S c i e n t i f i c

WATER

a n d

SERVICES

Te c h n i c a l
AND

THE

NEW

C o n f e r e n c e
ENERGY

CHALLENGES

TITLE: ECOINNOVATION AND HOLISTIC ENGINEERING FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS WITH
POSITIVE ENERGY BALANCE

AUTHORS: TIMUR MAMUT, ADRIAN BADEA, EDEN MAMUT

Platinum Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

OUTLINE

Scarcity of Resources - Energy & Water

Ecoinnovation

Positive Energy Balance WWTPs

Possible solutions

Experience gained at RAJA Constanta and APASERV Satu Mare

Conclusions

WORLD POPULATION GROWTH

LIMITED RESOURCES

Three fourth of the planet surface area is covered with

water
Seas & oceans 1,350 mil. km3 (35 g/l salt)
North & South Poles 30 50 mil. km3 (fresh water)
Rivers & Lakes 0.4 mil. km3 (accessible fresh water)
Underground (800 m) 4 mil. km3
Underground (1600 m) - 4 mil. Km3
The fresh water on the planet accounts for only 3% of the
total amount!
The accessible fresh water resources are estimated at only
0.8 mil. Km3!!!

AND PROBLEMS

THE FUTURE

COMPLEXITY

Water

Energy
Food

PARADIGM SHIFT

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Sustainable Development: to meet the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs

Strategy Mix:
efficiency enhanced productivity / resource
consistency enhanced economies embedded in the natural cycles
sufficiency new concept of prosperity / satisfaction / material wealth
Management rules:
the use of renewable natural resources must not exceed their
regeneration rates
the use of non-renewable natural resources must not exceed the rate of
substituting their respective functions
the emissions of pollutants must not exceed natures capability to adapt

ECO-INNOVATION

The term environmental innovation, or shortly eco-innovation,

relates to innovations aiming at a decreased negative influence of
innovations on the natural environment.

Eco-innovation is the creation of novel and competitively priced

goods, processes, systems, services, and procedures designed to
satisfy human needs and provide a better quality of life for everyone
with a life-cycle minimal use of natural resources (materials
including energy and surface area) per unit output, and a minimal
release of toxic substances.

GREEN ECONOMY

Improved human well-being and social equity, while

significantly reducing environmental risks and
ecological scarcities.
In its simplest expression, a green economy can be thought of as one which is
low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive.
Practically speaking, a green economy is one whose growth in income and
employment is driven by public and private investments that reduce carbon
emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent
the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

UNEP, 2012

ECOINNOVATING WITH WASTE

POLLUTION CONTROL

Material
s

PRODUCTIO
N
Control &
Treatment

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Product
s

LIFE CYCLE THINKING

MATERIAL &
EQUIPMENT
DISPOSAL

EXTRACTION & PROCESSING

OF RAW MATERIALS

SCRAP
RECYCLING

PLANT
MANUFACTURING

PLANT OPERATION

REPAIR &
RETROFIT

CLOSED LOOP PROCESING

WATER
TREATMENT

SLUDGE
SEPARATION

Reprocessing
Waste for recovery
SEWAGE WATERS

Minimized raw
material extraction

WASTES

Reuse

CONDITIONING

SLUDGE
DIGESTING

Minimized
waste streams

Natural Environment

WATER & WASTEWATER SECTOR

Wastewater and water treatment plants need a substantial amount of

electrical energy to conduct unit processes and operations.

Aeration and pumping for wastewater treatment and pumping for

water treatment are the main electrical energy users.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that

3% of the power generated in the US is for water and wastewater
treatment.

The usage equates to 56 billion kilowatt hours (kWh), $4 billion and 45

million tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) production.

ENERGY ACCOUNTING

ENERGY BALANCE OF WOLFGANGSEE-ISCHL TP

digester gas
flare

natural gas

7.8

electricity
(external)

0.45

0.1

m digester gas/(pe.a)
7.7

0.25

heating

energy demand from grid

(electr.+mech.): 5.4 kWh/(pe.a)

2.25

gas engine

m CH4/(pe.a)
5.2

CHP
9.7

1.4

kWh el./(pe.a)
0.7
4.2

aeration

10.4

aeration & others

kWh mech./(pe.a)
4.7

energy consumption
(el.+mech.): 19.3 kWh/(pe.a)

WOLFGANGSEE ISCHL TP

COMPARATIVE CONSIDERATIONS

SOLUTIONS FOR SLUDGE NEUTRALIZATION

1. Three step methanisation = mineralisation of primairy sludge
(mesophylic hydrolyses, thermophylic intensive methanisation,
mesophylic post methanisation)
2. Treatment to get phosphate out with a special treatment with MgO or
MgCl
3. Maximum mechanical pressing to achieve a dry matter content of nearly
40%.
In this way we will have a mineralisation of about 20 50% of the sludge, so
coming back to 64 to 40.000 tons (25%) with a better pressing going down to
40.000 to 25.000 tons/year with less drying.

Every kg of mineralised organic matter will bring us a 500 ltr of Methane, so

4000 10.000 tons reduced DM x 500 m3 methane = 20x106 tot 50 x 106
kWh brut sustainable energy.

COST
Detailed chemical kinetic models for cleaner combustion

Heavy metal removal from sewage sludge ash & municipal solid waste fly ash
Utilization of materials from waste flows of our society
Sewage sludge: biggest secondary Presource
combustion sewage sludge ash (SSA)

Sewage sludge ash contains:

810% phosphorus
Iron oxide, quartz sand, other matrix compounds
Heavy metals
Fly ash from MSW incineration and sewage sludge combustion contain
Matrix compounds
Organic residues (unburnt carbon)
Heavy metals

SEWAGE SLUDGE ASH

Sewage sludge - dried

Sewage sludge plant

Sewage sludge ash

FLY ASH: ORIGIN

HEAVY METAL RECOVERY

E+ METHODOLOGY IN WWTP

DEVELOP
IMPROVE
EFFICIENCY OF THE
RENEWABLE
REDUCED ENERGY
CONSUMPTION
VALUE
CHAIN
ENERGY
SOLUTIONS

INTEGRATED APPROACH

ETERGY PLATFORM

CONSTANTA CASE

CONSTANTA CASE

CONSTANTA CASE

900
800
700

Putere medie [kW]

600
500
400
300

200
100

2009
2008

SATU MARE CASE

SATU MARE CASE

SATU MARE CASE

1 T
T
T u fr

s gen 2 q x
q y
q z
T x
y
z T
u fr WVdt

SATU MARE CASE

Exergy
ETopt

E*fopr
ECEC
Efopr
E*CEC

Sgenopt

S*genopt

Entropy

CONCLUSIONS

WWTPs of the future wastewater processing plants

E+ WWTPs have been already demonstrated

Energy efficiency is expensive

Eco-innovation towards Ecosystem centered engineering

The need for adequate policies

The need for high performance management of the plants