The Nutrient Roadmap - wef.org · THE NUTRIENT ROADMAP PRIMER 1 ... nutrients can be harmful water...

The Nutrient RoadmapP R I M E R

A preview for smarter nutrient

management

THE NUTRIENT ROADMAP PRIMER 1

Preface 2

Missions Align 3

Treatment Technologies 4

Introduction to Nutrient Removal 5

Nitrogen Removal 5

Phosphorus Removal 6

Interrelationships 7

Products of Resource Recovery 8

Matrices 9

Supporting Nutrient Management 10

Understanding the Environment 11

Product Development 12

Evaluation of Alternatives 13

Risk Management 14

Airlie Meeting Participants 15

Appendix: References 16

Nutrient Roadmap Primer

2 THE NUTRIENT ROADMAP PRIMER

I n October 2013, the Water Environment Federation (WEF), Environmental Defense

Fund (EDF), and The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread sponsored a 1 5-day meeting in Airlie, Virginia — the “Airlie meeting ” At the meeting, participants discussed next steps for developing a roadmap to implement a nutrient management vision, primarily for nitrogen and phosphorus

The Airlie meeting brought together 28 diverse representatives from water utilities, regulatory agencies, academia, consultants, associations, and nongovernmental organizations These attendees built on results from a February 2013 meeting sponsored by the same three organizations at which a draft aspirational goal was developed

This aspirational goal, or 25-year challenge, is informing the development of the Nutrient Roadmap, which will serve a short-term need for achieving smarter nutrient removal and recovery at water resource recovery facilities (WRRF) The wastewater “utility of the future” is shifting toward recovering marketable resources rather than just treating wastewater The Nutrient Roadmap, like the Energy Roadmap before it, is

helping the sector actualize the term WRRF in place of wastewater treatment plant As such, the Nutrient Roadmap also will help WRRFs consider opportunities for reducing

energy and greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing public engagement, exploring regulatory opportunities, expanding resource recovery facility operator capabilities, and benchmarking current resource recovery facility performance Smarter nutrient management includes a cost-effectiveness component to help identify activities that optimize reductions on a unit-cost basis

The development of the Nutrient Roadmap will progress in two phases This report represents the first phase, the development of matrices for the major topics and subtopics identified by the Airlie meeting participants A larger group of subject-matter experts will further develop the matrices into a longer guidance document to be published in 2015 The publication will be supplemented with case studies and additional resources The Nutrient Roadmap also will inform future research, training, and advocacy programs to support the movement toward smarter nutrient management in WRRFs

Preface

“The next generation of wastewater

treatment has zero net impact with regard to energy

use, greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient

discharge by 2040. Achieving this goal will

require a dedication to overcoming the technical barriers,

financial constraints, and regulatory

disincentives limiting nutrient removal, greenhouse gas

emission reduction, and energy neutrality

in the treatment of wastewater.”


Part of the SolutionNutrients — commonly nitrogen and phosphorus — are found in agricultural and home fertilizers and also are generated by livestock, industrial, and municipal systems Specific sources include confined animal feeding operations, row crop farming, industrial pre-treatment facilities, septic systems, municipal and industrial stormwater, and WRRFs According to the U S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), more than 100,000 miles of rivers and streams, close to 2 5 million acres of lakes and ponds, and more than 800 square miles of bays and estuaries are affected by nitrogen and phosphorus pollution

In excess, nutrients can be harmful water pollutants Excess nutrients can lead to algal blooms, which cost the tourism industry some $1 billion annually, according to the EPA Algae also can result in hypoxic zones and can turn to harmful algal blooms (HAB), which produce toxins HABs received national attention in summer 2014 after a cyanobacteria bloom in Lake Erie caused Toledo, Ohio, to issue notices to nearly half a million people not to drink, cook, or bathe with city water

However, WRRFs also are part of the solution With advanced biological and chemical methods, facilities already can achieve significant nutrient reductions This roadmap lays out a strategy for facilities to achieve zero net impacts from nutrient discharges by 2040 WRRFs also can reclaim nutrients Biosolids are one such supply of nitrogen and phosphorus Fertilizers can be energy-intensive to manufacture, and the supply of some nutrients, such as phosphorus, is limited Recovery not only prevents nutrients from entering waterbodies as point source discharges but provides a supply of these essential resources

Missions AlignWEF’s mission is to “provide bold leadership, champion innovation, connect water professionals, and leverage knowledge to support clean and safe water worldwide ” Two of WEF’s three critical objectives are to drive innovation in the water sector and enrich the expertise of global water professionals The development of the Nutrient Roadmap supports WEF’s mission and those objectives for the specific topic of nutrient management via point source discharges from WRRFs

EDF’s mission is to “preserve the natural systems on which all life depends Guided by science and economics, EDF finds practical and lasting solutions to the most serious environmental problems ” Among these problems is the rapid increase in reactive nitrogen in the environment resulting from the advent of industrial nitrogen fixation — largely for fertilizer production — along with fossil fuel combustion EDF has set a goal of cutting nitrogen pollution in half over

the coming decades EDF is engaged in a large effort to help farmers become more efficient in their use of nitrogen fertilizers The organization also is helping to reduce fossil fuel combustion through increased energy efficiency and increased use of renewable energy Finally, through the project with WEF and The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, EDF also is working to decrease nutrient pollution from wastewater treatment

