Project Info
Nutrient management from anaerobic wastewater treatment effluent
Junko Munakata Marr | junko@mines.edu
We have been operating an energy-generating anaerobic wastewater treatment reactor at Mines Park for 2.5 years. The reactor requires little energy to run and generates biogas that can be used to produce energy. This system treats raw wastewater more effectively than conventional primary treatment. However, nutrients are not treated at all in this system. This project will investigate how nitrogen in particular can be treated in the effluent from the anaerobic treatment process.
More Information
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135415302402?via%3Dihub
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135414001481
Grand Engineering Challenge: Manage the nitrogen cycle
Student Preparation
Qualifications
Willingness to work with wastewater, attention to detail, familiarity with water quality and microbiology concepts.
Time Commitment
20 hours/month
Skills/Techniques Gained
Growing microbes, collecting and analyzing wastewater samples.
Mentoring Plan
I plan to meet with the student regularly–I typically meet with students every week or every other week. The student will also interact regularly with the primary PhD student on the project, Carolyn Coffey.