Environmental Benefit of Improving Wastewater Quality: A Shadow Prices Approach for Sensitive Areas

2018 ◽  
Vol 04 (02) ◽  
pp. 1750008 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bellver-Domingo ◽  
F. Hernández-Sancho
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Shadow Prices ◽  
Environmental Benefit ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Sensitive Areas ◽  
Wastewater Quality

The use of effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as a non-conventional source of water for wetlands in arid and semi-arid regions is becoming the most-often sought solution for maintaining water flow in sensitive wetlands there. However, the managing effluent quality should be a requirement because excess nutrients (mainly nitrogen and phosphorus) can generate eutrophication problems in wetlands. In the Mediterranean area in general, wetlands are strongly vulnerable to eutrophication, which is why they are classified as sensitive areas. Our study uses a data set from 24 WWTPs, effluents of which are discharged to wetlands in the coast of Community of Valencia. We use the shadow prices methodology to quantify the environmental avoided costs and the environmental benefit (both in monetary units) of nitrogen and phosphorus removal in wastewater effluent. The results highlight the importance of reducing these pollutants in WWTP effluents for maintaining the suitable water quality in wetlands. Our study demonstrates the potential for using shadow prices methodology for monetary valuation of environmental externalities in wetlands that use treated wastewater as a non-conventional water source.

scholarly journals Analysis of eutrophication potential of municipal wastewater

2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (9) ◽  
pp. 1994-2003
Author(s):  
M. Preisner ◽  
E. Neverova-Dziopak ◽  
Z. Kowalewski
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
The United States ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Nutrient Loads ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Eutrophication Potential ◽  
Wastewater Quality ◽  
Treatment Technologies

Abstract One of the main factors of the increased eutrophication level of surface waters is the high anthropogenic loads of biogenic substances discharged into water bodies. Municipal wastewaters, containing large amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus play one of the key roles in the acceleration of eutrophication intensity. The main direction in the prevention of eutrophication caused by wastewater discharge has become the reduction of nutrient loads introduced to wastewater receivers in accordance with strict legal requirements achievable only in advanced technologies. The treated wastewater quality standards are actually developed for total nitrogen and total phosphorus content, disregarding the fact that eutrophication potential of treated wastewater is determined by the content of non-organic nutrient forms directly bioavailable for water vegetation. That is why the currently used energy-consuming and expensive technologies do not always guarantee effective protection against eutrophication and its consequences. The goal of the study was to analyze the most widely used wastewater treatment technologies for enhanced biological nutrients removal in treated wastewater eutrophication potential. For this purpose, an analysis of the operation of 18 wastewater treatment plants based on different technologies in Finland, Canada, Poland, Russia and the United States was realized. The analysis concluded that the eutrophication potential of treated wastewater to a large extent is conditioned by the applied technology. The results of the research concluded that the eutrophication potential can serve an important criterion for decision-making regarding the proper selection of wastewater treatment technologies aimed at eutrophication mitigation.

scholarly journals Efficiency and Technological Reliability of Contaminant Removal in Household WWTPs with Activated Sludge

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Micek ◽  
Krzysztof Jóźwiakowski ◽  
Michał Marzec ◽  
Agnieszka Listosz ◽  
Tadeusz Grabowski
Keyword(s):  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Domestic Wastewater ◽  
Pollutant Removal ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Contaminant Removal ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Wastewater Samples ◽  
Polish Law

The results of research on the efficiency and technological reliability of domestic wastewater purification in two household wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with activated sludge are presented in this paper. The studied facilities were located in the territory of the Roztocze National Park (Poland). The mean wastewater flow rate in the WWTPs was 1.0 and 1.6 m3/day. In 2017–2019, 20 series of analyses were done, and 40 wastewater samples were taken. On the basis of the received results, the efficiency of basic pollutant removal was determined. The technological reliability of the tested facilities was specified using the Weibull method. The average removal efficiencies for the biochemical oxygen demand in 5 days (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were 66–83% and 62–65%, respectively. Much lower effects were obtained for total suspended solids (TSS) and amounted to 17–48%, while the efficiency of total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) removal did not exceed 34%. The analyzed systems were characterized by the reliability of TSS, BOD5, and COD removal at the level of 76–96%. However, the reliability of TN and TP elimination was less than 5%. Thus, in the case of biogenic compounds, the analyzed systems did not guarantee that the quality of treated wastewater would meet the requirements of the Polish law during any period of operation. This disqualifies the discussed technological solution in terms of its wide application in protected areas and near lakes, where the requirements for nitrogen and phosphorus removal are high.

