A research team of environmental scientists from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has developed a circular process for eliminating the risk posed by phosphoric acid plant wastewater. The process turns the environmentally toxic wastewater into clean water while recovering valuable acids. Phosphoric acid is the main ingredient in industrial fertilizers, a massive industry worldwide.

Their method was just published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. Lior Monat, a Ph.D. student in Dr. Oded Nir's lab led the research under his supervision.

"Phosphoric acid production generates a lot of industrial wastewater that cannot be treated efficiently because of its low pH and high precipitation potential," explains Dr. Oded Nir, the co-lead researcher.