Abstract
Nitrogen recovery technologies such as the hollow fibre membrane contactor are now being developed. However, an economic analysis is needed prior to their full-scale application in wastewater treatment plants. The aim of this study was to analyse the economic and environmental aspects of scaling-up this method. To achieve it, a full-scale 40,000 m3·day−1-wastewater treatment plant influent flow rate was simulated jointly with a membrane contactor plant to evaluate the minimum costs of optimum operating conditions of membrane contactors (pH, feed flow rate and membrane surface). The optimum conditions for treating 600 m3·day−1 of reject water was found to be 10 pH, 0.08 m3·s−1 feed flow rate and 10,580 m2 of membrane surface, obtaining a 4% nitrogen ammonia sulphate solution. The results indicated capital (membrane modules and pumps) and operating costs (reagents and energy) of 0.0095 €·m−3 and a profit of 0.0090 €·m−3, including energy savings in terms of aeration and sales of the recovered ammonia sulphate, with the added benefit of reducing CO2-eq by 10.3 tons per day.
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