Design and optimization of a sustainable process for nitrogen recovery from organic waste

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The company Anaergia (ON, CA) has developed a process that allows to produce a nitrogen-rich mineral**fertilizer from organic wastes. However, several bottlenecks currently hinder further widespread**implementation of the technology. First, the process requires significant amounts of sulfuric acid. However,**small municipalities are generally not allowed to use strong acids due to safety and environmental concerns.**Second, stakeholders express interest in producing a certifiable bio-fertilizer, which is not possible when using**sulfuric acid. To overcome these bottlenecks, an Engage project has been executed in order to develop an**innovative method for capturing the ammonia in a more sustainable way. It was found that citric acid could**provide a valuable organic non-harmful alternative for sulfuric acid with similar nitrogen recovery efficiency.**The proposed Engage Plus project will explore the design of a highly flexible ammonia sorption unit that**allows to easily switch between the use of sulfuric acid and citric acid. Second, the Engage Plus project will**explore the option to concentrate/solidify the end-products (ammonium sulfate and ammonium citrate) in order**to improve their marketing potential and reduce storage and transportation costs. As such, Anaergia will be**able to reduce the overall operational costs of its technology, increase the operational performance and**flexibility, and hence become more competitive in the market place. At the end of the project,**recommendations for a pilot-scale set-up will be provided to the company, and additional funding will be**purchased for joint implementation of the pilot. On top of the economic benefits to Anaergia, the availability of**a sustainable process for nitrogen recovery from organic wastes will result in significant economic,**environmental and social benefits to Canada by facilitating the transition to a sustainable bio-based economy.