The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread’s mission is to “be a catalyst for positive and lasting change leading to healthier environments and communities ” Its Charting New Waters multi-year program engages a network of organizations dedicated to catalyzing new solutions to U S water challenges The ultimate goal is to identify elements of a new paradigm for water infrastructure and the steps needed to transition This document is a significant step in assisting the shift toward smarter nutrient management

This image, taken in 2011, shows one of Lake Erie’s worst algae blooms in decades. Image by NASA


A number of treatment technologies are available for both mainstream and sidestream treatment for nitrogen and phosphorus The details of these can be found in WEF manuals of practice

8, 11, and 34 or Design of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants, Operation of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants, and Nutrient Removal, respectively Below is a chart of some of the most common nutrient removal and recovery technologies

Treatment Technologies


Introduction to Nutrient Removal WRRFs can achieve very low nutrient discharges through a variety of processes, primarily biological nutrient removal (BNR), physical separation, and chemical methods However, economic and environmental trade-offs exist, such as greenhouse gas production in the form of nitrous oxide (N2O) and increased energy demands due to aeration in BNR Nutrient removal techniques also can affect biogas production and dewatering

Most technologies capable of removing both nitrogen and phosphorus utilize BNR, which relies on bacteria to transform nutrients present in wastewater Select species of bacteria can accumulate phosphorus, others can transform nitrogen, and a few can do both Achieving significant reductions in both nitrogen and phosphorus requires careful design, analysis, and process control to optimize the environment of nutrient-removing organisms The uptake of nutrients and growth of microorganisms could be inhibited by a limiting nutrient, available carbon, or other factors, including oxygen levels The selection of a BNR process should be based on influent flow and loadings, such as biological oxygen demand, nutrient concentrations, and other constituents as well as target effluent requirements

Some nutrient removal systems rely on two separate processes for nitrogen and phosphorus In some cases BNR is used to remove the majority of nitrogen and phosphorus, and then chemical methods are used to further reduce

phosphorus concentrations Mainstream nutrient treatment takes place within the typical process flow However, sidestream treatment refers to liquid resulting from biosolids processing that is intercepted with the additional goal of removing nutrients from a concentrated stream Like mainstream nutrient treatment processes, sidestream treatment also can vary from biological to physical and chemical removal methods

Nitrogen RemovalNitrogen can be removed from wastewater through physiochemical methods, such as air-stripping at high pH, but it is more cost efficient to use BNR Conventionally, this method utilizes the natural nitrogen cycle, which relies on ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) to transform ammonia into nitrites (NO2

–) after which nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) form nitrates (NO3

–) — a process called nitrification Other species of bacteria can transform these compounds into nitrogen gas (N2) — a process called denitrification Biological nitrogen removal requires anaerobic, anoxic, and aerobic conditions in the proper sequence as both nitrification reactions require aerobic conditions while denitrification requires anaerobic conditions Though optimal conditions differ for nitrification and denitrification, both can be carried out simultaneously in the same unit if anaerobic zones exist Most processes combine nitrification and denitrification, either in one basin or as two separate stages, and can be broken down into two categories based on whether


bacteria are suspended within the waste stream or fixed to a film or filter As denitrification occurs, nitrogen gas is produced and released safely into the atmosphere, where nitrogen gas is more abundant than oxygen

When performing biological nitrogen removal, it is important that the activated sludge has enough available carbon, which bacteria use to build new cells The nitrogen removal rate also dependents on the amount of time sludge spends in the reactor (solids retention time), the reactor temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and inhibitory compounds

Phosphorus RemovalUnlike nitrogen, phosphorus cannot be removed from wastewater as a gas Instead, it must be removed in particulate form through chemical, biological, hybrid chemical–biological processes, or nano processes Nano methods involve membranes and include reverse osmosis, nanofiltration and electrodialysis reversal Chemical methods (chem-P) typically involve metal ions, such as alum or ferric chloride These compounds bind with the phosphorus and

cause it to precipitate It can then be removed by sedimentation and filtration Chemical methods are influenced by a number of factors including the phosphorus species, choice of chemical, chemical to phosphorus ratio, the location and number of feed points, mixing, and pH

Biological phosphorus removal (bio-P) is a two-step process First, phosphorus is converted to a soluble form, and secondly, it is assimilated by phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs) Many biological nitrogen removal processes can be modified to remove phosphorus as well Similar to biological nitrogen removal, bio-P also requires the proper sequence of anaerobic, anoxic, and aerobic conditions Additionally, as with biological nitrogen removal, oxygen levels, solids retention time, and temperature play an important role in bio-P The ability of PAOs to uptake phosphorus is highly dependent on the availability of volatile fatty acids, which serve as a carbon source for the bacteria Further, nitrates in return streams can negatively affect bio-P — an important factor to consider in combined nutrient removal systems

Definitions

Nitrification-Denitrification: A biological nitrogen removal process where ammonia is oxidized to nitrate through biological nitrification The process of denitrification follows where nitrate is reduced to nitrogen gas

Nitritation-Denitritation: Another biological nitrogen removal process Here ammonia is oxidized to nitrite and then biologically reduced to nitrogen gas The term nitrite shunt is often used to describe this process

