Nutrient Removal Engineering Phosphorus and Nitrogen in Wastewater Treatment

Overview of Nutrients and Nutrient Removal

• Why are nutrients an issue?
• Nitrogen and phosphorus cycles
• Challenges for today’s treatment plant

Nutrient Regulations and Discharge Permits

• Current status and trends

Fundamentals and Principles of Nutrient Removal

• Raw wastewater characteristics
• Nitrification, denitrification, anammox
• Biological and chemical phosphorus removal
• Sludge settling characteristics, biological selectors

Processes and Technologies for Nutrient Removal

• Nitrogen and phosphorus removal processes
• Conventional nitrification
• Wuhrmann, Ludzak-Edinger processes
• Bardenpho processes, 4-stage, 5-stage
• Variations to conventional processes
• A/O, A2/O, Johannesburg processes

Application of BNR Process Models

• Impacts of temperature, alkalinity, carbon
• Impacts of SRT, RAS, mixed liquor recycle rates
• Wet weather treatment performance

Advanced BNR Processes

• IFAS/MBBR
• Biomag
• Nereda

Retrofitting Plants for Nutrient Removal Technology

• Converting conventional plants to BNR
• Impacts on bioreactor volume, equipment, and controls

Sidestream Treatment Technologies

• Phosphorus removal – chemical and struvite precipitation
• Nitrogen removal – Sharon, Anammox, Anitamox, Demon processes

Nutrient Resource Recovery and Harvesting

• Technologies and developments
• Benefits, costs, efficiencies
• The food-water-energy nexus
• Struvite recovery
• Ostara, Airprex, other technologies

Nutrient Trading and Adaptive Management Practices

• Control of non-point sources
• Arrangements between POTWs and landowners 

Case Studies and Examples

Tour of Nutrient Recovery Facilities at the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District

• Transportation to and from the plant is provided.

Registration Date/Time:
6/10/2025 8:30am Central Time

Event Dates/Times:

• 6/10/2025  9:00am - 5:00pm Central Time
• 6/11/2025  9:00am - 5:00pm Central Time
• 6/12/2025  9:00am - 5:00pm Central Time

This is a HyFlex (in-person and online) taught course. Your registration is for one teaching platform only: in-person or online. Please be prepared to attend all days either in-person or online. Contact us before registering if you have any questions. 

Registration confirmation will guide students through accessing the Canvas course site. Students will create and log in to the Canvas course site with a NetID. Course assets such as participation certificates and course evaluations will be available to all students through the Canvas course site.

Online attendees will access course sessions via the Zoom web conferencing platform.

• Program Director

  Adib Amini

• Jim McQuarrie

  
  Jim McQuarrie’s professional career is evenly split between engineering consulting and public utility roles. His career in wastewater began as an entry level operator working at a small wastewater treatment plant. As an operator, the exposure to wastewater treatment and the service it brings to society fueled his passion to learn more. After graduate school he moved to engineering consulting and specialized in wastewater process design and in particular application of biofilm processes to achieve intensification of processes to reduce footprint. He returned to the public sector for 10 years serving multiple roles at Metro Water Recovery in Denver Colorado where he was tasked with helping to develop and support a culture of innovation and formalizing establishment of a successful Technology and Innovation Department. Today, Jim serves as the National Wastewater Market Sector Lead at AECOM and now calls Philadelphia, Pennsylvania his home city.

• Alan Grooms

  Operations Manager MMSD

  Alan Grooms, PE, is the Operations Manager at Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District. He has more than 26 years of experience in wastewater treatment plant operations and design. He is a licensed Wisconsin professional engineer and a licensed wastewater operator and has participated in and overseen planning, design, construction, and operation of numerous wastewater treatment plants and other municipal projects.

• Leon Downing

  Dr. Leon Downing is the Global Practice and Technology Leader for Nutrient Removal and Recovery for Black & Veatch from Madison, Wisconsin.  A graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Platteville, Leon received his post-graduate degrees at the University of Notre Dame.  Downing provides technology leadership in support of Black & Veatch process engineering and applied research projects globally. 

