Nutrient Recovery Prototype- UC Davis
The AmmPhotek process is a compact technology for decentralized wastewater nutrient recovery (NRS) that has been under development since 2012. The NRS is based on an optimized configuration for steam distillation of ammonium and precipitation of phosphate and, under some conditions, potassium. Following several developments and innovations, an initial pilot system was tested successfully in 2014 to treat concentrated urine streams. From these efforts, the invention, now trademarked as AmmPhotek, has been proven at the pilot scale and numerous refinements have been made for autonomous operation in a commercial setting.
The AmmPhotekTM process can recover the nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium directly from source- separated urine through distillation and precipitation processes. The system was designed to maximize nutrient recovery efficiency while removing problematic constituents such as salts, pharmaceuticals and pathogens. The proposed decentralized wastewater system can reduce the nutrient loading to wastewater treatment systems and recover commercially valuable fertilizer products, while maintaining a simple design and small footprint allowing for decentralized treatment of urine. A key benefit of this technology is the potential for generation of commercially valuable fertilizer products, with the possibility that the process could be financially self-sufficient and profitable from fertilizer sales. Nutrient recovery from urine, if implemented successfully, is among the most sustainable approaches to closing nutrient loops in municipal water and wastewater systems.