Tertiary Treatment of Livestock Wastewater in the Context of Alternative Water Resources for Sustainable Agriculture

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (10) ◽  
pp. 161-170
Author(s):  
Carmen Tociu ◽  
Cristina Maria ◽  
Gyorgy Deak ◽  
Irina-Elena Ciobotaru ◽  
Alexandru-Anton Ivanov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Coliform Bacteria ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Livestock Wastewater ◽  
Alternative Water

The limited availability and quality of water resources are key issues of water management, and the protection and preservation of water resources are a requirement in the context of accelerated economic growth and principles of sustainable development. The experimental research presented in this paper is based on the need to identify alternative water sources and support unconventional wastewater treatment methods which would enable their reuse in areas affected by water scarcity and drought. Livestock wastewater contain significant levels of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and may represent an attractive water source for crop irrigation. This paper evaluates the efficacy of a proposed technological process for tertiary wastewater treatment consisting of two steps: electrochemical treatment for the removal of suspended and colloidal impurities and ozone disinfection. The experimental results showed higher efficiencies for the removal of chemical pollutants (92.5% COD, 79.3% BOD, 98.6% TSS, 41% residue saline) and significant inactivation of microorganisms (over 99.9% for total coliform bacteria and in some cases 100% for faecal coliform bacteria and faecal streptococci). The quality of the effluent complies with the regulations for wastewater use in agriculture and allows its reuse for different categories of use considering the required conditions for soil/crops. The successful application of treated wastewater to agricultural crops depends in a high extent on the good practices aimed on the improvement of crop yield and quality, optimisation of soil productivity and protection of the environment undertaken by the economic entities.

Net environmental benefit: introducing a new LCA approach on wastewater treatment systems

2012 ◽  
Vol 65 (9) ◽  
pp. 1624-1631 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Godin ◽  
C. Bouchard ◽  
P. A. Vanrolleghem
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Environmental Benefit ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Wastewater Quality ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Lca Results

Life cycle assessment (LCA) allows evaluating the potential environmental impacts of a product or a service in relation to its function and over its life cycle. In past LCAs applied to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), the system function definition has received little attention despite its great importance. This has led to some limitations in LCA results interpretation. A new methodology to perform LCA on WWTPs is proposed to avoid those limitations. It is based on net environmental benefit (NEB) evaluation and requires assessing the potential impact of releasing wastewater without and with treatment besides assessing the impact of the WWTP's life cycle. The NEB allows showing the environmental trade-offs between avoided impact due to wastewater treatment and induced impact by the WWTP's life cycle. NEB is compared with a standard LCA through the case study of a small municipal WWTP consisting of facultative aerated lagoons. The NEB and standard LCA show similar results for impact categories solely related to the WWTP's life cycle but differ in categories where wastewater treatment environmental benefit is accounted for as NEB considers influent wastewater quality whereas standard LCA does not.

scholarly journals Development of a Combined Aerobic–Anoxic and Methane Oxidation Bioreactor System Using Mixed Methanotrophs and Biogas for Wastewater Denitrification

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1377 ◽  
Author(s):  
I-Tae Kim ◽  
Ye-Eun Lee ◽  
Yeong-Seok Yoo ◽  
Wonsik Jeong ◽  
Young-Han Yoon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Methane Oxidation ◽  
Total Nitrogen ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Removal Rate ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Methanol Production ◽  
Bioreactor System ◽  
Total Nitrogen Removal ◽  
Mediated Oxidation