Partial Nitritation-Anammox: Often referred to as “deammonification,” it is a two-step process that includes partial nitration Aerobic ammonia oxidation to nitrite occurs in the first phase then nitrogen gas is produced by anaerobic ammonia oxidation Anammox refers to anaerobic ammonia oxidation, a biological process carried out by specialized bacteria in which ammonia is oxidized using nitrite as an electron acceptor under anaerobic conditions

Struvite Precipitation and Recovery: By this method, both phosphorus and ammonium can be simultaneously recovered and used as a fertilizer


I n upgrading facilities for better nutrient management, WRRFs must make decisions

about the amount of carbon used for nutrient recovery and removal and carbon used for energy generation The following graphic gives a high-level overview of the interrelationships to consider when planning for nutrient management The WRRF exemplified here must remove nutrients but also wants to generate energy “Energy Generation” and “Nutrient

Removal” are destinations or goals in the roadmap allegory There are various “routes” WRRFs can take to reach these two outcomes using various carbon sources Carbon can come from wastewater and other supplemental sources to achieve nutrient removal and energy generation goals The WRRF also should consider new products — energy and fertilizer — that are generated as a result of nutrient removal and energy generation

Interrelationships


N utrient management begins with nutrient removal to meet permit requirements

However, “utilities of the future” are using the removal process to produce marketable products It should be noted that there are other products that can be recovered that are not nutrient related, such as metals, heat, water, and more, which may bring financial rewards and benefits to help offset costs for the WRRF Below are some nutrient-based resources that can be recovered

• Solid fertilizer from biosolids • Land application of biosolids recycles nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon and other macronutrients • Soil blends and composts are potential phosphorus recovery products • Incinerator ash can be a source of phosphorus for recovery

• Solid fertilizer from the treatment process • Struvite provides high quality fertilizer from some sidestream systems

• Water reuse • Irrigation with reclaimed water can have some nitrogen and phosphorus benefits

• Chemical recovery • Structural materials can be obtained from carbonates and phosphorus compounds • Proteins and other chemicals, such as ammonia, can be recovered • Solids can be stored for future mining

Products of Resource Recovery

Greenlighting Nutrient Recovery

Phosphorus is a finite resource, with some estimating that demand will outpace supply within the next century For this and other reasons, interest in recovering nutrients from wastewater has increased over the last decade The “utility of the future” is shifting toward recovering nutrients and other marketable resources, including energy, electricity, and vehicle fuels However, the maturity of nutrient recovery technologies varies and each has its advantages and disadvantages

EPA estimates that the approximately 16,000 WRRFs in the U S generate about 7 million tons of biosolids About 60% of these biosolids are beneficially applied to agricultural land, with only 1% of crops actually fertilized with biosolids However, generating solid fertilizer from biosolids is the most common method of nutrient recovery from wastewater treatment

Currently some WRRFs are having success with struvite recovery, which allows for the precipitation and recovery of both nitrogen and phosphorus Other methods of phosphate precipitation also are becoming more common Sidestream treatment of sludge and sludge liquor, where the nutrients are more concentrated, is generally the preferable target for nutrient recovery


The matrices are broken into five topics: • Supporting nutrient management • Understanding the environment • Product development • Evaluation of alternatives • Risk management

The matrices provide a high-level overview of the roadmap to net-zero nutrient discharges Under each topic, objectives are outlined following three phases, from planning to implementation to evaluation and improvement

SuperMatrices

Want more information about the Nutrient Roadmap and matrices?

Contact Barry Liner at the Water Environment Federation by email at bliner@wef org or by phone at 703-684-2435


TOP

IC 1

: S

UP

PO

RTI

NG

NU

TRIE

NT

MA

NA

GE

ME

NT

PLA

NP

RE

PA

RE

& I

MP

LEM

EN

TE

VA

LUA

TE &

IM

PR

OV

E

Nut

rient

Vis

ion

Dev

elop

Vis

ion

• Eva

luat

e go

als

and

curre

nt d

river

s

• R

egul

ator

y re

quire

men

ts

• W

ater

shed

wat

er q

ualit

y an

d to

tal m

axim

um d

aily

lo

ads

• E

ffect

s of

nut

rient

man

agem

ent b

eyon

d th

e w

ater

shed

(lon

g di

stan

ce a

quat

ic c

onne

ctio

ns,

atm

osph

eric

)

• Est

ablis

h as

pira

tiona

l goa

ls a

nd s

ub-g

oals

• N

itrog

en a

nd p

hosp

horu

s re

cove

ry

• E

nerg

y an

d w

ater

reco

very

• Bec

ome

clim

ate-

read

y

• R

educ

e di

rect

and

indi

rect

em

issi

ons

Com

mun

icat

e In

tern

ally

• Det

erm

ine

leve

l of t

reat

men

t req

uire

d to

m

eet g

oals

• WR

RF

lead

ersh

ip/m

anag

ers

link

the

nutri

ent m

anag

emen

t vis

ion

to s

taff

perfo

rman

ce p

lans

• WR

RF

lead

ersh

ip/m

anag

ers

inco

rpor

ate

nutri

ent g

oals

and

key

pe

rform

ance

indi

cato

rs in

to s

trate

gic

plan

Com

mun

icat

e Ex

tern

ally

• WR

RF

shar

es n

utrie

nt v

isio

n w

ith e

xter

nal

stak

ehol

ders

and

the

sect

or

• Pla

ns a

re in

pla

ce to

em

brac

e ex

tern

al

mar

ket c

hang

es

• Rev

iew

per

form

ance

aga

inst

goa

ls

• Rea

sses

s lo

ng-te

rm g

oals

Sta

ff D

evel

opm

ent

and

Alig

nmen

t

Set

Tra

inin

g P

lan

• Sta

ff pe

rform

ance

pla

ns in

clud

e re

late

d tra

inin

g an

d pr

ofes

sion

al d

evel

opm

ent t

o su

ppor

t WR

RF’

