Waste Treatment via Anaerobic Fermentation and MAP Precipitation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for processing highly organically polluted residues with high mineral content from the food industry are inefficient and costly, failing to effectively recover valuable ingredients due to complex material composition.
Innovation Solution
A method involving anaerobic fermentation, magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) precipitation, followed by electrochemical oxidation and reverse osmosis, utilizing an EGSB reactor and MAP reactor with specific gas and chemical inputs, and nanofiltration to process waste products with high organic acid and salt content, enabling efficient recovery and reuse of valuable ingredients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional treatment processes are used for highly organically contaminated residues with high mineral content, then the treatment can be performed with simple process engineering, but the treatment reaches its limits and cannot economically process the complex material composition
Solution Approach 1:
The treatment process is divided into multiple specialized stages: anaerobic digestion for organic matter breakdown, MAP precipitation for phosphate and ammonium recovery, nanofiltration for concentration separation, electrochemical oxidation for pollutant degradation, and reverse osmosis for water purification. Each stage targets specific components of the complex waste stream, enabling comprehensive treatment that adapts to the diverse composition of the feed material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate processing steps between the anaerobic digestion and final disposal stages. Specifically, the liquid phase containing solids from anaerobic digestion undergoes MAP precipitation as an intermediate step to recover valuable nutrients before further treatment. This intermediary process enables resource recovery while managing the complexity of the overall system.
2Loss of substance
If valuable components are recovered from waste products using conventional methods, then resource utilization improves, but the extraction process becomes costly and often not fully feasible
Solution Approach 1:
The anaerobic digestion process automatically concentrates valuable components (ammonium, phosphate, organic matter) in the liquid phase containing solids without requiring additional energy-intensive separation equipment. The biological process itself performs the initial concentration and separation, reducing the need for costly mechanical extraction systems and enabling economical recovery of nutrients.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the waste stream through controlled pH adjustment and chemical addition during MAP precipitation. By optimizing these parameters, the process selectively precipitates phosphate and ammonium as struvite crystals, enabling efficient recovery of valuable nutrients at lower costs compared to conventional extraction methods.
3Use of energy by moving object
If anaerobic digestion is used to produce biogas from waste products, then energy recovery is achieved, but the liquid phase containing solids requires additional complex treatment steps
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid phase containing solids from anaerobic digestion is treated through a multi-functional process train that simultaneously achieves multiple objectives: MAP precipitation recovers phosphate and ammonium as fertilizer, nanofiltration concentrates remaining pollutants, electrochemical oxidation degrades organic contaminants, and reverse osmosis produces purified water. This universal treatment approach handles diverse contaminants in one integrated system, making the additional complexity worthwhile for achieving complete resource recovery and water reuse.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the liquid phase containing solids from anaerobic digestion as waste, the patent systematically recovers valuable components at each treatment stage. MAP precipitation recovers phosphate and ammonium, nanofiltration recovers concentrated brine for potential reuse, electrochemical oxidation recovers energy through current generation, and reverse osmosis recovers purified water. This cascading recovery approach transforms what would be a waste stream into multiple valuable products.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly improves energetic and material processing efficiency, allowing for the complete utilization of waste products, producing biogas and fertilizer-grade precipitates, and achieving drinking water quality in the final liquid phase, thus reducing disposal costs and environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
waste products with a content of at most 12 g/l of organic acids and salt contents of at most 50 g/l are first subjected to anaerobic digestion and precipitation to produce biogas
Implementation Method 2
the other portion of the resulting liquid phase containing solids is at least partially subjected to magnesium ammonium phosphate precipitation (MAP precipitation)
Implementation Method 3
the remaining portion is subjected to filtration
Implementation Method 4
The permeate is subsequently subjected to electrochemical oxidation
Implementation Method 5
the anolyte is then subjected to reverse osmosis oxidation
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to the field of process engineering and concerns a method for treating waste products, as can be used for example in the treatment of low-viscosity waste products with organic acids from the milk-processing industry. The problem addressed by the present invention is that of providing a method that achieves a much better treatment and/or use of the valuable constituents of the waste products in terms of their energy and material content. The problem is solved by a method in which waste products are first made to undergo an anaerobic fermentation and precipitation to produce biogas, the liquid phase with solid fractions that is obtained is subjected to a magnesium ammonium phosphate precipitation (MAP precipitation), then the liquid phase with solid fractions obtained in the MAP precipitation is passed on for filtering, the permeate of the filtering is subsequently passed on for electrochemical oxidation, and after that the anolyte of the oxidation is made to undergo a reverse osmosis reaction and the liquid phase then obtained is passed on for further use.