Three-stage treatment for nitrogen and phosphorus recovery from human urine: Hydrolysis, precipitation and vacuum stripping

Abstract

Source separation of human urine has not been widely adopted because of scaling on urine collecting fixtures and lack of verified technologies for on-site utilization of waterless urine. This study investigated the effects of flushing liquid, temperature and urease amendment on hydrolysis of urea to ammonia, explored ammonia recovery via vacuum stripping in connection with phosphorus recovery via struvite precipitation in different sequences, and performed economic analysis of a proposed nutrient recovery strategy. It was found that acetic acid could be dosed at 0.05–0.07 N to flush urine-diverting toilets and urinals for hygiene and prevention of scaling. However, a high dosage of 0.56 N completely inhibited urea hydrolysis. Source-separated urine could be stored at 25 °C with ample urease for complete urea hydrolysis within approximately 20 h. Fully hydrolyzed waterless urine contained 9.0–11.6 g/L ammonia-N, 0.53–0.95 g/L phosphate-P and only 2.3–9.1 mg/L magnesium. When magnesium was supplemented to attain the optimum Mg2+: PO43− molar concentration ratio of 1.0 in hydrolyzed urine, batch operation of a pilot-scale air-lift crystallizer removed 93–95% of phosphate and produced 3.65–4.93 g/L struvite in 1–5 h. Batch operation of a pilot-scale vacuum stripping – acid absorption system for 12 h stripped 72–77% of ammonia and produced 37.6–39.7 g/L (NH4)2SO4. Compared with the ammonia → phosphorus recovery sequence, the struvite precipitation → vacuum stripping sequence produced more struvite and ammonium sulfate. The strategy of urea hydrolysis → struvite precipitation → vacuum stripping of ammonia is a sustainable alternative to the conventional phosphorus fertilizer production and ammonia synthesis processes.