s vis

ion

for

nutri

ent m

anag

emen

t

• WR

RF

fulfi

lls tr

aini

ng n

eeds

for a

ll re

leva

nt p

ositi

ons:

m

anag

emen

t, en

gine

erin

g, a

nd o

pera

tions

Trai

n an

d S

uppo

rt S

taff

• WR

RF

staf

f are

trai

ned

in o

pera

tions

• WR

RF

staf

f mai

ntai

n/in

crea

se

know

ledg

e of

em

ergi

ng te

chno

logi

es

thro

ugh

info

rmat

ion

shar

ing

even

ts

Empo

wer

Sta

ff• W

RR

F le

ader

ship

/man

ager

s es

tabl

ish

ince

ntive

s fo

r nut

rient

resu

lts

• WR

RF

lead

ersh

ip/m

anag

ers

empo

wer

st

aff t

o m

ake

chan

ges

tow

ard

nutri

ent

goal

s

• WR

RFs

men

tor a

nd g

uide

oth

er lo

cal a

nd

regi

onal

util

ities

to a

dvan

ce n

utrie

nt g

oals

Fina

ncia

l Via

bilit

y Id

entif

y Fu

ndin

g O

ptio

ns• I

dent

ify e

cono

mic

ince

ntive

s an

d co

sts

for n

utrie

nt

rem

oval

and

/or r

ecov

ery

• Ide

ntify

size

of W

RR

F w

here

reco

very

is c

ost-e

ffect

ive

(Am

I bi

g en

ough

or t

oo b

ig?)

• Dev

elop

fina

ncia

l stra

tegy

to s

uppo

rt nu

trien

t pro

ject

s

• Con

side

r alte

rnat

e fin

anci

ng m

etho

ds

• P

rivat

e vs

pub

lic fi

nanc

e an

d op

erat

ions

• A

ltern

ative

pro

ject

del

ivery

(des

ign-

build

-ope

rate

, bu

ild-o

wn-

oper

ate-

trans

fer,

etc

)

• S

ale

of g

reen

hous

e ga

s cr

edits

for N

2O-e

mis

sion

re

duct

ion

and

rene

wab

le e

nerg

y ge

nera

tion

Bud

get f

or S

ucce

ss• U

se li

fecy

cle

anal

ysis

for p

roje

ct

deci

sion

-mak

ing

• Nut

rient

man

agem

ent/r

ecov

ery

is

cons

ider

ed o

n al

l cap

ital p

roje

ct

desi

gns,

in o

pera

ting

budg

et d

ecis

ions

, an

d st

anda

rd o

pera

ting

prac

tices

Inve

st in

the

Futu

re• W

RR

F’s

reco

vere

d re

sour

ce re

venu

es

gene

rate

suf

ficie

nt fu

ndin

g to

inve

st

in o

ther

prio

ritie

s an

d re

duce

upw

ard

pres

sure

on

rate

s


TOP

IC 2

: U

ND

ER

STA

ND

ING

TH

E E

NV

IRO

NM

EN

TP

LAN

PR

EP

AR

E &

IM

PLE

ME

NT

EV

ALU

ATE

& I

MP

RO

VE

Dat

a an

d C

hara

cter

izat

ion

Col

lect

Info

rmat

ion

• Par

amet

er m

onito

ring

for

deci

sion

-mak

ing

(nitr

ogen

sp

ecie

s, c

arbo

n, g

reen

hous

e ga

s em

issi

ons,

etc

), p

oten

tially

in

clud

es:

•

Ups

trea

m

• C

olle

ctio

n sy

stem

• In

dust

rial d

isch

arge

rs

•

At f

acili

ty

• In

fluen

t

• In

-faci

lity

• E

fflue

nt

•

Env

ironm

ent

• R

ecei

ving

bod

y

• W

RR

F co

nsid

ers

frequ

ency

of

sam

plin

g

Ana

lyze

Dat

a

• P

roce

ss in

form

atio

n to

und

erst

and

optio

ns,

exam

ples

incl

ude:

•

Car

bon

to n

itrog

en r

atio

•

Car

bon

to p

hosp

horu

s ra

tio

• A

sses

s cu

rren

t fac

ility

per

form

ance

for

nutr

ient

re

mov

al

• U

nder

stan

d cu

rren

t rem

oval

of n

itrog

en

spec

ies

(inci

dent

al/in

tent

iona

l)

• A

sses

s re

ceiv

ing-

wat

er im

pact

s/ne

eds

•

Wat

er q

ualit

y de

grad

atio

n be

caus

e of

nu

trie

nt d

isch

arge

s

•

Und

erst

and

gree

nhou

se g

as e

mis

sion

s

Pro

activ

ely

Use

Dat

a

• U

se d

ata

to im

prov

e:

