Research Area: Nutrients

Our Objective

WRF will identify, assess, and make recommendations to improve sustainable wastewater nutrient removal and recovery technologies. WRF will provide information to help agencies meet receiving water body requirements and other wastewater treatment goals, such as climate change, sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and reliability. The research will inform regulatory decision making, and help practitioners comply with increasingly high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus removal, with a focus on improving plant performance.

Latest News

WRF Biosolids Research Featured in TPO Magazine

Research Project NTRY11T15 looks to define and help enable the production of high quality, publicly-accepted biosolids.

WE&RF Awards Research Contract to Create Modeling Guidance for Developing Nutrient Goals

WE&RF recently awarded a contract to Brown and Caldwell to create Modeling Guidance for Developing Site-Specific Nutrient Goals – Demonstration, Screening Level Application (LINK4T17).

WE&RF Awards Research Contract to Investigate Newly Discovered Bacteria in Nitrification Processes

The Water Environment & Reuse Foundation recently awarded a contract to Northeastern University to perform a research project entitled Estimating the Comammox Contribution to Ammonia Oxidation in Nitrogen Removal Systems (U4R16).

Water Environment & Reuse Foundation Awards Contract to Develop Scientifically Sound Nutrient Goals

WE&RF recently awarded a contract to LimnoTech to develop scientifically sound nutrient goals.

Understanding the Impacts of Low-Energy and Low-Carbon Nitrogen Removal Technologies on Bio-P and Nutrient Recovery Processes (NTRY13R16)

WE&RF has awarded a contract to Northwestern University to study design and operational impacts of incorporating enhanced biological phosphorus removal (Bio-P) or other phosphorus recovery techniques with a low-energy, low-carbon nitrogen removal process at WRRFs.

Products & Tools

Integrated Management of Animal Manure Wastes: Nutrient Recovery, Bio-Fertilizers, Enhanced Biomethane Production and Management Tools (STAR_N3R14c/4856c)

This research uses a life-cycle analysis to determine the water and energy use, and nutrient balance impacts of anaerobic digestion (AD) systems.

Technologies for Dairy Nutrient Recovery: Evaluation of Low-impact Ammonia Stripping with Bio-Fertilizer Recovery and Support for Technology Decision Making (STAR_N3R14b/4856b)

This study assessed the use of pilot- and commercial-scale ammonia stripping systems within the context of a proposed sequential manure treatment system of anaerobic digestion, coarse fiber separation, fine solids separation, and ammonia stripping.

Finding and Adding Agricultural BMP Performance Studies to the Agricultural BMP Database (STAR_N6R14/4857)

This project examines the AgBMP Database in a number of geographic areas so it can provide federal, state, and local environmental agencies with quantitative information on the effectiveness of individual best management practices for addressing sediment and nutrients.

Tool for Evaluating Resource Recovery (TERRY) – Nutrient Recovery from Agriculture (STAR_N5R14T/4898)

This project provides a preliminary evaluation of the potential of nutrient recovery from a given wastestream and can be used by facilities interested in exploring the feasibility of recovering nitrogen and phosphorus onsite.

Stabilization of Main Plant Nitritation/Denitritation Performance (U4R12)

Study focused on resolving specific underlying issues, both theoretical and practical, that have hampered consistent nitritation performance and the translation of the mainstream nitritation /denitritation process.