A DEMONSTRATION OF AMMONIA REMOVAL BY ION EXCHANGE
Robert C. Polta, Research and Development Coordinator
Richard W. DeFore, Plant Superintendent
Metropolitan Waste Control Commission
St. Paul, Minnesota 55101
INTRODUCTION
The Metropolitan Waste Control Commission (MWCC) was formed in 1969.   This
agency is responsible for the operation of all publicly owned water pollution control
facilities in the seven county metropolitan area around Minneapolis and St. Paul.    In an
effort to upgrade the quality of the receiving waters in the area, 15 of the 33 wastewater treatment plants that the MWCC originally acquired have been closed and three
new treatment facilities have been put into service since 1972.   The Rosemount Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant is one of the new facilities.
The City of Rosemount is located  15  miles south of St. Paul and has a current
sewered population of approximately 3000.    Prior to December  1973 the collected
wastewater was treated at a high rate trickling filter plant and subsequently discharged to an effluent seepage pond.    Both the treatment plant and seepage pond
were operating at their hydraulic capacity in  1970.    Because there was no acceptable
outlet for the plant effluent at the existing site, expansion of the existing facilities
was not feasible.    A new site was obtained which allowed the effluent to be discharged to the Mississippi River through Spring Lake.    Spring Lake consists of the
northwestern part of the impounded reach of the Mississippi River immediately upstream of Lock and Dam No. 2, located at Hastings, Minnesota.    Because the
discharge was to enter a receiving water of limited dilution capacity the facility was
designed to remove both phosphorus and ammonia nitrogen.
The major portion of the Rosemount AWTP was put into service in November of
1973.    A two year demonstration project was conducted at the plant during the
period June 6,  1975 through June 5,  1977.    The demonstration project was jointly
funded by the USEPA and the MWCC and had three specific objectives as follows:
(a) to evaluate the performance of the system as a whole; (b) to evaluate the performance of the unit operations and unit processes; and (c) to evaluate the costs
associated with operation and maintenance.
The purpose of this paper is to summarize the performance characteristics of the
ammonia removal system used at the Rosemount facility.
FACILITY DESCRIPTION
General
The treatment plant is located in the City of Rosemount, Minnesota, approximately
6 miles from the center of the sewered area.    Wastewater is transported to the plant
through approximately 5.5 miles of intercepting sewer which ranges from 27 to 48 in.
in diameter.
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