Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/K96946/01
Title:	METAL SPECIATION AND NUTRIENT RETENTION BY ANAEROBIC DIGESTERS
Principal Investigator:	Wheatley, Professor AD
Other Investigators:	Ince, Dr M
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	Pre Nexus Migration Severn Trent Plc Group
Department:	Civil and Building Engineering
Organisation:	Loughborough University
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 April 1996	Ends:	31 March 1999	Value (£):	129,371
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Waste Management
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Environment
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Metals and poorly soluble inorganics, eg phosphates, are concentrated in the solids fraction of waste treatment processes. This may be beneficial to counteract nutrient deficiencies and remove the metal from the aqueous phase. More often there are disadvantages such as calcification, toxicity and scale formation.l The introduction of phosphate removal technology at waste water treatment plants will be a new and unknown influence on the performance of anaerobic digestion. This research proposes to investigate the speciation of alkali earth metals, transition metals and phosphate during anaerobic digestion. Emphasis will be on the digestion of phosphate enrichment on metal speciation, availability and precipitation within the anaerobic environment. Understanding the speciation of nutrients and metals in anaerobic digestion will provide information vital for both the efficient operation of digesters(control strategies for struvite; optimisation of nutrient availability) and subsequent disposal of the sludge to land. Current disposal policies mean that about 70% of digested sludge is recycled for agricultural benefit, therefore, understanding the technology that fixes nutrients and metals to inert solids is essential to prevent the uncontrolled release of inorganics from digestion to sludge.Key Words: Civil Engineering, Surfaces, Inorganics, Metals, Organics, Waste water, Anaerobic digestion, nutrient removal, Scale, Struvite.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.lboro.ac.uk