Keeping the Phosphorous: Integrated Assessment of Phosphorus Removal and Recovery

Phosphorus is an essential element to life, to food production and to many chemical products and processes and while it is a finite resource, in the form of phosphate rock, it is still largely not recovered and recycled. Hence, excess phosphorus finds its way into waterways and largely contributes to the environmental problem of eutrophication, where algae blooms can devastate whole ecosystems and deteriorate water quality.

As such, there is a growing pressure to remove and recover phosphorus present in wastewater as one of the ways to simultaneously preserve mineral resources and reduce pollution of water bodies. As a variety of processes exist for phosphorus removal and recovery, there is a need to identify the factors that determine the best system performance according to local, operational, economic and environmental criteria in order to facilitate informed decisions on the selection of the best suite of resource recovery technologies. In addition, these criteria need to be integrated with other aspects of wastewater treatment (e.g. enabling energy recovery, reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, reducing sludge production, producing high quality treated water), especially in light of the increasingly stringent regulations on environmental quality, rising public expectations and the push for a circular economy.

This project will focus on a whole systems approach for determining the best available technologies for phosphorus management within the engineered water cycle. The student will develop state-of-the-art modelling and computational tools skills which combined with the use of a comprehensive set of technical, environmental and economic indicators can be used to develop a holistic assessment framework of technology routes for phosphorus removal and recovery. The outcomes of the project will provide a set of tools for supporting technology investments, for informing policies and regulations and for identifying current knowledge gaps.

This is an excellent opportunity for a dynamic and forward-thinking student with an interest in the big picture to work on a holistic view of phosphorus management, which is increasingly becoming one of the most crucial and limiting resources for a sustainable growth with potential impacts on food security, political stability and economic competitiveness. The student would benefit from a multi-disciplinary team to develop their project to produce high impact outcomes that could benefit the water industry, as well as regulators and technology developers.