PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Ammonia/nitrogen pollution from wastewater and landfill leachate poses significant environmental challenges, including greenhouse gas emissions and water contamination. The LIFE RE-FERTILIZE project addresses these issues by demonstrating an innovative cleaning and recovery process for ammonia/nitrogen. This process not only mitigates environmental impacts but also produces 100% recycled fertiliser products.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE RE-FERTILIZE project aimed to demonstrate a new innovative cleaning and recovery process for ammonia/nitrogen with the following sub-objectives:
- Validation of Recycling Process: Upscaling from lab scale to pilot scale (~10% of full scale) to secure and validate the optimal design for future full-scale plants.
- Market Potential Validation: Collaborating with trial customers to demonstrate and validate the process and end products.
- Dissemination: Presenting and disseminating the project’s results to stakeholders across Europe.
The project focused on achieving a 95% recycling rate for ammonia (35 tons/year), reducing fertiliser production and investment costs, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
RESULTS
The LIFE RE-FERTILIZE project achieved significant outcomes, including:
- Pilot Projects: Successfully implemented at two demonstration sites: Högbytorp landfill and Lynetten wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The demonstration at Lynetten was particularly successful, achieving a 97% nitrogen removal rate.
- Environmental Impact: Significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and energy use were achieved. The process demonstrated a lower impact than traditional nitrogen removal and fertiliser production methods.
- Policy Contributions: The project provided valuable data supporting European and national environmental legislation, particularly the Water Framework Directive and the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive.
- Innovative Techniques: The process was validated for WWTP applications, achieving Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7. The pilot at Lynetten continued to operate beyond the project’s end to further refine the technology.
- Economic Viability: The project demonstrated cost savings in nitrogen removal and fertiliser production, with significant socio-economic benefits including job creation and potential market expansion.
The project’s outcomes were widely disseminated through workshops, reports, and online platforms, ensuring knowledge transfer to relevant stakeholders.
In conclusion, the LIFE RE-FERTILIZE project successfully demonstrated an innovative and effective solution for ammonia/nitrogen recovery and recycling. The project not only mitigated environmental impacts but also provided valuable insights for European environmental policies and practices. The outcomes have significant implications for sustainable wastewater treatment and fertiliser production, and the process is ready for further commercialisation and replication across Europe.
