How do you describe your solution?
The membrane stripping process is a result of our innovation and closes the nitrogen cycle by recovering part of the ammonium as fertiliser instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.
When dewatering digested sludge from wastewater treatment plants, central water is produced which contains a significant amount of ammonium. This accounts for up to 20% of the total load of the wastewater treatment plant and can significantly affect the functioning and costs of biological treatment.
Membrane stripping makes it possible to treat this ammonia-containing central water efficiently and flexibly and to produce a fertiliser that can be used directly in agriculture.
Who are your customers?
The process will be of interest to all operators of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants in order to offer local agriculture an ecological fertiliser with high added value.
What are the environmental benefits of your solution?
Ammonium recovery limits greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment plants and promotes a circular economy by producing fertiliser from wastewater. The fertiliser is produced locally and can advantageously replace chemical fertilisers from distant plants. The ammonium recovered in this way does not return to the head of the treatment plant, reducing the size of treatment plants and their energy requirements.
How do you succeed in the market?
We participate in Swiss exhibitions on water treatment. A page on our website is dedicated to this process. We also promote it to engineering companies.
Nominated Solution: Stickstoffrückgewinnung mittels Membran-Stripping
Company: ALPHA WasserTechnik AG
Further information: www.alphawt.ch
Project manager Frédéric Gindroz (right) in front of the membrane plant at ARA Yverdon-Les-Bains © ALPHA WasserTechnik