•

Faci

lity

oper

atio

ns

•

Trad

ing

prog

ram

s

•

Sou

rce

cont

rol

•

Nex

t des

ign

upgr

ade

Mod

elin

gS

elec

t Mod

el

• Ens

ure

that

dat

a ga

ther

ed is

us

eful

for

mod

elin

g ef

fort

s

Mod

elin

g fo

r D

esig

n

• U

se w

ater

qua

lity

mod

elin

g to

iden

tify/

quan

tify

rece

ivin

g w

ater

res

pons

e to

nut

rient

s

•

How

do

nutr

ient

effl

uent

con

cent

ratio

ns

chan

ge a

nd a

ffect

rec

eivi

ng w

ater

s?

•

Dec

isio

n m

akin

g su

ppor

t for

app

ropr

iate

te

chno

logy

for

vario

us p

erfo

rman

ce

leve

ls

• M

odel

the

trea

tmen

t pro

cess

to u

nder

stan

d its

co

nstr

aint

s an

d op

port

uniti

es

•

Red

unda

ncy

in d

esig

n

• D

eter

min

e w

heth

er n

itrog

en r

emov

al

tech

nolo

gy w

ill r

equi

re m

ajor

cap

ital

inve

stm

ent

• U

nder

stan

d ef

fect

s on

gre

enho

use

gas

emis

sion

s

Mod

elin

g fo

r O

pera

tions

• U

tiliz

e m

olec

ular

tool

s

• U

se m

odel

ing

in d

ecis

ion-

mak

ing

•

Det

erm

ine

carb

on tr

adeo

ffs w

ith n

itrog

en

rem

oval

•

Nitr

ogen

rem

oval

req

uire

s m

ore

supp

lem

enta

l car

bon

if us

ing

bio-

P

•

Max

den

itrify

ing

PAO

s

• D

evel

op d

iges

ter

phos

phor

us p

reci

pita

tion

mod

els

focu

sing

on

criti

cal c

hem

istr

y

• U

nder

stan

d se

ttlin

g ch

arac

teris

tics

–mus

t not

co

mpr

omis

e se

ttlea

bilit

y or

dew

ater

abili

ty

• M

odel

to u

nder

stan

d di

ffusi

on a

nd m

ass

tran

sfer

to fa

cilit

ate

cont

rol s

chem

es

• Im

plem

ent o

nlin

e co

ntro

l

• C

ontr

ol N

2O


TOP

IC 3

: P

RO

DU

CT

DE

VE

LOP

ME

NT

PLA

NP

RE

PA

RE

& I

MP

LEM

EN

TE

VA

LUA

TE &

IM

PR

OV

E

Mar

ketin

gD

ata

Col

lect

ion

• C

olle

ct d

ata

to u

nder

stan

d th

e m

arke

t

•

Iden

tify

stak

ehol

ders

and

cu

stom

ers

in th

e m

arke

t for

nu

trie

nts

and

othe

r re

cove

red

reso

urce

s

•

Ass

ess

com

petit

ion

for

prod

uct

•

Trac

k ec

onom

ic p

roje

ctio

ns o

n fu

ture

sup

ply

of p

hosp

horu

s to

ke

ep u

p w

ith c

urre

nt th

inki

ng

abou

t pot

entia

l sho

rtag

es o

f m

ined

pho

spho

rus

•

Use

mar

ket-d

riven

sta

ndar

ds (

ex

U S

Dep

artm

ent o

f Agr

icul

ture

pa

rtne

rshi

p fo

r ph

osph

orus

pr

oduc

ts)

