Sustainable nutrient recovery from synthetic urine by Donnan dialysis with tubular ion-exchange membranes

To address interconnected issues related to deteriorated water quality and unsustainable fertilizer production, Donnan dialysis was employed for nutrient recovery from model waste solutions and synthetic urine. Conven-tional Donnan dialysis reactors with flat-sheet, ion-exchange membranes and 500-mL solutions were deployed to determine the impact of the synthetic urine matrix on nutrient recovery relative to model wastes that only contained sodium phosphate (NaH2PO4) or ammonium chloride (NH4Cl). Compared to the model wastes, the competing ions in the synthetic urine caused orthophosphate (P(V)) and ammonium (NH4+) removal to decrease from 90.4 % to 55.2 % and from 87.8 % to 84.8 %, respectively. To improve reactor design for future scale up, an innovative Donnan dialysis system was established by placing tubular anion-and cation-exchange membranes into a 30-L waste solution and continuously recirculating 5 L of an NaCl-based draw solution through the inside of the membranes. P(V), NH4+, and other nutrients were simultaneously recovered, and the concentrations in the draw solution exceeded those in the initial synthetic urine in accordance with Donnan equilibrium for unequal solution volumes. Over 75 % P(V) and 74 % NH4+ were removed from the synthetic urine. MgCl2 and NaOH were added to the nutrient-enriched draw solution to precipitate solids and reset the electrochemical potential gradient, enabling enhanced nutrient recovery. Chemical equilibrium modeling and solids characterization confirmed that the recovered precipitates were similar to 73-90 % struvite. The proof-of-concept tubular reactor rep-resents a promising strategy for scaling up Donnan dialysis systems for selective nutrient recovery from urine and other wastes.

Automated summary

Donnan dialysis was employed to recover nutrients from model waste solutions and synthetic urine, and a new Donnan dialysis system was established to enhance nutrient recovery. The presence of competing ions in the synthetic urine decreased the removal of orthophosphate and ammonium. The innovative Donnan dialysis system achieved simultaneous recovery of phosphates, ammonium, and other nutrients, and the recovered precipitates were similar to struvite.