WP1 Mapping of wastewater sources and possible products (M1-M5, WP completed)
Description: WP1 focuses on clarifying nutrient-containing industrial wastewater sources suitable for TYPKI development and on determinating the first ideas for produced concentrates to be utilized as raw materials for nutrient products. Also possible methods for real time measuring of nutrients will be clarified. The WP consists of three tasks.
- Task 1.1: Mapping of wastewater sources in cooperation with wastewater producers
- Task 1.2: Mapping of possible products
- Task 1.3: Mapping of real-time measurement technologies, especially for N, P, S
Outcome: Knowledge of industrial wastewaters to be treated and potential nutrient sources. Ideas of products from recycled nutrients. In long term, someone´s waste is another one´s raw material, a principle which produces material and cost savings.
WP1 Contact person: Research scientist Joni Lehto, joni.lehto@vtt.fi
Latest updates: WP1 identified the most interesting waste/process waters and possible products for TYPKI development together with the participating companies. Compositional background data on potential waters to be used in TYPKI’s experimental WPs (mainly WP2 and WP3) was collected and appropriate water samples were collected from collaborating companies. Product survey was conducted to identify the most potential products produced from the collected water samples and their commercial potentials (i.e., price data, market size, and future market projections) were determined by collecting price data from various sources. Collection of respective data on possible products produced in TYPKI also included a survey on regulatory aspects regarding circular economy products. Finally, WP1 included a survey on possible online measurement systems, possibly applicable in TYPKI ecosystem.
WP2 Innovative technologies for wastewater treatment, focus on nitrogen (M1-M20, WP ongoing)
Description: WP 2 focuses on developing innovative wastewater purification technologies to remove, concentrate and recover N, P, K, S compounds. This WP has close dialog with WP4 in order to develop sustainable and techno-economically feasible technologies. Feed water for experiments will be obtained from the participant companies, and they will be mapped in WP 1.
- Task 2.1: Nutrient removal technologies
- Task 2.2: Nutrients concentration
- Task 2.3: Technologies to recover nutrients
Outcome: As an outcome, competitive and marketable nutrient removal, concentration, and recovery technologies/concepts are developed, which in long term can benefit the competitiveness of Finnish industry. This also enables industrial activities via reaching the limits of environmental permits via producing less waste by improving utilization of concentrates, and via producing more purified water “fit for purpose” usage. The produced knowledge of technologies/concepts can be used for new applications. This WP contains high potential of publications or IPR.
WP2 Contact person: Senior scientist Juha Heikkinen, juha.heikkinen@vtt.fi
Preliminary TYPKI process concept for nutrient removal and concentration
TYPKI WP2 experimental equipment
Latest updates: In WP2, the main focus has been targeted to concept development by which various process waters chosen in WP1 can be treated and turned into commercially viable product applications. The main technologies used in TYPKI research have so far included precipitation for scalant removal and subsequent filtration/membrane technologies for recovery and concentration of valuable compounds. The chosen membrane filtration/membrane techniques included reatments conducted with membrane cotactor (MC), nanofiltration (NF), and reverse osmosis (RO).
WP3 Product valorisation (M6-M22, WP ongoing)
Description: WP3 focuses on improving the quality and usability of the products by controlling the composition of products/ingredients and by controlling the release of nutrients from the products. Also sustainable end-use solutions for side streams of water purification will be developed in this WP. Like WP 2 this WP has close dialog with WP4.
- Task 3.1: Control of nutrient composition and concentration for recycled product
- Task 3.2: Controlled release of nutrients
- Task 3.3: Construction products from concentrates and side streams
Outcome: Increased market potential for wastewater treatment by providing sustainable options for produced concentrates/side streams. Desired nutrient content of the products will clearly improve marketing possibilities for recycled products. This WP has high IPR potential.
WP3 Contact person: Senior scientist Antti Grönroos, antti.gronroos@vtt.fi
Latest updates: WP3 work has been focused on preparation and testing of construction materials in which product fractions produced by TYPKI concepts can be utilized. This approach includes a sophisticated thermodynamic calculation research, by which the phenomena taking place in preparation and testing of various experimental construction materials can be described and explained. The work in WP3 regarding construction materials is continued by manufacturing experimental construction materials by using recently produced product fractions and VTT´s own recipe. Close cooperation regarding the manufacture and testing these materials is performed with various TYPKI partners. Additionally, tailoring of various other concentrates for better usage in different applications will be carried out.
WP4 Sustainability assessment (M3-M22, WP ongoing)
Description: Sustainability evaluation will consider both techno-economic assessment (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA). They will both evaluate the same production concepts and follow mainly similar system boundaries and scope definitions.
- Task 4.1: Concept definitions
- Task 4.2: Process modelling
- Task 4.3: Environmental assessment
- Task 4.4: Economic evaluation
Outcome: The ranking of the concepts based on their environmental and economic sustainability. The key factors affecting the sustainability of proposed concepts (and underlying parameters) to focus on future development stages. Concept-level TEA and environmental assessment.
WP4 Contact person: Senior scientist Marja Nappa, marja.nappa@vtt.fi
Latest updates: WP4 has been concentrated on thermodynamic calculations to assist the recovery research conducted in WP2 and valorisation research in WP3. Thermodynamic modelling provides information and guidance for concept selection regarding the thermodynamic behaviour. In total, seven different cases from WP2 and WP3 have been assessed to guide the selection of the most potential technologies in chemicals recovery. Additionally, rough techno-economic assessment to compare various concepts for mainly ammonium recovery has been finalized. Also life cycle assessment (LCA) for construction materials will be started with cooperating companies.
WP5 Business possibilities (M1-M23, WP ongoing)
Description: Business potential will be identified by the participant companies with support of potential end users, product marketers, and policy makers. In this public project VTT will support the business activities of companies by the survey of the regulations related to recycled nutrient products and by the market study for recycled products.
- Task 5.1: Regulations for recycled products
- Task 5.2: Market study for recycled products
Outcome: Support on business activities.
WP5 Contact person: Senior scientist Hanna Kyllönen, hanna.kyllonen@vtt.fi
Latest updates: WP5 continued the work of WP1 regarding nutrient regulation and market situation. Implementation will be carried out when new EU fertilizer regulation will become operative, i.e. Jul 16th, 2022. Nutrient product prices were collected from varying sources (e.g., supplier databases), i.e., work started in WP1 was continued in WP5. Main focus was on nitrogen, sulphur, potassium, and phosphorus products, but also other products, such as various magnesium salts, were later added to the list. In total 39 chemicals are on the list. Apart from that, market forecasts for products were carried out. Forecasts covered time span from present situation up to 2028. Prices and markets of all major chemicals within TYPKI scope are expected to increase in the future.
WP6 Coordination and dissemination (M1-M24, WP ongoing)
Description: WP6 will carry out the management tasks and dissemination of the project. Also research exchanges and accompanied networking will be part of this WP. Two tasks have been identified for this WP.
- Task 6.1: Coordination
- Task 6.2: Dissemination
Outcome: Expected outcomes are fluent flow of the project, increased international cooperation, good visibility, and clarified plan for the ecosystem of recycled nutrients.
WP6 Contact person: Senior scientist Hanna Kyllönen, hanna.kyllonen@vtt.fi