I-Corps: Algal-bacterial Wastewater Treatment Technology

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to potentially enable an innovative wastewater treatment technology to lower costs and improve the sustainability of wastewater treatment. By taking advantage of advances in microbial ecology and natural light fluctuations over the course of the day, the algal-bacterial shortcut nitrogen removal process can provide complete nitrogen removal with very low chemical and energy inputs. The technology will potentially reduce nutrient pollutant discharges to the environment, allowing wastewater facilities to economically comply with existing and future environmental regulations. Application of this technology will help reduce eutrophication (overgrowth of algae) of surface waters and nitrate contamination of groundwater.This I-Corps project will focus on customer discovery to investigate how the innovative algal-bacterial shortcut nitrogen removal technology can be potentially integrated into existing wastewater treatment processes. High ammonia strength wastewaters are challenging and costly to treat in conventional biological nitrogen removal systems due to their toxicity and high aeration and chemical requirements. Laboratory research has demonstrated that complete ammonium removal can be achieved in a sequencing batch photoreactor with alternating light and dark periods (day and night). During the light period, oxygen produced through photosynthesis stimulates nitrite production by ammonia oxidizing bacteria. During the dark period, dissolved oxygen is quickly consumed, promoting nitrogen removal from the wastewater. This innovative technology can be applied to the treatment of domestic wastewater sidestreams and agricultural wastewater to reduce the costs, energy requirements and greenhouse gas emissions associated with nitrogen removal from wastewaters.