This PFI: AIR Technology Translation project focuses on translation of a new wastewater treatment technology to fill the wastewater nitrogen treatment technology gap. The translated technology has the following unique features: conversion of ammonia to nitrous oxide, use of nitrous oxide to oxidize methane in biogas, and enhanced recovery of energy that provides exemplary opportunities for protection of waterways from nitrogen pollution while decreasing energy usage, decreasing residual solids for disposal, and increasing energy recovery compared to the leading competing technology (conventional nitrification and denitrification) in this market space. The project accomplishes this goal by short-circuiting the conventional nitrogen removal process, converting waste ammonium to nitrous oxide and using nitrous oxide to oxidize biogas for energy recovery resulting in on-site proof-of-concept with nitrogen-rich wastewater generated during the anaerobic digestion of organic matter at leading wastewater utilities in the San Francisco Bay area.
The partnership engages East Bay Municipal Utility District (Oakland, CA), South Bayside System Authority (Redwood City, CA), and Delta Diablo Sanitation District (Antioch, CA) to provide guidance in the wastewater treatment sector and other aspects: financing, commercialization, adaptation of existing infrastructure, and scale-up, as they pertain to the potential to translate the technology along a path that may result in a competitive commercial reality. The expected economic impact is $300k to $500k in annual operational savings at treatment plants that adopt the translated technology, which will contribute to the U.S. competitiveness in wastewater treatment within 3 to 5 years. The societal impact, long term, will be the development of a cost-effective technology for removal of nitrogen from wastewater, preventing fertilization of waterways and potential for formation of destructive anoxic dead zones while also creating opportunities for energy recovery, converting nitrous oxide from harmful greenhouse gas to a new source of renewable energy.
