Cost of nitrogen removal
The cost to remove a pound of nitrogen from wastewater is relatively low at large treatment plants serving cities, much higher at treatment plants serving small communities, and even higher when nitrogen removal must be achieved by onsite (septic) systems serving individual homes.
Urine diversion can be much less expensive than conventional means for removing nitrogen from wastewater.
This page illustrates how urine diversion (using toilet fixtures designed to exclude urine from the wastewater stream) can help smaller communities accomplish nitrogen removal at a fraction of the cost of conventional approaches. The chart above shows per-pound nitrogen removal costs using conventional methods for communities in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and the Great Bay area of New Hampshire, followed by the cost to remove nitrogen using urine diversion.
The urine diversion cost of $31.50/pound nitrogen removed is based on the following assumptions:
Costs from Cape Cod are from: Comparison of Costs for Wastewater Management Systems Applicable to Cape Cod (April, 2010)
