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

Anaergia公司（ON，CA）开发了一种工艺，可以从有机废物中生产富氮矿物肥料。然而，目前有几个瓶颈阻碍了该技术的进一步广泛应用。首先，该方法需要大量的硫酸。然而，** 小城市一般不允许使用强酸，由于安全和环境问题。第二，利益相关者表示有兴趣生产可认证的生物肥料，这在使用硫酸时是不可能的。为了克服这些瓶颈，已经执行了一个Engage项目，以开发一种以更可持续的方式捕获氨的创新方法。发现柠檬酸可以 ** 提供硫酸的有价值的有机无害替代物，具有类似的氮回收效率。拟议的Engage Plus项目将探索一种高度灵活的氨吸附装置的设计，该装置 ** 允许在硫酸和柠檬酸的使用之间轻松切换。第二，Engage Plus项目将 ** 探索浓缩/固化最终产品（硫酸铵和柠檬酸铵）的选择，以 ** 提高其市场潜力，降低储存和运输成本。因此，Anaergia将能够降低其技术的整体运营成本，提高运营性能和灵活性，从而在市场上更具竞争力。在项目结束时，将向该公司提供 ** 关于试点规模设置的建议，并将 ** 购买额外资金，用于联合实施试点。除了对Anaergia的经济效益外，** 从有机废物中回收氮的可持续工艺的可用性将通过促进向可持续生物经济的过渡，为加拿大带来重大的经济、环境和社会效益。

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.