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Nutrient Removal (N & P) Calculator

Calculate nitrogen and phosphorus removal requirements, anoxic reactor volume, oxygen demand, and chemical precipitation doses for biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes.

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Nutrient Removal (N & P) Calculator

Enter your process parameters below to calculate design values. All calculations follow industry-standard methodologies.

m³/day
mg/L as N
mg/L as N
mg/L as P
mg/L as P
days (typical 10-20 for nitrification, 15-25 for BNR)

Biological Nutrient Removal Processes

BNR processes combine nitrification-denitrification for nitrogen removal and enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) for phosphorus control. The A²O process uses anaerobic, anoxic, and oxic zones in sequence. The Modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) process provides pre-denitrification. The 4-stage Bardenpho process achieves very low effluent nitrogen. SBR and MBBR configurations can also achieve BNR with appropriate cycle timing or zone sequencing.

  • MLE: Simple pre-denitrification, moderate N removal
  • A²O: N and P removal in one process
  • Bardenpho: Very low TN (< 3 mg/L possible)
  • SBR BNR: Flexible cycle control
  • MBBR BNR: Compact, no sludge recycle

Chemical Phosphorus Removal

Chemical precipitation is often used alongside biological P removal or as the sole P removal method. Ferric chloride (FeCl₃) precipitates as FePO₄ at a molar ratio of ~1.8:1. Aluminium sulphate (alum) precipitates as AlPO₄ at ~1.5:1. Polyaluminium chloride (PAC) is more efficient at ~1.2:1. Lime produces Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆(OH)₂ at ~3:1 but generates more sludge. Chemical P removal can achieve < 0.5 mg/L TP regardless of influent variability.

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