• Adib Amini

  Program Director

  Adib Amini, Ph.D., PE, ENV SP, BCEE serves as Program Director in the College of Engineering’s Office of Interdisciplinary Professional Programs, with a focus on Water, Wastewater, Stormwater, and Sustainability. Dr. Amini also works with cities and industries as an engineering consultant, with experience in both drinking water and wastewater treatment. Dr. Amini has expertise in sustainability, engineering design, technology innovation, and renewable energy. Dr. Amini’s work has included the design of novel technologies, including on-site energy systems at facilities. He spearheaded the designs for the first wastewater treatment facilities in Iowa that are 100% powered by on-site renewable energy systems. Dr. Amini invented a novel system for ventilation of rated spaces, such as wastewater headworks buildings, for which he holds a provisional patent. Dr. Amini also has performed award-winning research in technology innovation and sustainability. Dr. Amini has spoken widely at conferences on topics related to water/wastewater treatment, sustainability, PFAS, on-site energy systems, and resilient infrastructure.

• Glen Daigger

  Senior Vice President

  Dr. Daigger is currently Professor of Engineering Practice at the University of Michigan and President and Founder of One Water Solutions, LLC, a water engineering and innovation firm.  He previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for CH2M HILL (now Jacobs) where he was employed for 35 years, as well as Professor and Chair of Environmental Systems Engineering at Clemson University.  He has authored more than 200 technical papers, five books, and several technical manuals and has advised many of the major cites of the world, including New York, Los Angles, San Francisco, Detroit, Singapore, Hong Kong, Istanbul, and Beijing.  A Past President of the International Water Association (IWA), he is also a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineers and the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

• Adrienne Menniti

  Adrienne Menniti, PhD, PE is a Principal Process Engineer in the Research and Innovation division of Clean Water Services, a public utility serving Washington County Oregon. After receiving her PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Adrienne spent 5 years as a consultant before moving to Clean Water Services in 2014. She currently leads the Process Engineering group at CWS. She also manages the biological phosphorus removal research program for the utility and has extensive applied experience operating CWS treatment facilities to achieve stringent effluent phosphorus and ammonia limits.

If you are planning to attend an Interdisciplinary Professional Programs course, payment is required at the time of registration. Below are the payment options:

Pay by Credit Card

Enroll online and pay by credit card.

• Search for the course on the website and then click on the Enroll Now button from the course webpage.
• Enter all necessary course attendee information and payment information on the course enrollment page.
• You will receive an email to confirm successful enrollment and payment.

Enroll over the phone and pay by credit card.

• Call CERC Registrations at 608-262-2451.
• Provide the registrations representative with:
  • the course name, dates, and/or course number.
  • the necessary course attendee information and payment information.
• You will receive either a mailed document or an email to confirm successful enrollment payment.

Pay by Check

Mail in a completed registration form and check payable to UW Madison.

• Fill out a registration form (found either in the back of the course brochure you received in the mail or here).
• Prepare a check, made payable to UW Madison.
• Mail the registration form and check to: CERC Registrations 21 N Park St, Ste 7101 Madison, WI 53715
• You will receive either a mailed document or an email to confirm successful enrollment and payment.

Pay by Purchase Order

• Request Purchase Order information from interpro@union.wisc.edu
  • If a fee quote is needed, contact custserv@interpro.wisc.edu first
• You will receive an invoice from UW–Madison Business Services for payment, usually within 3–5 business days

Military

If using SF-182 form, please call our registration number at 608-262-2451 or email interpro@union.wisc.edu for details and instructions.

Event Cancellation

We reserve the right to cancel a course due to insufficient enrollment or unforeseen events. If we cancel a course, participants will be notified via email or phone and will be given the option for a full refund or to transfer their registration and any fees paid to another course. We are not responsible for non-refundable plane tickets, hotel reservations, and other travel related expenses. For enrollee Course Cancellation, refer to notes on course page.

If you cannot attend, please notify us no later than one week before your course begins, and we will refund your fee. Cancellations received after this date and no-shows are subject to a $150 administrative fee. You may enroll a substitute at any time before the course starts.