
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) of Greater Chicago, in partnership with Ostara, launches World’s Largest Nutrient Recovery Facility
May 25, 2016 marked the official unveiling ceremony to celebrate the completion of the world’s largest nutrient recovery facility at the MWRD’s Stickney Water Reclamation Plant.
By reclaiming phosphorus from the nutrient rich water streams at the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant and transforming it into a high-value, eco-friendly fertilizer sold as Crystal Green®, Ostara’s technology provides MWRD with a closed-loop solution to nutrient management.
SPEAKERS
ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR.
Ostara Board Member, Environmental Advocate & Attorney
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MARIYANA SPYROPOULOS
President of the MWRD Board of Commissioners
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DAVID ST. PIERRE
Executive Director of the MWRD of Greater Chicago
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ROBERT A. KAPLAN
Acting Regional Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5
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STEVEN KOCH
Deputy Mayor of Chicago
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PHILLIP ABRARY
President & CEO, Ostara
PHOTO GALLERY
The MWRD’s Stickney WRP Nutrient Recovery Facility official ribbon cutting on May 25, 2016.
From left: Robert A. Kaplan, Acting Regional Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5; Frank Avila, Chairman of Finance, the MWRD Board of Commissioners; Phillip Abrary, President and CEO, Ostara; David J. Walsh, Commissioner, the MWRD Board of Commissioners; Barbara J. McGowan, Vice President, the MWRD Board of Commissioners; Mariyana Spyropoulos, President, the MWRD Board of Commissioners; Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Ostara Board Member, Environmental Advocate & Attorney; Steven Koch, Deputy Mayor of Chicago; David St. Pierre, Executive Director, MWRD; Kari K. Steele, Commissioner, the MWRD Board of Commissioners.
Environmental Advocate and Attorney, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., delivers keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the world’s largest Nutrient Recovery Facility at the MWRD’s Stickney WRP, featuring Ostara’s Pearl® 10K system, May 25, 2016.
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Ostara’s President and CEO, Phillip Abrary, celebrates the partnership with the MWRD; together creating the largest Nutrient Recovery Facility in world featuring Ostara’s Pearl® technology.
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Mariyana Spyropoulos, President of the MWRD Board of Commissioners welcomes guests to the launch the world’s largest Nutrient Recovery Facility at the MWRD’s Stickney WRP on May 25, 2016.
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Guests and dignitaries arriving to celebrate the launch the world’s largest Nutrient Recovery Facility, May 25, 2016.
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Ostara’s Pearl®10K reactor can recover up to 85 percent of the phosphorus and up to 15 percent of the nitrogen from wastewater streams before they accumulate as struvite in pipes and equipment.
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Ostara’s President and CEO, Phillip Abrary and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Ostara Board Member, Environmental Advocate & Attorney on Ostara’s Pearl®10K reactor.
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Ostara’s President and CEO, Phillip Abrary and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Ostara Board Member, Environmental Advocate & Attorney at the MWRD’s Nutrient Recovery Facility.
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The world’s largest Nutrient Recovery Facility at the MWRD’s Stickney WRP, featuring Ostara’s Pearl® 10K system.
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Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Ostara Board Member, Environmental Advocate & Attorney tours the world’s largest Nutrient Recovery Facility at the MWRD’s Stickney WRP, featuring Ostara’s Pearl®10K system.
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Ostara’s President and CEO, Phillip Abrary and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Ostara Board Member, Environmental Advocate & Attorney celebrate the production of Crystal Green® fertilizer made entirely from recovered resources.
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The MWRD installed three of Ostara’s Pearl®10K reactors, with an installed production capacity of up to 10,000 tons of Crystal Green® fertilizer per year. From left: Phillip Abrary, President and CEO (2005-2017), Ostara; Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Ostara Board Member, Environmental Advocate & Attorney.
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Ostara’s President and CEO, Phillip Abrary and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Ostara Board Member, Environmental Advocate & Attorney visit the MWRD’s Nutrient Recovery Facility control room.
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Kari K. Steele, Commissioner, the MWRD Board of Commissioners; Mariyana Spyropoulos, President, the MWRD Board of Commissioners; Margaret Frisbie, Executive Director, Friends of the Chicago River; Frank Avila, Chairman of Finance, the MWRD Board of Commissioners; Barbara J. McGowan, Vice President, the MWRD Board of Commissioners; celebrate resource recovery – Crystal Green® fertilizer recovered from wastewater at the MWRD’s Stickney WRP Nutrient Recovery Facility.
MEDIA CONTACTS

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District
of Greater Chicago
ALLISON FORE
(312) 751-6626
forea@mwrd.com

Ostara Nutrient Recovery
Technologies Inc.
DEBRA HADDEN
(604) 240-3196
dhadden@ostara.com

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THE OSTARA SOLUTION

THE PEARL PROCESS
- The Pearl process recovers up to 85% of phosphorus and 15% of nitrogen from Stickney’s treatment streams before they accumulate as struvite in the pipes.
- Ostara’s proprietary technology is based on controlled chemical precipitation in a fluidized bed reactor.
- Nutrient-rich feed streams are mixed with magnesium chloride and sodium hydroxide and then fed into the Pearl reactor where minute particles or struvite “seeds” begin to form.
- Like a pearl, nutrients (phosphorus with nitrogen and magnesium) grow in diameter until they reach the desired size- suitable for sale in fertilizer blends for agriculture, turf and horticulture markets.