Our research article on ammonia recovery from urine using isothermal membrane distillation is accepted for publication in ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering!
Our current linear economy approach of manufacturing ammonia by the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process and discharging wastewater with high nutrient loading into the environment is unsustainable. In this study, we present a novel operation of membrane distillation (MD) — isothermal membrane distillation with acidic collector (IMD-AC) — to recover N from diverted urine. The innovative operation effectively suppressed undesired water vapor permeation while enhancing ammonia vapor flux and, thus, significantly improved selectivity for ammonia transport. By eliminating the evaporation of water, IMD-AC achieved 95% savings in vaporization energy consumption relative to conventional MD. The energy requirement of ammonia recovery by IMD-AC is around an order of magnitude lower than the Haber-Bosch process for N fixation and is in the same range as N removal from wastewater by nitrification-denitrification. The study findings highlight the potential of the technology to be a more sustainable alternative to current NH3 production and removal methods.
Read the press release.
