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Effectiveness of ecotechnologies for recovery of nitrogen and phosphorus from anaerobic digestate and effectiveness of the recovery products as fertilisers: a systematic review protocol

The regular addition of plant-available nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, either as manufactured fertilisers or animal manure, to agricultural soils is needed for global food security.

Biljana Macura, Neal Haddaway / Published on 12 August 2019

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Citation

Macura, B., Johannesdottir, S. L., Piniewski, M., Haddaway, N. R. and Kvarnström, E. (2019). Effectiveness of ecotechnologies for recovery of nitrogen and phosphorus from anaerobic digestate and effectiveness of the recovery products as fertilisers: a systematic review protocol. Environmental Evidence, 8(1). 29. https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13750-019-0173-3

Increased recycling of nutrients back to agriculture from organic waste streams is necessary for increased rural–urban sustainability. Anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge and agricultural wastes is widely applied to stabilize the substrate and also capture its energetic value via biogas production. The liquid phase of anaerobic digestate is a concentrated source of nutrients to which nutrient recovery technologies can be applied. Two such promising technologies are struvite precipitation and ammonia stripping. A treatment process that combines anaerobic digestion and nutrient recovery technologies on the digestate  provides both renewable energy and plant nutrients.

This review will examine the effectiveness of ecotechnologies for the recovery and reuse of nitrogen and phosphorus from anaerobic digestate with the aim of reducing the impact of waste on the environment.

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SEI authors

Biljana Macura
Biljana Macura

Senior Research Fellow

SEI Headquarters

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Topics and subtopics
Land : Food and agriculture
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