Cranfield - IEX

Cranfield - IEX

SMARTech n.

Integrated municipal WWTP

Key enabling process(es)

SMART-product(s)

SMARTech3

Cranfield (UK)

Mainstream tertiary hybrid ion exchange

Nutrients

Cranfield WWTP treats domestic wastewater from the Cranfield University campus including offices, student accommodation halls, 2 hotels as well as street and airfield run-off. The influent flow is 675 m3/day (dry weather -2,840 Population equivalent). Wastewater treatment process includes primary and secondary treatment followed by filtration.

SMARTech3 is the key to enable tertiary recovery of N and P based fertilizer based on ion-exchange processes to remove and recover nutrients from secondary effluents. Two different ion exchange media applied which were able to successfully capture/remove ammonia and phosphate from the secondary effluent. To overcome the limited supply chain of the ion exchanging materials, new ion exchange media, manufactured in the UK, were applied. The aim was to optimize the regeneration cycles for the nutrient recovery, trying to maintain a high sorption capacity after each regeneration cycle.

The overall SMARTECH3 includes: 1 micro-screen filtration for secondary effluent solids removal, 1 ion exchange process for ammonia  (N) removal with MesoLite media; 1 ion exchange process for phosphorus (P) removal with hybrid ion exchange media (HAIX) media, regenerant storage tanks (NaCl and NaOH), regenerant rinse water tanks and nutrient recovery processes: liquid-liquid membrane process for ammonia recovery,  producing ammonium  sulfate  and  a  mixing  tank  and  filter  for  phosphate  recovery  as  calcium phosphate (hydroxyapatite).

SMARTech3 was operated as demonstration plant fed with 10m3/day of secondary effluent at the Cranfield University pilot-hall. The new system will be applied at the Cranfield municipal WWTP (UK) and will treat approximately 10-60 m3/d.

Highlights and main results

  • Ion exchange processes can be used to remove and recover N and P from municipal wastewater, without start-up lag and min impact of temperature
  • Multiple use and recovery of regenerants leading to an economic feasibility of the IEX technology in the wastewater industry
  • Recovery of high purity products hydroxyapatite and ammonium sulphate

Impact of the system

  • Reduction in energy of up to 38%
  • Reduction in GHG emissions, estimated at 10-20%
  • Significant reduction in footprint
  • Recovered hydroxyapatite up to 3.4 tonne/year
  • Recovered ammonium sulphate up to 98 tonne/year

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SMART-Plant scales-up in real environment eco-innovative and energy-efficient solutions to renovate existing wastewater treatment plants and close the circular value chain by applying low-carbon techniques to recover materials that are otherwise lost.

Seven plus two (7+2) pilot systems were optimized for more than two years in real environment in five municipal water treatment plants, including also two post-processing facilities. The systems were automatized with the aim of optimizing wastewater treatment, resource recovery, energy-efficiency and reduction of greenhouse emissions. A comprehensive SMART portfolio comprising biopolymers, cellulose, fertilizers and intermediates were recovered and processed up to the final commercializable end-products.

Dynamic modeling and superstructure framework for decision support was developed and validated to identify the optimum SMART-Plant system integration options for recovered resources and technologies.

The integration of resource recovery assets to system wide asset management programs were evaluated in each site following the resource recovery paradigm for the wastewater treatment plant of the future, enabled through SMART-Plant solutions. The project proved the feasibility of circular management of urban wastewater and environmental sustainability of the systems, through Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing approaches as well as the global benefit of the scaled-up water solutions.

Global market deployment was achieved as right fit solution for water utilities and relevant industrial stakeholders, considering the strategic implications of the resource recovery paradigm in case of both public and private water management. New public-private partnership models were also explored connecting the water sector to the chemical industry and its downstream segments such as the construction and agricultural sector, thus generating new opportunities for funding and potential public-private competition.