•

Eva

luat

e po

tent

ial f

or g

reen

hous

e ga

s re

duct

ion

cred

its

Dev

elop

Mar

ketin

g S

trate

gy

• C

reat

e a

valu

e-co

st p

ropo

sitio

n

•

Iden

tify

valu

e of

rec

over

ed r

esou

rce

•

Eva

luat

e re

cove

ry c

osts

• D

evel

op m

arke

ting,

sal

es, a

nd b

rand

ing

stra

tegy

• C

omm

unic

ate

bene

fits

and

adva

ntag

es o

f nu

trie

nt r

ecov

ery

Sel

l Rec

over

ed R

esou

rces

• B

rand

and

sel

l nut

rient

s an

d ot

her

reco

vere

d re

sour

ces

• S

ell g

reen

hous

e ga

s of

fset

cre

dits

Pro

duct

Pro

duct

ion

and

Con

trol

Pro

duct

Dev

elop

men

t

• D

evel

op a

qua

lity

assu

ranc

e pr

ogra

m

and

proc

ess

for

prod

ucts

Pro

duct

Pro

duct

ion

• P

rodu

ce p

rodu

ct fo

r m

arke

t

Pub

lic C

omm

unic

atio

nsId

entif

y S

take

hold

er V

alue

s

• Id

entif

y va

lues

of c

omm

unity

and

util

ity

boar

d of

trus

tees

• S

hift

cultu

ral m

inds

et fr

om “

mee

ting

the

perm

it” to

rec

over

ing

reso

urce

s

• Id

entif

y en

viro

nmen

tal i

ncen

tives

for

nutr

ient

rec

over

y

Pub

lic O

utre

ach

• D

evel

op p

ublic

und

erst

andi

ng o

f the

new

pu

rpos

e of

a W

RR

F

• C

ondu

ct p

ublic

rel

atio

ns fo

r nu

trie

nt

reco

very

Sha

re E

xper

ienc

e

• S

hare

bes

t pra

ctic

es w

ith o

ther

ut

ilitie

s an

d th

e se

ctor


TOP

IC 4

: E

VA

LUA

TIO

N O

F A

LTE

RN

ATI

VE

SP

LAN

PR

EP

AR

E &

IM

PLE

ME

NT

EV

ALU

ATE

& I

MP

RO

VE

Gen

eral

Ev

alua

tion

Iden

tify

Trea

tmen

t Lev

els

• Det

erm

ine

leve

l of t

reat

men

t ava

ilabl

e

• Det

erm

ine

leve

l of t

reat

men

t req

uire

d or

des

ired

• Defi

ne o

pera

tiona

l/pro

cess

cha

nges

requ

ired

to

reco

ver n

utrie

nts

Iden

tify

Opp

ortu

nitie

s• I

dent

ify a

dditi

onal

opp

ortu

nitie

s re

quiri

ng

mor

e tim

e or

cap

ital t

o im

plem

ent,

and

deve

lop

a pl

an to

fina

nce/

impl

emen

t

• Ass

ess

liqui

d vs

sol

id re

cove

ry (w

ater

reus

e vs

lan

d ap

plic

atio

n/st

ruvit

e re

cove

ry)

• Ens

ure

bios

olid

s nu

trien

ts a

re c

onsi

dere

d a

reso

urce

Eval

uate

Nut

rient

Rec

over

y• I

dent

ify re

sear

ch a

nd d

evel

opm

ent n

eeds

to

drive

inno

vatio

ns

• Eva

luat

e ho

w s

imul

tane

ous

nitri

ficat

ion

and

deni

trific

atio

n ca

n lo

wer

car

bon

requ

irem

ents

• Eva

luat

e w

hole

faci

lity

nutri

ent r

ecov

ery

• Ide

ntify

wat

er q

ualit

y tra

ding

and

gr

eenh

ouse

gas

offs

et c

redi

t opp

ortu

nitie

s

Nitr

ogen

R

emov

al

Eval

uatio

n

Iden

tify

Low

-Cos

t Opt

ions

• Det

erm

ine

whe

ther

the

faci

lity

curre

ntly

has

capa

city

(tan

kage

, blo

wer

s, e

tc )

for n

itrifi

catio

n an

d de

nitri

ficat

ion

• Eva

luat

e th

e en

ergy

cos

t of v

ario

us te

chno

logi

es

and

sust

aina

ble

nitro

gen

rem

oval

for v

ario

us e

fflue

nt

conc

entra

tions

• Eva

luat

e op

portu

nitie

s fo

r hig

h-ni

troge

n si

dest

ream

s

Opt

imiz

e Fa

cilit

y• R

euse

exis

ting

tank

age

to g

et im

med

iate

ni

troge

n re

mov

al to

~10

-15

mg/

L at

low

co

st

• Con

side

r N2O

em

issi

ons

from

nitr

ifica

tion

and

deni

trific

atio

n w

hen

desi

gnin

g th

e sy

stem

Eval

uate

Lon

g-Te

rm Im

prov

emen

ts• S

tudy

impa

ct o

f low

dis

solve

d ox

ygen

and

am

mon

ia-b

ased

aer

atio

n co

ntro

l on:

• P

AO

upt

ake

of p

hosp

horu

s

• C

ompe

titio

n be

twee

n PA

Os

and

glyc

ogen

-acc

umul

atin

g or

gani

sms

(GA

Os)

• I

ncre

ases

in N

2O e

mis

sion

s

Pho

spho

rus

Rem

oval

Ev

alua

tion

Eval

uate

Sho

rt-Te

rm Im

prov

emen

ts• M

odify

ing

exis

ting

faci

litie

s to

get

low

-han

ging

frui

t

• P

hosp

horu

s to

~1

mg/

L at

no/

low

cos

t

• S

witc

h of

f mixe

rs fo

r low

-tech

pho

spho

rus

rem

oval

• M

ore

carb

on fo

r fer

men

tatio

n of

mixe

d liq

uor

• Rec

ogni

ze e

mer

ging

info

rmat

ion

to m

inim

ize c

ost o

f ch

em-P

• G

ood

mixi

ng a

t the

poi

nt o

f app

licat

ion

• F

erric

/Mag

nesi

um a

dditi

on

Opt

imiz

e Fa

cilit

y• R

ecog

nize

pho

spho

rus-

rem

oval

tech

niqu

es

vary

for m

eetin

g di

ffere

nt o

bjec

tives

, suc

h as

dev

elop

ing

a pr

oduc

t vs

min

imizi

ng

nega

tive

impa

cts

on re

ceivi

ng w

ater

bodi

es

Obs

erve

Reg

ulat

ory

Land

scap

e• A

sses

s ph

osph

orus

lim

itatio

ns o

n la

nd

appl

icat

ion

of b

ioso

lids

in a

reas

with

ph

osph

orus

sat

urat

ed s

oils

• Bas

ed o

n N

atur

al R

esou

rces

Con

serv

atio

n S

ervic

e co

de 5

90, l

and

appl

icat

ion

may

no

t be

appl

icab

le fo

r pho

spho

rus

reco

very

/re

use,

dep

endi

ng o

n lo

cal c

ondi

tions

Car

bon

Iden

tify

Low

-Cos

t Opt

ions

• Det

erm

ine

if fa

cilit

y ca

n de

nitri

fy s

impl

y an

d at

low

co

st (e

xces

s ca

paci

ty, s

uffic

ient

car

bon)

