Guelph Wastewater Treatment Plant
Guelph, Ontario (Canada)
Cost effective utility management strategies are fundamental to assimilate the multiplicity of
emerging challenges that municipalities must face, especially during downturns in the economy.
The paper demonstrates how organizational excellence, founded on authentic relationships and
applying effective management solutions, can result in significant performance improvement and
capacity benefits. The paper describes the significant human infrastructure changes necessary to
achieve and sustain the significant environmental and financial benefits.
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Posted: May 20th, 2011 | Filed under: 100K-500K, Waste Water Treatment | Tags: Capital Cost Savings, Environmental Impact, Improved Management, Improved Plant Efficiency, Optimized Decision Making, Performance Improvement, Promote Employee Motivation | No Comments »
Reno-Stead Water Reclamation Facility
Reno, Nevada
The objective of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of an advanced treatment
process not utilizing reverse osmosis (RO) for removal of hormones, pharmaceuticals, and flame
retardants (collectively termed microconstituents or chemicals of emerging concern [CECs])
from municipal effluent. The advanced treatment process consisted of (in the order of use):
membrane filtration (MF), ozonation (O3), and biological activated carbon (BAC). The 15-
month, continuous flow, 10.7 gpm, MF-O3-BAC demonstration study was conducted in two
phases at the Reno-Stead Water Reclamation Facility (RSWRF): Phase 1 focused on ozone
process optimization and bromate mitigation; Phase 2 was a 10-month steady-state
demonstration of process performance. For RSWRF effluent, an ozone dosage of at least 5 mg/L
was needed for desired CEC removals. Peroxide (year-round) and ammonia (seasonal) were
added to mitigate bromate formation during ozonation. BAC removed flame retardants, and
ozonation byproducts including NDMA (N-Nitrosodimethylamine), aldehydes, and
biodegradable organic carbon. Findings of this study imply that MF-O3-BAC treatment is
equally effective as RO-based treatment for CEC removals, but with substantially less energy
utilization.
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Posted: May 20th, 2011 | Filed under: Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Advanced Treatment Alternative, Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC) Removal, Cost Effective Treatment Process, Energy Savings, Environmental Impact, Improved Health | No Comments »
Various WWTP's
Various States
After manpower, energy is the highest operating cost item for most water and wastewater companies.
Over the last decade, energy consumption by the sector has considerably increased as a result of
implementation of new technologies to meet new effluent and potable water quality standards. High
energy consumption will affect the water industry worldwide and is inextricably linked to the issue of
Climate Change. Through its Optimization Challenge program, the Water Environment Research
Foundation (WERF) participated in the Global Water Research Coalition’s (GWRC) project titled Energy
Efficiency in the Water Industry: A Compendium of Best Practices and Case Studies. For this project,
WERF served the role of North America practice coordinator, developing a Compendium of best
practices in the energy efficient design and operation of water industry assets for this region of the world.
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Posted: May 20th, 2011 | Filed under: Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Compendium of Best Practices, Cost Savings, Energry Efficiency, Energy Recovery Technologies, Energy Savings, Environmental Impact, Plant Optimization | No Comments »
Various WWTP's
Various States
Public agencies are increasingly pressured to become more sustainable. Wastewater plants are
significant consumers of energy and correspondingly produce significant quantities of
greenhouse gas (GHG). Reductions in energy and GHG are challenges for wastewater facilities
as flows and loads increase and discharge requirements become more restrictive. The results
highlight some methods to reduce energy and GHG, including the concept of becoming energy
neutral. Energy (as represented by electrical energy or fuels) equate directly to GHG production.
A significant portion of the fuel source for most utilities in the United States is from
anthropogenic sources such as coal, oil, or electric. To achieve energy neutral facilities, the
wastewater plant must implement energy conservation and shift to biogenically derived energy
sources, such as biogas, or alternative energy sources, such as wind. This paper and presentation
describe how wastewater treatment plants can significantly reduce energy to the point of
becoming energy neutral.
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Posted: May 20th, 2011 | Filed under: Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Best Practices, Cost Savings, Energy Efficiency, Energy Savings, Environmental Impact, Improved Biogas Production, Plant Sustainability, Reduced Carbon Footprint, Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions | No Comments »
Various WWTP's
Various States
Energy consumption for municipal wastewater treatment accounts for 15% to 30% of the
operating cost at large treatment facilities and 30% to 40% at small facilities (WEF, 2009).
Energy costs are expected to continue escalating as a result of the rising price of fossil fuels used
for energy production while the energy demand for wastewater treatment is expected to grow as
the use of energy intensive treatment processes increases to meet water quality objectives that
may demand increasingly stringent wastewater discharge limits.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is committed to promoting energy
efficiency and implementation/use of energy conservation measures at municipal wastewater
treatment facilities. EPA, in partnership with The Cadmus Group and HDR, has undertaken a
project to identify and evaluate innovative energy conservation methods implemented at
wastewater utilities in the U.S. and report on their effectiveness in achieving reductions in energy
use and cost associated with wastewater treatment.
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Posted: May 20th, 2011 | Filed under: Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Cost Saving, Energy Efficiency, Energy Savings, Environmental Impact, Operational Modification, Plant Sustainability, Process Control Enhancements, Reduced Carbon Footprint, Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions | No Comments »
Hill Canyon Wastewater Treatment Plant (HCTP)
Thousand Oaks, California
The City of Thousand Oaks’ Hill Canyon Wastewater Treatment Plant (HCTP) is seen by its
City Council and the citizens it serves as a unique community asset. The abstract title, $25.45, is
the City’s monthly sewer service charge for a single family residence, which reflects the City’s
pride in its environmental efforts and in this instance celebrating the creation of an
environmental and financially sustainable community asset at HCTP.
