Project

A new osmotic membrane-microbial electrolysis cell (OMEC) technology for sustainable wastewater treatment, resource recovery, and energy production

Code
01P06523
Duration
01 October 2023 → 30 September 2026
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund
Promotor
Research disciplines
  • Natural sciences
    • Environmental chemistry
  • Engineering and technology
    • Geotechnical and environmental engineering not elsewhere classified
    • Water engineering not elsewhere classified
    • Materials synthesis
    • Modelling and simulation
Keywords
Osmotic microbial electrolysis cell Clean water reuse Resource recovery
 
Project description

Global demand for water, food, and energy are projected to grow dramatically in the next decades. Forward osmosis (FO) membrane processes have been emerging as an effective tool for water reuse, resource recovery, and energy harvesting from wastewater. This study aims to develop new technology for simultaneous wastewater treatment/reuse, nutrient recovery, and energy production. A new FO membrane with more beneficial properties compared to conventional membranes in terms of ammonium recovery, micropollutants rejection, and blue energy production will be tailored. Next, a hybrid system of FO with microbial electrolysis cell (so-called osmotic-microbial electrolysis cell, OMEC) is innovated to enhance the membrane performance, regarding membrane fouling mitigation and complete organic/micropollutants degradation. In addition, this integrated system can produce hydrogen for use as fuel or chemical as well as provide diluted fertilizer draw solution for agricultural irrigation. The feasibility of applying the hybrid system with various types of wastewater sources is also evaluated along with the application of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques. The complete and optimized system is expected to promote the circular economy, tackling climate change as well as food and water scarcity globally toward sustainable development.