The Water Environment Research Foundation has funded significant research on recovery of resources from wastewater systems. Because WERF seeks to understand how resource recovery practices affect wastewater treatment, it will fund research answering whether water resource recovery facilities that operate for enhanced biological phosphorus removal, and/or phosphorus recovery, are experiencing difficulties dewatering anaerobically digested biosolids. WERF will also fund research to examine how phosphorus accumulation and recovery are affected when combined with a low-energy, low-carbon process (such as mainstream deammonification).

The first project, "Unintended Consequences of Resource Recovery on Overall Plant Performance: Solving the Impacts on Dewaterability Properties (NTRY12R16)," will address recent reports of dewatering difficulties. WERF seeks research projects building upon prior and ongoing research to determine if the phenomenon is widespread and to better understand dewaterability performance and its affect on overall resource recovery operations.

The second project, "Understanding the Impacts of Low-Energy and Low-Carbon Nitrogen Removal Technologies on Bio-P and Nutrient Recovery Processes (NTRY13R16)," seeks bench, pilot and/or full-scale studies to determine the design and operational affects of incorporating EBPR, or other phosphorus recovery techniques, into a low-energy, low-carbon nitrogen removal process at a WRRF. The focus of the research should be on processes that are at or near the full-scale demonstration or implementation phase and would be applicable to the existing infrastructure present at most municipal WRRFs.

WERF has allocated nearly $300,000 for these two projects. Proposals are due in early March and late February 2016, respectively. Additional information is available at www.werf.org. 

About WERF
The Water Environment Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization formed in 1989, is America's leading independent scientific research organization dedicated to wastewater and stormwater issues.