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Water Filtration

15 de marzo de 2025 por
Water Filtration
Justin Mitchell


Recovery of ammonia from domestic wastewater effluents as liquid fertilizers by integration of natural zeolites and hollow fibre membrane contactors

The research presents a study on the use of zeolites, a type of mineral, as a post-treatment step for the removal of ammonium from treated wastewater. The researchers used a natural granular clinoptilolite zeolite to remove low levels of ammonium from treated wastewater. The zeolite was activated to the Na-form and showed an ammonium exchange capacity of 29 ± 0.8 mg N-NH4+/g in treated wastewater. The ammonium adsorption into zeolites is a very fast process when compared with polymeric materials. The loaded zeolite was regenerated using a 2 g NaOH/L solution and the rich ammonium/ammonia concentrates were used in a liquid-liquid membrane contactor system in a closed-loop configuration with nitric and phosphoric acid as stripping solutions. The ammonia recovery ratio exceeded 98%.


The study is significant as it presents a potential solution for the removal of ammonium from wastewater, which is a major environmental concern. The use of zeolites for this purpose is a novel approach and could contribute to ongoing discussions on wastewater treatment methods. The study also offers benefits to readers by providing a detailed methodology and results of the experiment, which could be useful for further research or practical applications.