The Problems:
- Peak phosphorous
- Struvite scaling
- Eutrophication
Peak Phosphorous
Peak phosphorous is the dilution of necessary-to-all-life phosphates and the exhaustion of concentrated caches. Estimates give us 30-40 years.Peak phosphorous more important to human life than Peak Oil: whereas there are alternatives energy sources, there is not an alternative to phosphorous. Phosphorous is created when two oxygen atoms fuze above 1,000 megakelvins (that’s 1.8billion Fº), so humans can’t make any more of it.Five countries own 90% of the known phosphorous deposits. Yet, most well-fed countries have a consistent source of the element: wastewater. That’s where Ostara steps in.Ostara’s Pearl Nutrient Recovery Process harvests 90% of phosphorous and 20% of ammonia from the wastestream at water treatment plants. The process combines extracted nutrients with others to create Crystal Green, a 5-28-0 +10 Mg slow-release fertilizer.
Struvite Scaling
At wastewater treatment plants, anaerobic bacteria emit phosphates and ammonium post-digestion, creating scaling. Eventually the scaling can become like concrete, needing to be chipped away manually or dissolved with acids. It’s an issue that’s frustrated wastewater engineers for years. By reducing the quantity of phosphates and ammonia in the waste stream, Ostara drastically slows struvite scaling.
Eutrophication
Life is directly dependent on phosphorous, as phosphates form the structures of RNA and DNA molecules and figure heavily in adenosine triphosphate, which nearly all cellular life uses to store energy. Plant growth positively correlates to the quantity of available phosphates, dying if too little is available and flourishing with appropriate quantities.
[…] Throughout the country the BlueTech industry is poised to offer municipalities and water authorities cost-savings and reduced costs to upgrade infrastructure via smart-water systems, efficient water-treatment and stormwater management, and positive revenue streams through resources recovered from waste streams. […]