CO2-driven Ion Exchange for Ammonium Recovery from Source-separated Urine

IF 11.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Water Research Pub Date : 2025-01-10 DOI:10.1016/j.watres.2025.123132

Lei Zhou, Dian Wang, Jiayu Yu, Hongyi Zhang, Hang Dong

{"title":"CO2-driven Ion Exchange for Ammonium Recovery from Source-separated Urine","authors":"Lei Zhou, Dian Wang, Jiayu Yu, Hongyi Zhang, Hang Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.watres.2025.123132","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Nitrogen recovery from urine and CO2 utilization are both vital for achieving a circular economy and mitigating climate change. Divided engineering solutions have been proposed to address either problem, but there is still a lack of integrated technologies to simultaneously tackle the two tasks. We demonstrated CO2-driven ion exchange for nitrogen recovery (CIXNR) from urine and evaluated the process in Malawi. By comprehensively studying the ion exchange chemistry using a proton-form weak acid cation exchanger (WAC-H), we revealed the suppressed adsorption capacity caused by counterion releasing. Regulating aqueous pH optimized the WAC-H capacity, particularly, by the natural buffering capacity provided by bicarbonate in the hydrolyzed urine. CO2 regeneration achieved over 75% nitrogen recovery in a multi-cycle test with synthetic hydrolyzed urine. A higher CO2 pressure resulted in faster regeneration kinetics due to a lower aqueous pH and higher proton concentration gradient. Our field outreach activity in Malawi indicated future research demand in adapting the system for resource-limited, rural, and no-electricity areas. We envision this study to inspire more integrated solutions to tackle both circular economy and climate actions and call for more field outreach activities to facilitate urine technology adoption in developing countries.","PeriodicalId":443,"journal":{"name":"Water Research","volume":"204 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Water Research","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2025.123132","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Nitrogen recovery from urine and CO₂ utilization are both vital for achieving a circular economy and mitigating climate change. Divided engineering solutions have been proposed to address either problem, but there is still a lack of integrated technologies to simultaneously tackle the two tasks. We demonstrated CO₂-driven ion exchange for nitrogen recovery (CIXNR) from urine and evaluated the process in Malawi. By comprehensively studying the ion exchange chemistry using a proton-form weak acid cation exchanger (WAC-H), we revealed the suppressed adsorption capacity caused by counterion releasing. Regulating aqueous pH optimized the WAC-H capacity, particularly, by the natural buffering capacity provided by bicarbonate in the hydrolyzed urine. CO₂ regeneration achieved over 75% nitrogen recovery in a multi-cycle test with synthetic hydrolyzed urine. A higher CO₂ pressure resulted in faster regeneration kinetics due to a lower aqueous pH and higher proton concentration gradient. Our field outreach activity in Malawi indicated future research demand in adapting the system for resource-limited, rural, and no-electricity areas. We envision this study to inspire more integrated solutions to tackle both circular economy and climate actions and call for more field outreach activities to facilitate urine technology adoption in developing countries.

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Water Research 环境科学-工程：环境

CiteScore

20.80

自引率

9.40%

发文量

1307

审稿时长

38 days

期刊介绍： Water Research, along with its open access companion journal Water Research X, serves as a platform for publishing original research papers covering various aspects of the science and technology related to the anthropogenic water cycle, water quality, and its management worldwide. The audience targeted by the journal comprises biologists, chemical engineers, chemists, civil engineers, environmental engineers, limnologists, and microbiologists. The scope of the journal include: •Treatment processes for water and wastewaters (municipal, agricultural, industrial, and on-site treatment), including resource recovery and residuals management; •Urban hydrology including sewer systems, stormwater management, and green infrastructure; •Drinking water treatment and distribution; •Potable and non-potable water reuse; •Sanitation, public health, and risk assessment; •Anaerobic digestion, solid and hazardous waste management, including source characterization and the effects and control of leachates and gaseous emissions; •Contaminants (chemical, microbial, anthropogenic particles such as nanoparticles or microplastics) and related water quality sensing, monitoring, fate, and assessment; •Anthropogenic impacts on inland, tidal, coastal and urban waters, focusing on surface and ground waters, and point and non-point sources of pollution; •Environmental restoration, linked to surface water, groundwater and groundwater remediation; •Analysis of the interfaces between sediments and water, and between water and atmosphere, focusing specifically on anthropogenic impacts; •Mathematical modelling, systems analysis, machine learning, and beneficial use of big data related to the anthropogenic water cycle; •Socio-economic, policy, and regulations studies.