Investigating the impacts of conventional and advanced treatment technologies on energy consumption at satellite water reuse plants.

摘要

With the ever increasing world population and the resulting increase in industrialization and agricultural practices, depletion of two of the world's most important natural resources, water and fossil fuels, is inevitable. Water reclamation and reuse is the key to protecting these natural resources. Water reclamation using smaller decentralized wastewater treatment plants, known as satellite water reuse plants (WRP), have become popular in the last decade. With stricter standards and regulations on effluent quality and requirements for a smaller land footprint (i.e. real estate area), additional treatment processes and advanced technologies are needed. This greatly increases the energy consumption of an already energy intensive process. With growing concerns over the use of nonrenewable energy sources and the resulting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, WRPs are in need of energy evaluations. This research investigated the energy consumption of both conventional and advanced treatment processes in satellite WRPs with average flows varying from 1 to 11 MGD and was calculated using accepted industry design criteria and equations. The associated carbon footprint from energy consumption at these facilities was determined in carbon dioxide equivalents on a per MG treated basis. Renewable energy sources, solar and anaerobic digestion, were incorporated into the WRPs in an attempt to offset the energy consumption and GHGs emitted. Results of this research provide a means for engineers and operators to evaluate unit processes based on energy consumption and provide a foundation for decision making regarding sustainability of using advanced treatment technologies at the reuse facility.