System for removing ammonia from an ammonia-containing effluent, and method for the same

A system for removing ammonia from an ammonia-containing liquid, which system comprises:

• a heat exchanger for heating the ammonia-containing liquid to a predetermined temperature;
• an ammonia stripper for stripping ammonia from the ammonia-containing liquid from the heat exchanger and discharging the ammonia as ammonia-containing gas, the ammonia stripper comprising an ammonia-containing liquid inlet, an air inlet, an ammonia-containing gas outlet, and a liquid discharge outlet;
• and
• an acid scrubber for reacting the ammonia in the ammonia-containing gas discharged from the ammonia stripper with acid to form an ammonium salt, the acid scrubber comprising an ammonia-containing gas inlet, an acid inlet, a salt removal outlet and a scrubbed air outlet;
• wherein,
• the ammonia stripper comprises at least two stripper units, which are in fluid communication with one another through a series connection, wherein, in each pair of adjacent stripper units, a liquid outlet of a first one of the pair of adjacent stripper units is connected to a liquid inlet of a second one of the pair of adjacent stripper units, and wherein a first of the at least two stripper units is with a liquid inlet connected to the ammonia-containing liquid inlet and a last of the at least two stripper units is with a liquid outlet connected to the liquid discharge outlet, forming a fluid flow path from the ammonia-containing liquid inlet through the at least two stripper units to the liquid discharge outlet;
• and
• the acid scrubber comprising at least two scrubber units, which are in gas communication with one another and the at least two stripper units through a series connection, wherein, in each pair of adjacent scrubber units, an individual ammonia-containing gas inlet of each one of the adjacent scrubber units is connected to an individual ammonia-containing gas outlet of a respective ammonia stripper unit of a pair of adjacent stripper units, and a gas outlet of a second one of the adjacent scrubber units is connected to a gas inlet of the first one of the pair of adjacent stripper units, and wherein a gas inlet of the last of the at least two stripper units is connected to the air inlet and a gas outlet of the first of the at least two scrubber units is connected to the scrubber air outlet, forming a gas flow path from the air inlet through the at least two stripper units and scrubber units to the scrubber air outlet which is opposite to the fluid flow path through the striper units.