CAFO Water Conservation Commercial Demonstration Utilizing an Innovative Algal "Waste Nutrient" Filtration System

Effective water conservation practices are a growing concern in the US, especially in the arid West and Southwest regions that are experiencing high population growth and intense demands on water supplies. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are large water consumers and are under increasing pressure to develop best management practices (BMPs) that address water conservation measures. Many BMPs for agricultural producers, specifically CAFOs, simultaneously address water conservation along with water quality. Facultative lagoons and land application are standard nutrient management methods used by CAFOs, but these methods are suspected sources of nitrate contamination of ground and surface waters. Aeration, anaerobic digestions and constructed wetlands are alternative treatment methods, but these techniques alone cannot remove sufficient nutrients to make treated wastewater reusable, and therefore advanced nutrient removal strategies are sought. An innovative technology for nutrient management and water treatment is large-scale algae culture technology. Integrating our innovative technology into CAFO comprehensive nutrient management plans and systems is based on photosynthetic microalgae using solar Energy to rapidly uptake nitrogen and phosphorous (N and P), and in the process producing clean water for reuse. This CAFO wastewater treatment and water recycling/conservation project is designed to showcase and transfer a proven, high-rate, algal filtration concept which requires minimal land space or manual supervision to treat and recycle high-strength CAFO wastewaters.