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Updated: Aug 19, 2025
09:50
Electrochemically and Bioelectrochemically Induced Ammonium Recovery
Published on: January 22, 2015
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Synchronously recovering different nutrient ions from wastewater by using selective electrodialysis
Yenan Li1, Zhi-Long Ye2, Ruili Yang3
1Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, Fujian 261021, China E-mail: zlye@iue.ac.cn; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Summary
Synchronous cationic and anionic electrodialysis effectively recovers over 85% of nutrient ions from digestive slurry. This method enables the production of mineral fertilizers directly from wastewater streams.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Digestive slurry contains high concentrations of valuable nutrient ions like ammonium, phosphate, and potassium.
- Nutrient recovery from wastewater is crucial for resource management and pollution control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a synchronously cationic and anionic selective electrodialysis (SCAE) process for simultaneous nutrient recovery.
- To investigate the efficiency and influencing factors of SCAE in separating and concentrating nutrient ions from simulated digestive slurry.
- To demonstrate the feasibility of producing mineral fertilizers from recovered nutrients without external chemicals.
Main Methods:
- Development of a synchronously cationic and anionic selective electrodialysis (SCAE) system.
- Testing SCAE with simulated digestive slurry containing high concentrations of NH4+, PO43-, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and SO42-.
- Analysis of ionic permeation sequences, effects of electrolyte concentration, and continuous operation performance.
- Direct mixing of product streams for mineral fertilizer synthesis.
Main Results:
- SCAE achieved >85.0% PO43-, >90.2% SO42-, and >97.8% cation recovery (NH4+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+).
- Ionic permeation was influenced by hydrated radius and hydration numbers, with sequences NH4+ > K+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ and SO42- > PO43-.
- High electrolyte concentration in product streams enhanced recovery efficiency.
- Maximum product stream concentrations reached 231.9 mg/L PO43-, 496.6 mg/L SO42-, 180.7 mg/L Mg2+, 604.3 mg/L Ca2+, 9,648.4 mg/L NH4+, and 4,571.4 mg/L K+.
- Struvite, NH4HSO4, and KCl minerals were successfully produced by mixing streams.
Conclusions:
- SCAE is an effective method for synchronous recovery of multiple nutrient ions from wastewater.
- The process allows for the direct production of mineral fertilizers, offering a sustainable approach to nutrient management.
- This technology presents a viable alternative for nutrient recovery and valorization from waste streams.
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