close, you might be hard-pressed to find any redeemable value; however, researchers at UBC’s Bioreactor Technology Group see it another way.
Methodology
Using a combination of heat, water and phase separation, UBC researchers have developed a cost-effective method to concentrate phosphorus — which can be efficiently recovered by extraction — from wastewater sludge.
Importance of Phosphorus
“Phosphorus is a non-renewable, but essential, element for life and has many industrial uses,” explains Huan Liu, a doctoral student with UBCO’s School of Engineering and lead author of a new study investigating this method.
Phosphorus is a natural mineral crucial for human health and essential to food security as a commercial fertilizer; however, it’s also listed as a critical raw material because many countries rely on imports.
Environmental Challenges
“The uneven distribution of phosphate rock has created political and economic risks,” he says. “On the other hand, phosphorus discharge from waste sources, such as wastewater, is a major contributor to aquatic eutrophication, causing severe environmental challenges including algae blooms and dead zones in lakes.”
Promising Process
Liu and his supervisor, principal investigator Dr. Cigdem Eskicioglu, are investigating a promising process that integrates hydrothermal liquefaction.
The process converts organic components of the municipal wastewater sludge into a petroleum-like bio-crude and concentrates the phosphorus into a solid residue called hydrochar. The hydrochar can have 100 times higher total phosphorus than raw sludge, making it comparable to the phosphate rock used in commercial fertilizers.
Extraction Process
Liu describes the extraction process as mirroring what happens when you mix minerals and acids. “We were able to identify, for the first time, the kinetic reactions of phosphorus leaching from hydrochar to optimize the recovery of useful materials, such as what is needed for fertilizer,” says Liu.
Sustainable Development Goals
According to Dr. Eskicioglu, their latest findings are essential for wastewater utilities aiming to develop a process to recover usable nutrients from the system.
“At a time when we are seeking to be more sustainable and looking for alternative fuels, extruding useable materials from waste is essential,” she says. “Recovery and recycling is the solution that also provides the double benefit of providing a secondary source of phosphorus that can be globally distributed and also help with environmental conservation.”
Conclusion
This latest study appears in the journal Water Research and was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Metro Vancouver Industrial Research Chair Program in Advanced Resource Recovery from Wastewater. Liu also conducted six months of studies in France in collaboration with Dr. Ange Nzihou’s team at the Research Centre for Particulate Solids, Energy and Environment at the IMT Mines Albi-Carmaux engineering school.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 2: Zero Hunger | 2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality. | – Phosphorus concentration in wastewater sludge – Phosphorus recovery efficiency |
| SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation | 6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally. | – Reduction in phosphorus discharge from waste sources – Increase in phosphorus recovery from wastewater sludge |
| SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | 12.4 By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment. | – Development of a cost-effective method to concentrate phosphorus from wastewater sludge – Conversion of organic components of sludge into bio-crude |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | 15.3 By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world. | – Improvement in land and soil quality through the recovery of phosphorus from wastewater sludge |
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
The SDGs addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article are:
– SDG 2: Zero Hunger
– SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
– SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
– SDG 15: Life on Land
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
Based on the article’s content, the specific targets under the identified SDGs are:
– Target 2.4: Ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
– Target 6.3: Improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping, and minimizing the release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater, and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.
– Target 12.4: Achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water, and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
– Target 15.3: Combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
Yes, there are indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. These indicators include:
– Phosphorus concentration in wastewater sludge: This indicator can be used to measure the efficiency of phosphorus recovery from wastewater sludge, which is relevant to SDG 2 and its target 2.4.
– Phosphorus recovery efficiency: This indicator can be used to measure the effectiveness of the method developed to concentrate phosphorus from wastewater sludge, which is relevant to SDG 2 and its target 2.4.
– Reduction in phosphorus discharge from waste sources: This indicator can be used to measure progress towards improving water quality and reducing pollution, which is relevant to SDG 6 and its target 6.3.
– Increase in phosphorus recovery from wastewater sludge: This indicator can be used to measure progress towards improving water quality and increasing recycling, which is relevant to SDG 6 and its target 6.3.
– Development of a cost-effective method to concentrate phosphorus from wastewater sludge: This indicator can be used to measure progress towards achieving environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes, which is relevant to SDG 12 and its target 12.4.
– Conversion of organic components of sludge into bio-crude: This indicator can be used to measure progress towards achieving environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes, which is relevant to SDG 12 and its target 12.4.
– Improvement in land and soil quality through the recovery of phosphorus from wastewater sludge: This indicator can be used to measure progress towards combating desertification, restoring degraded land and soil, and achieving a land degradation-neutral world, which is relevant to SDG 15 and its target 15.3.
Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.
Source: sciencedaily.com
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