News Room

World-first Commercial Nutrient Recovery Facility

June 10, 2009

NORAM received accolades for the design of the PEARL™ Reactor, commissioned today by OSTARA Nutrient Recovery Technologies Inc. at the Durham Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility in Oregon, USA.

The installation is the first full commercial facility to harvest phosphorous directly from wastewater, to produce a premium magnesium-ammonium-phosphate fertilizer, marketed as Crystal Green.

OSTARA’s PEARL™ process, developed at the University of British Columbia, has set a new standard for nutrient recovery. NORAM engineered the initial process flow sheets and scale-up design for the PEARL™ reactor, and also devised the scheme whereby the fertilizer is continuously harvested from the reactor.

The PEARL™ process consistently recovers more than 90% of the phosphorous and 20% of the ammonia from a recycle stream that would normally end up in the plant outfall. It additionally reduces O&M costs caused by struvite accumulation in pipes, reduces pollution, and reduces chemical use. The Durham Facility is expected to produce 500 tons of high-grade Crystal Green fertilizer annually.

> For more information see: www.ostara.com

More News