Biological recovery of phosphorus (BioP-Rec) from wastewater streams using brewer's yeast on pilot-scale

Most recent advances for phosphorus (P) recovery using brewery yeast on laboratory scale were used to scale up to a pilot-scale process (BioP-Rec module) and applied in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). A P balance was established for WWTP Markranstadt according to two thresholds: (1) the economic feasibility threshold for P recovery of 0.05 kg/m(3) of free P, and (2) the German Sewage Sludge Ordinance (GSSO) threshold, which demands that all WWTPs with a P content in dry matter (DM) of biosolids of 20 gP/kg(DM) or higher in the coming years must perform mandatory P recovery. In terms of defined thresholds, return and excess sludges were identified as the most feasible WWTP process streams for P recovery. In a 1 m(3) BioP-Rec module a 3 stage process was established. From the P-rich water-phase of the return sludge produced in stage 1, which contained 0.051 kg/m(3) of free P, 77.56% was taken up by P-depleted brewer's yeast Saccharomyces pastorianus in 3 h in stage 2. In stage 3, the yeast was concentrated in 1 h to produce yeast sludge as a fertilizer product. We demonstrated a novel pilot-scale process for the production of bio-based P-rich fertilizer.

Automated summary

This study applied the latest advances in phosphorus recovery to a pilot-scale and full-scale wastewater treatment plant. The most feasible process streams for phosphorus recovery were identified based on economic feasibility and the German Sewage Sludge Ordinance thresholds. A three-stage process was established for phosphorus recovery, demonstrating a novel pilot-scale process for the production of bio-based phosphorus-rich fertilizer.