A Chicagoland facility, the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) in Cicero, Ill.—the largest wastewater treatment facility in the world—is getting some exciting upgrades. A new nutrient recovery system, to be designed and built by Black & Veatch and Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies, will recover phosphorus and nitrogen from waste streams, improving water quality in local rivers, lakes and streams. It also will produce commercial fertilizer from the recovered phosphorus.
The Metropolitant Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD), which owns and operates Stickney as well as other facilities, also has set the ambitious goal of becoming energy-neutral in the next 10 years. In order to accomplish this, the district is studying ways to reduce energy consumption.
For example, the biogas produced by the anaerobic digesters is used to produce steam for heating at Stickney WRP and provides about 31% of MWRD’s energy needs.
With our industry's eyes on Chicago over the next few weeks as we gear up for WETFEC.13, the sustainable technologies being deployed at an area plant can serve as an inspiration to water treatment and management facilities across the nation.
Michael Drennan
