Nutrient Recovery and Upcycling LLC (NRU LLC) is focuse to development of technologies that recover and upcycle low-grade resources into high value products. Bringing expertise to solving complex agricultural resource management issues in ways that benefit people and the environment, current work is focused on commercializing a technology that recovers phosphorus from wastewater. Using life cycle assessments as part of methods to identify and pursue commercial and philanthropic projects that produce long-term improvements of the human condition and the environment the firm is commercializing a patented technology that efficiently precipitates and recovers a high-value phosphorus mineral fertilizer called brushite from the effluent of organic acid anaerobic digesters at municipal wastewater treatment plants. The process recovers brushite from a phosphorus rich effluent coming from the initial stage of anaerobic digestion. During this stage acetogenic bacteria induce phosphorus release into the sludge which is readily recovered using the firm's technology. What is brushite? Brushite Ca(HPO4)â¢2(H2O) is a calcium phosphate mineral that provides plants an essential supply of phosphorus. As a fertilizer, brushite has been shown to be as effective as other leading phosphate fertilizers on the market. NRU's brushite is safely recycled from wastewater so it can be used as a crop fertilizer.
