Water Environment Research Foundation Seeks Proposals For Two Studies On The Impacts Of Resource Recovery On Wastewater Treatment Processes

The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) has funded significant research on recovery of resources from wastewater systems. Recently, WERF seeks to understand how resource recovery practices impact wastewater treatment. WERF will fund research answering whether water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) that operate for enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR), and/or phosphorus recovery, are experiencing difficulties dewatering anaerobically digested biosolids. WERF also will fund research to examine how phosphorus accumulation and recovery are impacted when combined with a low-energy, low-carbon process (such as mainstream deammonification). Requests for proposals (http://www.werf.org/i/Funding/Open_RFPs/a/o/rfp.aspx?hkey=05bda2a1-23af-4891-badf-815b2960d4f3) for both projects were issued December 22, 2015.

The first project, Unintended Consequences of Resource Recovery on Overall Plant Performance: Solving the Impacts on Dewaterability Properties (NTRY12R16), will address recent reports of dewatering difficulties. WERF seeks research projects building upon prior and ongoing research to determine if the phenomenon is widespread; and to better understand dewaterability performance and its impact on overall resource recovery operations.

The second project, Understanding the Impacts of Low-Energy and Low-Carbon Nitrogen Removal Technologies on Bio-P and Nutrient Recovery Processes (NTRY13R16), seeks bench, pilot, and/or full-scale studies to determine the design and operational impacts of incorporating EBPR, or other phosphorus recovery techniques, into a low-energy, low-carbon nitrogen removal process at a WRRF. The focus of the research should be on processes that are at or near the full-scale demonstration or implementation phase, and would be applicable to the existing infrastructure present at the majority of municipal WRRFs.

WERF has allocated nearly $300,000 for these two projects. Proposals are due in early March and late February, 2016, respectively. For more information, visit www.werf.org.