Struvite Recovery for Organic Production
Water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), and some industrial facilities are subjected to phosphorus removal from wastewater/liquid manure and suffer from struvite deposition in pipelines, vessels, and peripherals. Struvite recovery can be a cost-effective option to achieve management and permit compliance goals for phosphate removal while producing struvite as a slow-release fertilizer.
Unlike chemical-based technologies to recover struvite for traditional farming, STROP produces struvite as a natural fertilizer by supplementing magnesium and raising pH with two mineral-based products followed by pressing struvite crystals with bio-based binding into fertilizer granules, making struvite potentially acceptable for organic production. In the near future, organic farms may use our struvite products as an OMRI-listed compound fertilizer, a high nutrient grade (5N-26P-0K) alternative to organic fertilizers. Residents and institutions may use our STROP fertilizers on lawns, gardens, and golf courses. STROP fertilizers can be produced and distributed locally as global fertilizer supply chain is interrupted.
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STROP was funded by the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps Program and NYS CoE in Healthy Water Solutions for analysis of market fit and technical R&D. Proof of principles was completed with jar tests and 3.2-L air-lift crystallizer at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY. A functional prototype composed of a pretreatment tank, a 22-L air-lift crystallyzer, and granulator is available for field tests.
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Publication:
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Iftikhar A., Tao W. 2024. Recovery of struvite for organic production: Mineral-based magnesium supplementation and pH elevation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 452, 142244.
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Iftikhar A., Tao W. 2025. Production of natural fertilizers with sludge digestate by mineral-based struvite crystallization and organic binding, 525, 146599
