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Electrochemically and Bioelectrochemically Induced Ammonium Recovery
Published on: January 22, 2015
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A mechanistic model for electrochemical nutrient recovery systems
Emma Thompson Brewster1, Chirag M Mehta1, Jelena Radjenovic2
1Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
Water Research
|March 7, 2016
Summary
A new model enhances nutrient recovery from wastewater using electrodialysis. It accurately simulates complex ion behavior and identifies the membrane as the main resistance, improving recovery of key nutrients.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Electrochemistry
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Electrochemical membrane technologies, like electrodialysis, are crucial for nutrient recovery from wastewater.
- Existing models often oversimplify wastewater compositions and lack key outputs like pH and total cell potential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a combined physico-chemical and electrochemical model for enhanced nutrient recovery from wastewater.
- To accurately simulate ion transport, pH, and cell potential in complex solutions.
Main Methods:
- Developed a novel model incorporating competitive ion transport, pH, ion activity, ion pairing, and total cell potential.
- Included a new method for ion exchange membrane transport, accounting for electrode reactions and current leakage.
Main Results:
- Model outputs closely matched experimental measurements, simulating secondary effects accurately.
- Identified membrane resistance as the primary factor in potential drop, with apparent boundary layers around 3 mm.
- Demonstrated that non-ideal solution effects (ion pairing, activity) significantly impact multi-valent ion transport, aiding monovalent nutrient recovery.
Conclusions:
- The developed model accurately predicts electrodialysis performance in complex wastewater matrices.
- Non-ideal solution behavior and membrane properties are critical for efficient nutrient recovery.
- The model is scalable and adaptable for simulating additional wastewater treatment phenomena.
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