2007 Clarke Lecture Highlights Resource Recovery to Address Eutrophication.FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. -- The critical need to remove and recycle surplus nutrients that are detrimental to water resources was highlighted at the Fourteenth Annual Clarke Prize Lecture and Award Ceremony, held by the National Water Research Institute (NWRI NWRI National Water Research Institute ) on July 12, 2007, in Huntington Beach, California Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in southern California. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 189,594. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west, by Seal Beach on the north, by Costa Mesa on the south, by Westminster on the northeast, and by . Environmental engineer James Barnard, Ph.D., of Black & Veatch Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City is the largest city in the state of Missouri. It encompasses parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest in Missouri, which includes counties in both Missouri and Kansas. , received the Clarke Prize - a gold medallion and $50,000 award - for his groundbreaking use of bacteria through the biological nutrient removal (BNR) process to remove both nitrogen and phosphorous phos·pho·rous adj. Of, relating to, or containing phosphorus, especially with a valence of 3 or a valence lower than that of a comparable phosphoric compound. from wastewater. "Dr. Barnard is an outstanding selection for the Clarke Prize," said Jeff Mosher, NWRI's Executive Director. "BNR is not only a more economic alternative than traditional chemical treatment, but it also improves the environment. The Clarke Prize was established to recognize these types of achievements by scientists who have demonstrated excellence in water research." Barnard presented the 2007 Clarke Lecture on eliminating eutrophication eutrophication (y  trō'fĭkā`shən), aging of a lake by biological enrichment of its water. In a young lake the water is cold and clear, supporting little life. through resource recovery. Eutrophication occurs when the
accumulation of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous supports the
growth of algae algae (ăl`jē) [plural of Lat. alga=seaweed], a large and diverse group of primarily aquatic plantlike organisms. These organisms were previously classified as a primitive subkingdom of the plant kingdom, the thallophytes (plants that , killing fish and contributing to poor water quality.
These nutrients can enter water bodies by several means, such as through
wastewater discharge or agricultural runoff.
"The first line of attack," said Barnard, "is to remove nutrients from point sources, such as domestic and industrial wastewater treatment Industrial wastewater treatment A group of unit processes designed to separate, modify, remove, and destroy undesirable substances carried by wastewater from industrial sources. plants." To do so, treatment plants can apply the BNR process, which not only removes phosphorous and nitrogen, but can also recycle phosphorous to help in the removal process. Another solution is to employ urine-separating toilets to capture urine, which contains a significant amount of nitrogen and phosphorous in all household wastewater. Urine can be harvested and used as fertilizer, as implemented in Sweden and Uganda. Recycling wastewater effluent to prevent eutrophication is the ultimate goal. "Today, we can imitate nature and produce recycled water of the same purity as that falling from the heavens," Barnard said, reiterating the idea that "all wastewater treatment plants should be turned into water reclamation plants to lessen the impact of nutrients of receiving waters." The 2007 Clarke Prize Lecture may be downloaded at www.nwri-usa.org/ClarkeLecture. The National Water Research Institute is a nonprofit research organization in Fountain Valley, California Fountain Valley is a city in Orange County, California, United States. The population was 54,978 at the 2000 census. History The city was incorporated in 1957, before which it was known as Talbert (also as Gospel Swamp). . |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion