Advanced Phosphorus Recovery System Introduced

DVO, Inc. (USA), a leader in the environmental engineering industry and North America’s largest provider of anaerobic digesters, has introduced a simple and practical solution that removes 75 to 95 percent of phosphorus from anaerobically-digested wastes.

DVO has successfully commissioned this system for a large dairy farm in the Northwest. A commercial mixed-waste anaerobic digestion facility in Indiana, as well as a dedicated poultry litter digester in Ohio also have installed this system at full-scale.

Phosphorus is essential to all living things – and is a particularly valuable nutrient for agriculture. Without it crops cannot grow. Phosphorus is also a “non-renewable” resource with a finite global supply. However, too much of it can find its way into our rivers and lakes, leading to algae blooms and sometimes causing severe damage to sensitive aquatic ecosystems. 

Farm and commercial/industrial bio-wastes can contribute to excess phosphorus in the environment. By treating these wastes in DVO’s patented Two-Stage Mixed Plug Flow™ anaerobic digester and then employing this new phosphorus recovery (PR) system, one can both conserve and recycle this valuable resource as well as help protect our natural waterways.

It is, in-part, the “guaranteed retention time” offered by the DVO anaerobic digester that allows this PR process to be uniquely economical and effective. As a result, the majority of a waste stream’s phosphorus resides in a condensed solid — a new and useful byproduct from digestion that is stackable, storable, spreadable and profitable.

Operating costs for this new phosphorus recovery system average one-eighth of a penny per gallon of liquid processed – a very small amount compared to the cost of transporting that gallon longer distances. The phosphorus-rich solids generated by DVO’s phosphorus recovery solution can be easily transported from the area and are marketable as a soil amendment, fertiliser or potting soil/peat moss replacement. 

“Not only is DVO’s PR system a low-maintenance, sustainable treatment solution that works for agriculture and industry — it also provides real benefits for the environment,” said Doug VanOrnum, Vice President Strategy and Technology for DVO. “Largely because these ‘plant-ready’ fertilisers and micronutrients are captured in a form that can now be safely transported and utilised in areas that need them. DVO’s mission has always been to provide our customers with groundbreaking nutrient management solutions that work.”