While the authors recognize that monthly sewer service charges can be affected by system age,
topography, varying regulatory requirements, and political priorities, they advocate a monthly
sewer service fee that meets outstanding debt requirements, allows for a proper Operations and
Maintenance budget, and saves money for the future.
The authors’ focus is on HCTP and how energy conservation, facility optimization, and
renewable energy generation has dramatically improved plant operations while keeping the
monthly sewer service charge stable for the foreseeable future.
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Posted: May 20th, 2011 | Filed under: 100K-500K, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment | Tags: Environmental Impact, Improved Customer Relations, Improved Plant Operations, Plant Sustainability, Reduced Carbon Footprint, Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Renewable Energy Generation | No Comments »
This paper outlines how energy management planning can accomplish dual goals of
energy self-sufficiency and optimum treatment processing, and how this provides robust
performance and acceptable payback on investment, leading to net zero energy
wastewater operations. The energy content of wastewater surpasses the energy required
by treatment, reportedly be a factor of up to 10 times. Nevertheless, conventional
activated sludge plants with advanced treatment consume typically 1,800 kWh/MG of
electricity, but facilities vary from 1,000 to 3,000 kWh/MG. Energy efficiency studies
conclude that the potential for energy use reductions through efficient pumps and aerators
are on the order of 30 to 50 percent, which is a range of about 400 to 700 kWh/MG. For
plants with anaerobic digestion, a rule-of-thumb for electrical production from biogasfueled
generators is 500 kWh/MG. Supplementation of anaerobic digesters with high
strength organic waste and fats, oils and grease is possible where utilities have excess
digester capacity. The experience with supplementation is that facilities have increased
biogas by a factor of two or three times pre-existing conditions, and are able to have a
corresponding increases in electricity production, where generators have been adequately
sized. When thermal heat can be returned for plant processes, overall plant efficiencies
rise even higher. Energy planning studies have also shown that innovative technologies
that build upon anaerobic processes reduce energy usage from typical values, and,
further, energy plans have demonstrated some unexpected results, such as the economic
and environmental justification of anaerobic digestion combined with thermal processing,
such as dryers and incinerators. While local conditions, particularly energy pricing and
government subsidies, likely shape the specific planning objectives and outcomes of any
individual plant, the variety of energy efficiency and production technologies that are
becoming proven can result in a similar endpoint, and specifically net zero energy
wastewater treatment.
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Posted: May 20th, 2011 | Filed under: Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Cost Savings, Energy Efficiency, Energy Savings, Environmental Impact, Plant Sustainability, Reduced Carbon Footprint, Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions | No Comments »
The development of the Carbon Heat Energy Analysis Plant Evaluation Tool (CHEApet) by
the Water Environment Research Federation (WERF) was in response to the identified need
for a predictive modeling tool that unifies prior WERF research information regarding
quantifying and managing energy consumption. CHEApet was created under OWSO4R07C
of WERF’s Optimization Challenge to model performance and energy consumption of waste
water treatment plants (WWTPs). Energy consumption, along with treatment process
emissions, contributes to a facility’s carbon footprint. CHEApet can be used to create a
baseline scenario, or inventory, of a utility’s carbon footprint for informational purposes as
well as to compare with hypothetical treatment plants. This kind of comparison allows the
user to identify facilities in the utility for energy optimization and the potential for biogas
recovery which can save in costs and improve the footprint of the facility.
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Posted: May 20th, 2011 | Filed under: Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Biological Phosphorus Removal, Chemical Phosphorus Removal, Cost Savings, Energy Optimization, Energy Savings, Environmental Impact, Heat Drying, High Efficiency Air Diffusers, Improved Biogas Production, Phosphorus recovery, Plant Sustainability, Process Modeling, Reduced Carbon Footprint, Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions | No Comments »
Strass Wastewater Treatment Plant
Innsbruck, Austria (Europe)
With increasing operating costs and concerns regarding climate change, most wastewater
treatment facilities are under pressure to reduce the net energy used to treat a gallon of
wastewater. The ultimate goal would be to reduce the net energy use to the point that the
wastewater plant actually “breaks even” on energy use, by a combination of more efficient
operations and production of energy via digestion and power generation. This paper presents a
“roadmap” showing how a wastewater treatment plant can pursue the goal of energy self-sufficiency
via a combination of alternative philosophical approaches and innovations .
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Posted: May 20th, 2011 | Filed under: 100K-500K, 50k-100k, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment | Tags: Cost Savings, Energy Optimization, Energy Savings, Environmental Impact, Improved Plant Reliability, Plant Sustainability, Reduced Carbon Footprint, Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions | No Comments »
Owls Head Water Pollution Control Plant
Brooklyn, New York
The Owls Head Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP) is a 120 million gallon per day (MGD)
secondary level treatment facility serving Brooklyn, New York. As part of a city-wide
environmental sustainability program, extensive renovations are being made to minimize fugitive
greenhouse gas emissions, maximize the utilization of biogenic gas produced during the
anaerobic digestion of wastewater sludge, and conserve energy that is consumed during the
wastewater treatment process. Two projects are in progress. One project will provide supply
side improvements to collect digester gas (digas) and produce usable electrical energy and heat
while the second project provides demand side improvements by reducing the energy
requirement associated with process aeration of the activated sludge process.
These projects are being carried out by the New York City Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) in cooperation with the New York Power Authority (NYPA). When completed,
the projects will have the net result of a 76% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a
75% reduction in utility-provided electrical consumption, and operating cost savings of over $1
million per year.
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Posted: May 20th, 2011 | Filed under: 500K-1M, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment | Tags: Cost Savings, Energy Savings, Environmental Impact, Improved Biogas Production, Plant Sustainability, Reduced Carbon Footprint, Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions | No Comments »