Project Description

The recovery of phosphorus from wastewater has become a key challenge in light of the ongoing depletion of natural phosphorus reserves, which are indispensable for agriculture and industry. The combination of adsorption and desorption has proven to be particularly promising. The phosphorus contained in wastewater is first bound to an adsorbent and then released in concentrated form, enabling its subsequent recovery.

This project builds on a previous project aimed at developing and optimizing an adsorption-desorption process in fixed-bed columns. The goal is to adapt this process on a laboratory scale to the conditions prevailing in wastewater treatment plants: low phosphate concentrations, large volumes of water to be treated, and the presence of competing ions that influence the adsorption process.

A significant portion of the work focuses on the desorption step. In this context, two approaches are being investigated:

• a conventional chemical desorption method based on regeneration solutions,
• an innovative electrodialysis process that uses an electric field to release and concentrate the phosphorus.
  

The goal of the project is to develop functional adsorption-desorption cycles through experimental investigations and numerical modeling and to evaluate their technical feasibility under realistic conditions.

Key elements of the project

• Development and optimization of an adsorption-desorption process for phosphate recovery from wastewater
• Adaptation of the process on a laboratory scale to low-phosphorus wastewater containing competing ions
• In-depth investigation of the underlying desorption mechanisms
• Simulation of the dynamic behavior of the adsorption-desorption cycles
• Assessment of the technical feasibility of the process under real-world conditions

Project Description

This project, part of the VIVET innovation community, aims to establish an integrated approach for the development of energy- and resource-efficient chemical syntheses. The goal is to provide methodologies and technologies for evidence-based, model-driven chemical process development. These methodologies will be tested using two model systems – the synthesis of benzimidazoles and naphthohydroquinones – to enable environmentally friendly production routes. Comprehensive knowledge of the underlying physicochemical processes and their reliable representation through mathematical models is crucial for the efficient and sustainable operation of these syntheses. To support this, a differential recycle reactor has been developed at LRF, which enables kinetic studies under well-defined thermal, chemical, and fluid dynamic conditions.

Project Partners

The EnaChem project is carried out in close collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences Mannheim (TH Mannheim). While LRF investigates the reduction pathways of the syntheses, TH Mannheim focuses on the corresponding oxidation.

The industrial partners within the VIVET innovation community are diverse and span various sectors. In addition to partners from the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, such as BASF, Merck, and Roche, companies from the field of measurement and control technology – including IPS and HiTec Zang – are also part of the community. Other organizations and associations, such as the IHK Rhein-Neckar and the Smart Industries network, complete the consortium.

Key Elements of the Project

• Design and construction of a universally applicable screening apparatus for hydrogenation reactions
• Systematic screening of catalysts and solvents
• Development and calibration of a quantitative analytical method
• Execution of kinetic studies in a differential recycle reactor
• Investigation of various hydrogenation syntheses
• Development of a kinetic model
• Model-based scale-up of the reaction
• Knowledge transfer and communication with the industrial partners involved