Nutrients recovery from effluent using membrane distillation.
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) is one of the basic elements without which the life of living beings is not possible. The only source of phosphorus is phosphorus rock which is limited and is being depleted swiftly due to the rise in human population. This phosphorus is also being wasted due to soil leaching and agricultural runoff which is causing pollution in the ecosystem. Livestock effluent which is enriched in phosphorus and ammonia could be a potential source for recovering these. Membrane distillation is a promising technology proven for desalination and removal of inorganics from water. This separation process is appealing in comparison to the conventional separation process due to low operating temperatures causing lower energy consumption. In this study, a series combination of two modes of membrane distillation: direct contact and vacuum distillation were assembled to make system more attractive in terms of cost. Additionally, simultaneous recovering of phosphorus and ammonia can produce useful products from wastewater.