Research Area: Nutrients

Our Objective

WE&RF will identify, assess, and make recommendations to improve sustainable wastewater nutrient removal and recovery technologies. WE&RF 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.

Nutrients Update & Nutrient Modeling Toolbox Videos

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

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.

Effluent Organic Nitrogen Produced Within Wastewater Treatment Plants (U1R11)

This research evaluated the chemical composition of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) compounds produced from ammonium during wastewater treatment, effluent dissolved organic nitrogen (EDON), and its rate of uptake in receiving waters.

Manure Resource Recovery Co-Digestion with Fats, Oil, and Grease (STAR_N3R14a)

Research investigates the ability to increase biomethane production in co-digestion of manure waste with the addition of a long chain fatty acid (LCFA) in laboratory digesters.

Aerobic Granular Sludge for Biological Nutrient Removal (NUTR5R14h)

Provides a comprehensive review of aerobic granular sludge for biological nutrient removal (BNR).

Sustainability Evaluation of Nutrient Removal Technologies Using Comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (NUTR5R14f)

This research evaluates and compares the environmental impacts associated with different levels of wastewater treatment technologies that have been specifically designed for various degrees of nutrient removal and for removal of potential contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method.