Resource recovery from dairy wastewater
Class
Article
Department
Biological and Irrigation Engineering
Faculty Mentor
Ron Sims
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
Wastewater is a nutrient-rich resource. The rotating algal biofilm reactor (RABR), a technology developed at Utah State University, has the capacity to simultaneously remediate wastewater and generate algal biomass. The RABR optimizes the growth of an attached algae culture by rotating through sunlight and nutrient-rich water. The RABR has been demonstrated in municipal wastewater and oilfield produced water. This project investigates the performance of the RABR in agricultural applications. A pilot-scale RABR was constructed at the Utah State University Caine Dairy Center to treat wastewater from stall flushing. The pilot-scale project aims to optimize winter operation, net energy ratio, and the algae attachment material. Synthetic materials have been tested with algal attachments of 52 grams per square meter. As algal biomass grows on the RABR, nitrogen and phosphorous nutrients are recovered from the wastewater. The remediated wastewater can be land applied for irrigation and the algal biomass can be harvested and converted to numerous products including biofuels and livestock feeds.
Start Date
4-9-2015 12:00 PM
Resource recovery from dairy wastewater
Wastewater is a nutrient-rich resource. The rotating algal biofilm reactor (RABR), a technology developed at Utah State University, has the capacity to simultaneously remediate wastewater and generate algal biomass. The RABR optimizes the growth of an attached algae culture by rotating through sunlight and nutrient-rich water. The RABR has been demonstrated in municipal wastewater and oilfield produced water. This project investigates the performance of the RABR in agricultural applications. A pilot-scale RABR was constructed at the Utah State University Caine Dairy Center to treat wastewater from stall flushing. The pilot-scale project aims to optimize winter operation, net energy ratio, and the algae attachment material. Synthetic materials have been tested with algal attachments of 52 grams per square meter. As algal biomass grows on the RABR, nitrogen and phosphorous nutrients are recovered from the wastewater. The remediated wastewater can be land applied for irrigation and the algal biomass can be harvested and converted to numerous products including biofuels and livestock feeds.