We developed a lab-scale aerobic–methane oxidation bioreactor (MOB)–anoxic system, combining a MOB and the aerobic–anoxic denitrification process, and evaluated its potential for advanced nitrogen treatment in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The MOB used biogas generated from a WWTP and secondary-treated wastewater to support mixed methanotroph cultures, which mediated the simultaneous direct denitrification by methanotrophs and methanol production necessary for denitrifying bacteria in the anoxic chamber for denitrification. Compared to the aerobic–anoxic process, the aerobic–MOB–anoxic system with an influent concentration of 4.8 L·day−1 showed a marked increase in the reduction efficiency for total nitrogen (41.9% vs. 85.9%) and PO4−3-P (41.1% vs. 69.5%). However, the integrated actions of high nitrogen and phosphorus consumption are required for methanotroph growth, as well as the production and supply of methanol as a carbon source for denitrification and methane monooxygenase-mediated oxidation of NH3 into N2O by methanotrophs. After three months of continuous operation using actual wastewater, the total nitrogen removal rate was 76.3%, equivalent to the rate observed in a tertiary-advanced WWTP, while the total phosphorus removal rate reached 83.7%.

Upgrading Wastewater Treatment Plants for Biological Nutrient Removal

1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 53-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Rabinowitz ◽  
T. D. Vassos ◽  
R. N. Dawson ◽  
W. K. Oldham
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Nutrient Removal ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Design Flow ◽  
Biological Nutrient Removal ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Conventional Activated Sludge ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Removal Technology ◽  
Biological Nitrogen

A brief review of recent developments in biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal technology is presented. Guidelines are outlined of how current understanding of these two removal mechanisms can be applied in the upgrading of existing wastewater treatment plants for biological nutrient removal. A case history dealing with the upgrading of the conventional activated sludge process located at Penticton, British Columbia, to a biological nutrient removal facility with a design flow of 18,200 m3/day (4.0 IMGD) is presented as a design example. Process components requiring major modification were the headworks, bioreactors and sludge handling facilities.

UV-disinfection of treated wastewater: possible effects on surface waters

1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (12) ◽  
pp. 255-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Gschlößl
Keyword(s):  
Uv Irradiation ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Point Sources ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Bathing Water Directive ◽  
Flowing Waters

UV-irradiation as an effective method of diminishing germs in the outlet of wastewater treatment plants was studied in a half-scale pilot-project sponsored by the State of Bavaria/BRD for a period of 3 years. Technical, physical and biological parameters capable of influencing this process were examined. The possibility to improve the hygienic and also the ecological structure of receiving waters was put to discussion. Possible effects of formed bypproducts upon the water biocoenosis of rivers were pointed out. The results demonstrated that UV-irradiation can diminish the number of germs in the outlet of a treatment plant to an extent which is sufficient to guarantee the maintenance of the bacteriological and presumably also the virological values set by the EC Bathing Water Directive. Nevertheless the UV-treatment process requires further technological development and research work concerning i.e. the improvement of hydraulic conditions, coat-forming on the quartz sleeves of the lamps, photochemical forming of by-products, after-growth and effects upon the localised benthic flora and fauna of the receiving water. It has to be stressed that a significant improvement of the bacteriological structure of flowing waters is only attainable, if the influx from non-point sources can be reduced simultaneously.

Experimental procedures characterizing transformations of wastewater organic matter in the Emscher river, Germany

1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 201-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Løkkegaard Bjerre ◽  
T. Hvitved-Jacobsen ◽  
B. Teichgräber ◽  
D. te Heesen
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Subsequent Treatment ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Batch Reactors ◽  
River Rhine ◽  
Quality Changes ◽  
Ruhr District ◽  
Wastewater Quality

The Emscher river in the Ruhr district, Germany, is at present acting as a large wastewater collector receiving untreated and mechanically treated wastewater. Before the Emscher flows into the river Rhine, treatment takes place in a biological wastewater treatment plant. The transformations of the organic matter in the Emscher affect the river catchment, the subsequent treatment and the river quality. This paper focuses on evaluation of methods for quantification of the microbial transformations of wastewater in the Emscher with emphasis on characterization of wastewater quality changes in terms of biodegradability of organic matter and viable biomass. The characterization is based on methods taken from the activated sludge process in wastewater treatment. Methods were evaluated on the basis of laboratory investigations of water samples from the Emscher. Incubation in batch reactors under aerobic, anoxic and anaerobic conditions were made and a case study was performed. The methods described will be used in an intensive study of wastewater transformations in the Emscher river. This study will be a basis for future investigations of wastewater quality changes in the Emscher.

