Nutrient removal from wastewater has focused on reducing nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations from municipal wastewater before discharge to protect water quality in receiving water bodies. On the other hand, N and P are macronutrients often found in commercial fertilizers to increase crop yield in agriculture. In conventional wastewater treatment plants, N and P are treated and removed through a biological process, where the nutrients are usually not ready for recovery.
A complementary approach is to intentionally recover fertilizer products from wastewater streams, whereby the nutrients are extracted as value added products and reused as fertilizer. This practice will significantly reduce the overall carbon footprints related to wastewater treatment and fertilizer production.
Under the Nutrient Management Program, RWRD continues to explore sustainable ways to reuse or recover nutrients from wastewater for beneficial use.