Researchers have shown that the application of an external electric field can greatly enhance the efficiency of ammonia removal from wastewater — a process normally resource and energy intensive.
The process of air stripping for ammonia removal can be expensive, requiring specific temperatures, air supply, and a lot of chemicals. Addressing these drawbacks in a study published in Water Research, researchers from Korea Maritime & Ocean University found that the application of an electric field during air stripping can substantially improve the efficiency of ammonia removal, even under sub-optimal conditions.
“So far, the removal of ammonia from wastewater was thought to be dependent on only pH, temperature, and air supply,” says Young-Chae Song, the lead investigator on this study. “However, we have shown that an electrical field can also act as a modulator of this process,”
Prof. Song comments, “Our simulations showed that electric field application provides a similar efficiency of ammonia removal to conventional methods at a much lower temperature, air supply, and pH. Moreover, the energy needed to power the electric field is a minute fraction of the energy required to achieve these ‘optimal’ conditions.”
An electric field-coupled platform could provide a more economical way of stripping ammonia from wastewater and reducing the carbon footprint associated with this process.
Young-Chae Song, et al. “External electric field promotes ammonia stripping from wastewater.” Water Research 203 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2021.117518.
