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Updated: Jul 7, 2026

Electrochemically and Bioelectrochemically Induced Ammonium Recovery
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Increasing urine nitrification performance with sequential membrane aerated biofilm reactors.

Aurea Heusser1, Isolde Wackernagel2, Mauro Reinmann2

  • 1Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Eawag, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland; Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zürich, Zürich 8093, Switzerland.

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|July 11, 2024
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Summary

Separating organic matter removal from nitrification using membrane aerated biofilm reactors (MABRs) significantly enhances urine nitrification performance. This innovative approach doubles nitrification rates and reduces overall treatment time, offering efficient ammonium nitrate production.

Keywords:
C/N-ratioFertilizerN(2)O emissionNH(3) emissionResource recoverySeparate organics depletion

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Engineering
  • Wastewater Treatment Technologies
  • Bioreactor Design and Optimization

Background:

  • Stored urine presents challenges for nitrification due to high pH and ammonia concentrations.
  • Conventional methods for urine treatment often involve combined organic depletion and nitrification, leading to inefficiencies.
  • Membrane aerated biofilm reactors (MABRs) offer a potential solution for specialized bioreactor applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of separating organic matter depletion from nitrification on overall urine treatment performance.
  • To evaluate the efficacy of membrane aerated biofilm reactors (MABRs) in facilitating this separation.
  • To assess nitrification rates and operational parameters in MABRs for treated urine.

Main Methods:

  • Organics depletion was performed using membrane aerated biofilm reactors (MABRs) and continuous flow stirred tank reactors (CSTRs).
  • Nitrification of organics-depleted urine was studied in MABRs, CSTRs, and sequencing batch reactors (FBRs).
  • Ammonia recovery strategies were implemented by utilizing off-gas from the organics depletion stage for downstream nitrification.

Main Results:

  • Separating organics depletion achieved 70% organic removal and significantly reduced ammonia loss compared to conventional methods.
  • Upstream organics depletion doubled nitrification rates, reaching up to 1500 mg N L⁻¹ d⁻¹ in MABRs with oxygen-enriched air.
  • The MABR system demonstrated robustness at high pH and reduced hydraulic retention time (HRT) to 2-3 days, compared to 4-8 days for combined systems.

Conclusions:

  • Separating organics depletion from nitrification using MABRs substantially improves urine nitrification efficiency and robustness.
  • The MABR technology shows high potential for efficient and stable ammonium nitrate production from source-separated urine.
  • Optimized operational parameters in MABRs further enhance nitrification rates and process stability.