Australian wastewater researchers have won an award from the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).

Experts at the Flinders School of the Environment have scored a top 10 spot out of 75 entries in the USEPA Nutrient Recycling Challenge.

Flinders environmental health honours graduate Jordan Phasey attended a forum for the top researchers in Washington DC, and also received an award at a reception at the White House.

The international competition aims to identify promising technologies that can recycle nutrients from livestock waste and create valuable by-products

A research concept by Mr Phasey, written with Professor Howard Fallowfield and Belgian researcher Dr Dries Van Damme entitled ‘Nutrient Recycling by Lime Treatment and Precipitation of Inorganic Salts’, was submitted to the challenge.

Professor Fallowfield said that after wastewater has been treated using algae, the algal biomass, present in the water as a suspended solids, needs to be retrieved in a way that is economical and energetically balanced.

The team looked at new ways to achieve chemical flocculation – getting the algae to clump together and drop out of the water.

He said that a relatively cheap and simple method of flocculation using slaked lime and magnesium chloride was successfully tested at the University’s trial wastewater pond at Kingston-on-Murray.

The team is excited to undertake more tests at the University’s soon-to-be-constructed centre for integrated experiments of anaerobic, aerobic, and algal treatment of modified pig slurry.

The new flocculation method will enable harvesting of the algae and recovery of valuable nitrogen and phosphorus.

“You end up with a nitrogen and phosphorus-rich material that can be used as compost or fertiliser, or to generate methane energy,” Professor Fallowfield said.

He said the USEPA’s nod created valuable opportunities for networking.

“The exciting thing is being exposed to other research from around the world, which gives you the opportunity to collaborate, to pick and mix with the winning technologies to get a better outcome.”