Wastewater Reuse for River Recovery in Semi-Arid Israel

1999 ◽  
Vol 40 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Juanico ◽  
Eran Friedler
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Water Reuse ◽  
Water Quality Management ◽  
Wastewater Reuse ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Reclaimed Wastewater ◽  
Pollution Impacts ◽  
Semi Arid

Most of the water has been captured in the rivers of Israel and they have turned into dry river-beds which deliver only sporadic winter floods. In a semi-arid country where literally every drop of water is used, reclaimed wastewater is the most feasible water source for river recovery. Two topics are addressed in this paper: water quality management in rivers where most of the flowing water is treated wastewater, and the allocations of reclaimed wastewater required for the recovery of rivers and streams. Water quality management must consider that the main source of water to the river has a pollution loading which reduces its capability to absorb other pollution impacts. The allocation of treated wastewater for the revival of rivers may not affect negatively the water balance of the region; it may eventually improve it. An upstream bruto allocation of 122 MCM/year of wastewater for the recovery of 14 rivers in Israel may favor downstream reuse of this wastewater, resulting in a small neto allocation and in an increase of the water resources available to the country. The discharge of effluents upstream to revive the river followed by their re-capture downstream for irrigation, implies a further stage in the intensification of water reuse.

scholarly journals Ultrafiltration Process in Disinfection and Advanced Treatment of Tertiary Treated Wastewater

Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 221
Author(s):  
Rafał Tytus Bray ◽  
Katarzyna Jankowska ◽  
Eliza Kulbat ◽  
Aneta Łuczkiewicz ◽  
Aleksandra Sokołowska
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Microscopic Analysis ◽  
Fecal Coliforms ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Chemical Parameters ◽  
Virus Particles ◽  
E Coli ◽  
The One ◽  
Physical And Chemical

The paper presents the results of research on the use of ultrafiltration, using membranes of 200 and 400 kDa separation, for disinfection of municipal treated wastewater. The research was conducted on a fractional technical scale using real municipal treated wastewater from two large wastewater treatment plants treating most of the wastewater over the one-million polycentric Gdańsk agglomeration (1.2 million inhabitants). UF 200 kDa and UF 400 kDa processes enabled further improvement of the physical and chemical parameters of treated wastewater. Total phosphorus (to below 0.2 mg/L–UF 200 kDa, 0.13 mg/L–UF 400 kDa) and turbid substances (to below 0.2 mg/L, both membranes) were removed in the highest degree. COD was reduced efficiently (to below 25.6 mgO2/L–UF 200 kDa, 26.8 mgO2/L–UF 400 kDa), while total nitrogen was removed to a small extent (to 7.12 mg/L–UF 200 kDa and 5.7 mg/L–UF 400 kDa. Based on the reduction of indicator bacteria; fecal coliforms including E. coli (FC) and fecal enterococci (FE) it was found that the ultrafiltration is an effective method of disinfection. Not much indicator bacterial were observed in the permeate after processes (UF 200 kDa; FC—5 CFU/L; FE—1 CFU/L and UF 400 kDa; FC—70 CFU/L; FE—10 CFU/L. However, microscopic analysis of prokaryotic cells and virus particles showed their presence after the application of both membrane types; TCN 3.0 × 102 cells/mL–UF 200 kDa, 5.0 × 103 cells/mL–UF 400 kDa, VP 1.0 × 105/mL. The presence of potentially pathogenic, highly infectious virus particles means that ultrafiltration cannot be considered a sufficient disinfection method for treated wastewater diverted for reuse or discharged from high load wastewater treatment plants to recreational areas. For full microbiological safety it would be advisable to apply an additional disinfection method (e.g., ozonation).

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