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Nutrients

Nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, occur naturally in the environment and play a key role in a healthy aquatic system. But problems start to develop when everyday human activity introduces additional nitrogen and phosphorus into our waterbodies through sources such as municipal wastewater, fertilizers, soaps, and detergent—and in some cases even the products used to treat our water. These excess amounts can throw off the natural balance, prompting excessive algal growth, hypoxia, and other negative effects on the water supply.

While regulations designed to maintain this natural balance are set using the best available knowledge, as new health data, analytical methods, or treatment technologies become available, these regulations can become more stringent and more difficult to achieve.   

Topic Overview (PDF)
88 Projects 7 Web Tools 21 Webcasts
Cyanobacteria & Cyanotoxins
Resource Recovery
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Project #5004

Demonstrating the CalPrex System for High-Efficiency Phosphorus Recovery

$711,103
Completed

Project Highlights

More stringent nutrient regulations for both land application and the sale of biosolids are driving water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) to evaluate technologies that remove and recover phosphorus in a cost-effective and sustainable manner. This project sought to independently validate...

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Principal Investigator
Menachem
Tabanpour
Research Manager
Ms. Stephanie Fevig, PE

Understanding Biological Nutrient Removal

This video provides information on the science behind biological nutrient removal (BNR) along with utility perspectives. The video features Dr. James Barnard, who has worked in the field of BNR for decades and has consulted on the design of water reclamation plants around the world. Also featured are experts from Centennial Water and Sanitation District and City of Boulder.

Nutrients Removal Challenge

Efficient, Cost-Effective Nutrient Removal from Wastewater—also referred to as the Nutrient Removal Challenge—was launched in 2007 to further develop the science of nutrient removal and assess technology performance to address increasingly stringent nutrient limits. The Nutrient Removal Challenge prompted the investigation of a wide range of issues

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tractor with tank that can directly inject liquid manure into the ground for optimum nutrient placement and odor control

Recent Updates

Project #4973
Guidelines for Optimizing Nutrient Removal Plant ...

Reporting Period: July 1, 2020 - December 31, 2020. During this project period, the research team...

Project Update
02/11/2021
Project #4973
Guidelines for Optimizing Nutrient Removal Plant ...

Reporting Period: January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020. During this period, the research team completed...

Project Update
08/04/2020
Project #4975
Practices to Enhance Internal Fermentation of Side-Stream Secondary...

Reporting Period: January 2020 - June 2020. The focus of WRF project 4975 during the previous...

Project Update
08/12/2020
Project #4975
Practices to Enhance Internal Fermentation of Side-Stream Secondary...

Reporting Period: July 2019 - January 2020. The focus of project 4975 during the first six...

Project Update
04/08/2020
Project #4974
Holistic Approach to Improved Nutrient ...

Reporting Period: December 1, 2020 - March 1, 2021. A series of webinars was conducted in...

Project Update
04/02/2021
Project #4974
Holistic Approach to Improved Nutrient ...

Reporting Period: June 1 - September 1, 2020. During this project period, the research team prepared...

Project Update
11/20/2020
Project #5037
Evaluation of Existing Source Separated Organic Feedstock Pre-Treatment...

Reporting Period: March 1, 2020 – August 31, 2020. The project team spent the first six...

Project Update
10/30/2020
Project #5027
Partial Denitrification Anammox as Alternative Pathway to Achieve...

Reporting period: March 1, 2020 – August 31, 2020. Pilot testing was conducted to evaluate the...

Project Update
10/15/2020
Project #4974
Holistic Approach to Improved Nutrient ...

Reporting Period: September 18, 2019 - August 20, 2020. The three in-person workshops have been reformulated...

Project Update
09/23/2020
Project #4915
Characterization and Contamination Testing of Source Separated Organic...

Reporting Period: January 1 – April 1, 2020. During this project period, progress was made on...

Project Update
09/02/2020

News

WRF Funds Seven New Research Projects

Press Release
05/20/2021

The Water Research Foundation Funds Seven New Projects Volunteers Needed, RFPs Coming in August The Water Research Foundation (WRF) will soon post Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and is seeking volunteers...

Metro Vancouver

Featured Facility
06/14/2019

Metro Vancouver plans to implement over $2 billion dollars worth of wastewater infrastructure over the next 15 years, including two treatment facilities that will be built almost from scratch. The...

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Resources

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Related Projects

Project #4819

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

Completed

The purpose of this research was to develop a multi-pronged approach to facilitate low-energy nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) removal and recovery from wastewater using biological P removal...

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Project #4898

Tool for Evaluating Resource Recovery Terry Nutrient Recovery from Agriculture

Completed

The TERRY-Ag tool provides a high level, conceptual cost and energy estimation for nutrient recovery from agricultural wastes/sludges or from municipal sludges, as well as an estimate of...

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Project #1525

State of the Knowledge of the Use of Sorption Technologies for Nutrient Recovery from Municipal Wastewaters

Completed

The recovery of nutrients from wastewaters may be a viable nutrient source. Adsorption offers a highly efficient, stable, and low cost technology for phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N)...

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Project #4973

Guidelines for Optimizing Nutrient Removal Plant Performance

In Progress

As water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) continue to face nutrient management challenges, there is a need for guidance on the wide range of nutrient control techniques. Through this...

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Project #5083

Advancing Low Energy Biological Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal

In Progress

Nutrient management at water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) is crucial for addressing water quality issues, especially in watersheds facing rapid urbanization and population growth. Conventional biological nutrient removal...

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Project #5071

Demonstration of Progressive Carbon Efficient Nitrogen with Biological Phosphorous Removal in a Conventional BNR Facility

In Progress

The main objective of this project is to integrate carbon-efficient nitrogen (N) removal processes with biological phosphorus (bio-P) removal within a conventional biological nutrient removal system. The study...

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Related Topics

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Resource Recovery

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Cyanobacteria & Cyanotoxins

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Source Water Protection

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Source & Receiving Waters

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