Ion exchange columns. A promising technology for nitrogen and phosphorus recovery in the main line of a wastewater treatment plant.

Anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) technology has great advantages for treating urban wastewaters, but, when irrigation cannot be applied and the effluent is discharged in a sensitive zone, a post-treatment of this effluent is needed for nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Under this scenario, ion exchange processes represent one of the most promising technologies for treating this effluent. Ion exchange technology allows to meet discharge limits and to recover these nutrients in a highly concentrated stream.