New Algae Treatment Technology Addresses Stricter Wastewater Regulations for Rural Iowa
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The Symposium provides undergraduates from all academic disciplines with an opportunity to share their research with the university community and other guests through conference-style oral presentations. The Symposium represents part of a larger effort of Iowa State University to enhance, support, and celebrate undergraduate research activity.
Though coordinated by the University Honors Program, all undergraduate students are eligible and encouraged to participate in the Symposium. Undergraduates conducting research but not yet ready to present their work are encouraged to attend the Symposium to learn about the presentation process and students not currently involved in research are encouraged to attend the Symposium to learn about the broad range of undergraduate research activities that are taking place at ISU.
The first Symposium was held in April 2007. The 39 students who presented research and their mentors collectively represented all of ISU's Colleges: Agriculture and Life Sciences, Business, Design, Engineering, Human Sciences, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, and the Graduate College. The event has grown to regularly include more than 100 students presenting on topics that span the broad range of disciplines studied at ISU.
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The US EPA and the Iowa DNR are enforcing new stricter wastewater treatment limits for communities throughout Iowa. The communities that these new permits affect the most are small rural communities because of the high costs associated with meeting the new limits. Our research, which is funded by ISU CIRAS and a private company Gross-Wen Technologies, is investigating a new algae based wastewater treatment technology. This technology is known as the revolving algal biofilm (RAB) treatment system and was invented by ISU researchers in 2012. Our current tests using a pilot scale RAB treatment system in Dallas Center, IA is a critical step before full-scale commercialization of the technology. In this pilot-scale research we have installed our pilot RAB reactor at the Dallas Center lagoon treatment system. Before the wastewater enters the lagoon, it first passes through the RAB system. Following RAB treatment, it enters the lagoon. We take measurements before and after the RAB to identify nitrogen and phosphorus removal. In the first three months of the pilot, we have seen, on average, a 90% reduction in ammonia, 50% reduction in total nitrogen, and 30% reduction in phosphorus. The algae biomass that is produced during treatment can be made into biofuels, bioplastics, and fertilizers