, and

wha

t ef

fluen

t con

cent

ratio

ns/m

ass

coul

d be

ach

ieve

d

Inve

stig

ate

Pot

entia

l Pro

blem

s• E

xplo

re s

uppl

emen

tal c

arbo

n is

sues

• P

rocu

rem

ent p

olic

y an

d pr

icin

g

• D

emon

stra

tion

and

test

ing

• W

aste

pro

duct

s


TOP

IC 5

: R

ISK

MA

NA

GE

ME

NT

PLA

NP

RE

PA

RE

& I

MP

LEM

EN

TE

VA

LUA

TE &

IM

PR

OV

E

Reg

ulat

ory

Ris

k M

anag

emen

t Id

entif

y an

d P

riorit

ize

Ris

ks• E

valu

ate

lega

l/reg

ulat

ory

impl

icat

ions

of

volu

ntar

y ac

tion

• Ide

ntify

ear

ly te

chno

logy

ado

ptio

n ris

ks

• S

tate

-of-t

he-a

rt te

chno

logy

vs

new

te

chno

logy

(ana

mm

ox, d

emon

, etc

)

Miti

gate

Ris

ks• D

evel

op s

trate

gy fo

r ris

k m

itiga

tion

and/

or s

harin

g

• “

Cre

atin

g th

e S

pace

for I

nnov

atio

n”

• “

Saf

e H

arbo

r”

Leve

rage

Inno

vatio

n• O

rgan

izatio

n su

cces

sful

ly tri

es to

im

plem

ent i

nnov

ative

pro

ject

s an

d is

ad

apta

ble

to e

mer

ging

opp

ortu

nitie

s

Ups

tream

M

anag

emen

tU

nder

stan

d U

pstre

am• R

educ

e in

flow

and

infil

tratio

n

• Eva

luat

e w

ater

effi

cien

cy a

nd c

onse

rvat

ion

• Eva

luat

e w

ater

effi

cien

cy a

nd c

onse

rvat

ion

• Sep

arat

e co

mbi

ned

syst

ems

• Pre

treat

to m

inim

ize n

itrifi

catio

n in

hibi

tion

• Ide

ntify

sew

er s

calp

ing

and

stre

am s

epar

atio

n op

portu

nitie

s

• Int

egra

te re

sour

ce m

anag

emen

t – in

clud

e ou

tsid

e w

aste

s an

d br

oade

n m

arke

ts

Cre

ate

Bal

ance

d Fr

amew

ork

• Pre

treat

men

t pol

icy

• C

harg

e fo

r Tot

al K

jeld

ahl N

itrog

en (T

KN

), to

tal p

hosp

horu

s, a

nd lo

w a

lkal

inity

• R

ewar

d fo

r rea

dily

biod

egra

dabl

e ch

emic

al

oxyg

en d

eman

d an

d hi

gh a

lkal

inity

• Put

a w

ater

effi

cien

cy p

rogr

am in

pla

ce

• Dec

entra

lize

infra

stru

ctur

e to

opt

imize

reco

very

• T

reat

men

t (se

wer

sca

lpin

g)

• Stre

am s

epar

atio

n

Bal

ance

Sou

rce

Con

trol w

ith R

esou

rce

Rec

over

y• S

eek

partn

ersh

ips

for a

nim

al w

aste

and

ot

her w

aste

stre

ams

• Im

plem

ent s

ewer

sca

lpin

g an

d ur

ine

dive

rsio

n

• Rec

over

pro

tein

s, a

nd re

mov

e ni

troge

n an

d ph

osph

orus

bef

ore

treat

men

t (in

dust

rial w

aste

)

• Sep

arat

e ec

olog

ical

san

itatio

n st

ream

s

Inno

vatio

nR

ewar

d In

nova

tion

• Red

uce

risk

thro

ugh

colla

bora

tive

rese

arch

and

in

form

atio

n sh

arin

g

• Hav

e W

RR

F le

ader

ship

/man

ager

s re

cogn

ize

and

rew

ard

inno

vativ

e ap

proa

ches

• Cha

ract

erize

dis

char

ge im

pact

s by

con

duct

ing

rese

arch

on

how

rece

iving

wat

ers

reac

t to

diffe

rent

effl

uent

con

cent

ratio

ns

Impr

ove

Mod

els

• Dev

elop

bet

ter m

odel

ing

tool

s

• M

ultip

le p

opul

atio

ns o

f AO

B a

nd N

OB

• K

inet

ics

for a

nam

mox

bac

teria

(AM

X)

• B

ioau

gmen

tatio

n sp

eed

• B

iofil

ms

and

gran

ules

• Dev

elop

bet

ter s

toic

hiom

etry

and

kin

etic

s fo

r ch

em-P

mod

els

• Im

prov

e si

mul

atio

n m

odel

s fo

r GA

Os

and

the

bene

fit to

bio

-P fr

om in

tern

al c

arbo

n fe

rmen

tatio

n

• Mod

el th

e di

gest

er fo

r sid

estre

am re

turn

s

Pilo

t Tes

t• T

est m

odel

reco

mm

enda

tions

• Obt

ain

pate

nts

to p

rote

ct th

e W

RR

F an

d w

ater

sec

tor

Infra

stru

ctur

e R

isk

Man

agem

ent

Pla

n fo

r the

Fut

ure

• Ide

ntify

uni

t ope

ratio

ns/b

asin

s fo

r use

in fu

ture

ite

ratio

ns o

f nut

rient

redu

ctio

n

• Lea

ve s

pace

in th

e fa

cilit

y hy

drau

lic p

rofil

e to

ac

com

mod

ate

futu

re p

roce

sses

Miti

gate

Ris

ks• E

valu

ate

futu

re re

duct

ion

targ

ets

• Des

ign

for c

urre

nt re

quire

men

ts w

ith a

n ey

e to

war

d fu

ture

requ

irem

ents

Eval

uate

Opt

ions

• Ass

ess

reso

urce

reco

very

ver

sus

treat

men

t/red

uctio

n


UtilitiesBarbara BiggsGovernmental Affairs OfficerEnvironmental ServicesMetro Wastewater Reclamation District

Charles BottChief of Research and DevelopmentHampton Roads Sanitation District

Nick MenningaGeneral ManagerDowners Grove Sanitary District

Sudhir MurthyInnovations Chief DC Water

Paul SteinbrecherDirector of Environmental PermittingEnvironmental ServicesJEA

GovernmentMichael TateDirectorBureau of WaterKansas Department of Health and Environment

Jeffrey LapeDeputy DirectorOffice of Science and TechnologyU S Environmental Protection Agency

Jason TurgeonEnvironmental ScientistEnergy and Climate UnitU S Environmental Protection Agency, Region 1

UniversitiesJeanette BrownProfessor of PracticeCivil and Environmental EngineeringManhattan College

G. Tracy MehanAdjunct Professor George Mason University

Donald PryorBrown University

Consulting FirmsJames BarnardGlobal Practice and Technology LeaderBlack & Veatch

JB NeethlingTechnical Director for WastewaterHDR, Inc

NonprofitsJon DevineSenior AttorneyWater ProgramNatural Resources Defense Council

Chris HornbackSenior Director of Regulatory AffairsNational Association of Clean Water Agencies

Gregory KesterDirector of Renewable Resource ProgramsCalifornia Association of Sanitation Agencies

Amit PramanikSenior Program DirectorWater Environment Research Foundation

Partner StaffWendy ButlerMeeting and Special Events ManagerThe Johnson Foundation at Wingspread

Selena ElmerProject Associate and FellowMeridian InstituteMolly Mayo PartnerMeridian Institute

Lynn BroaddusDirector of Environment ProgramThe Johnson Foundation at Wingspread

Steven HamburgChief ScientistEnvironmental Defense Fund

Joe RudekLead Senior ScientistEnvironmental Defense Fund

Barry LinerDirectorWater Science and Engineering CenterWater Environment Federation

Christine RadkeProject ManagerWater Science and Engineering CenterWater Environment Federation

Matthew RiesChief Technical OfficerWater Environment Federation

Tim WilliamsSenior DirectorGovernment AffairsWater Environment Federation

Lorna ErnstTechnical Publications ManagerJournals & BooksWater Environment Federation

Airlie Meeting Participants


Online Resources“Phosphorus in Biosolids: How to Protect Water Quality While Advancing Biosolids Use,” WEF, May 2014 Web: http://bit ly/PBiosolids

“Enabling the Future: Advancing Resource Recovery from Biosolids,” WEF, 2013 Web: http://bit ly/EnablingtheFuture

“The Road Toward Smarter Nutrient Management in Municipal Water Treatment,” The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, March 2014 Web: http://bit ly/smarternutrient

BooksDesign of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants (MOP 8), WEF, 2009

Operation of Water Resource Recovery Facilities (MOP 11), WEF, 2017

Nutrient Removal (MOP 34), WEF, 2010

Appendix: References


The Nutrient RoadmapThe Nutrient Roadmap is a first step toward accelerating the transition to smarter nutrient management, facilitating the shift from removal to recovery, and anticipating future requirements to conserve energy and reuse resources Case studies explore the innovative, cost-effective solutions employed by pioneering wastewater resource recovery facilities

The Nutrient Roadmap acknowledges that each utility faces unique challenges and provides you with a variety of paths to follow and alternative destinations from which to choose as you embark on the road toward sustainability

184 pages Soft CoverList $105 | Member $84

The Energy RoadmapThe Energy Roadmap serves as a guide for utilities of all sizes on the path to sustainable energy management In it, you will explore innovative approaches to cost-effectively recover and reuse resources to transform “wastes” to valuable products The book outlines six stops on the path to resource recovery, presenting insights and models for1 strategic management,2 creating an organizational culture,3 effective communication and outreach,4 demand-side management,5 energy generation, and6 innovating for the future

148 pages | Order No P130001List: $55 00 |WEF Member: $44 00

To order: www.wef.org/ShopWEF

Resources

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