WASSTRIP

The WASSTRIP (patent pending) process is an ideal complement to Ostara’s Pearl® process and is provided exclusively by Ostara under license from Clean Water Services, a water resource management utility in the Tualatin River Watershed at Durham, Oregon.

Pearl® is integrated into a wastewater treatment system downstream of anaerobic digestion and dewatering, and typically removes 90% of the phosphorus and 20% of the ammonia from the sludge dewatering liquid before it is returned to the head of the system for retreatment. Removal of these nutrients facilitates compliance with environmental regulations and reduces the buildup of struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) scale deposits throughout the system. 

WASSTRIP is integrated into a wastewater treatment system to treat waste-activated sludge (WAS) upstream of thickening and anaerobic digestion. WASSTRIP enables 50% of the phosphorus and 75% of the magnesium to be removed from the WAS and diverted to Pearl, virtually eliminating the buildup of struvite throughout the system.

Another benefit of WASSTRIP is that it reduces the amount of magnesium that must be added to the system for the production of Crystal Green® fertilizer in the Pearl® reactor.  Further, because the WASSTRIP process doubles the amount of phosphorus available for recovery in the Pearl® reactor, the removal of ammonia and the output of Crystal Green® are also doubled, extending the financial and environmental benefits.

WASSTRIP systems are custom designed for each installation to optimize performance and efficiency. Capital costs are typically recovered within five years or less and thereafter WASSTRIP is a positive financial contributor to the system.