Economic feasibility study for new technological alternatives in wastewater treatment processes: a review

2012 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 898-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Molinos-Senante ◽  
Francesc Hernández-Sancho ◽  
Ramón Sala-Garrido
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Shadow Price ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Market Price ◽  
Feasibility Studies ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Treatment Technologies

The concept of sustainability involves the integration of economic, environmental, and social aspects and this also applies in the field of wastewater treatment. Economic feasibility studies are a key tool for selecting the most appropriate option from a set of technological proposals. Moreover, these studies are needed to assess the viability of transferring new technologies from pilot-scale to full-scale. In traditional economic feasibility studies, the benefits that have no market price, such as environmental benefits, are not considered and are therefore underestimated. To overcome this limitation, we propose a new methodology to assess the economic viability of wastewater treatment technologies that considers internal and external impacts. The estimation of the costs is based on the use of cost functions. To quantify the environmental benefits from wastewater treatment, the distance function methodology is proposed to estimate the shadow price of each pollutant removed in the wastewater treatment. The application of this methodological approach by decision makers enables the calculation of the true costs and benefits associated with each alternative technology. The proposed methodology is presented as a useful tool to support decision making.

scholarly journals Cost of Urban Wastewater Treatment and Ecotaxes: Evidence from Municipalities in Southern Europe

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Encarnación Moral Pajares ◽  
Leticia Gallego Valero ◽  
Isabel Román Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Wastewater Management ◽  
Management Service ◽  
Southern Europe ◽  
Urban Wastewater ◽  
Urban Wastewater Treatment

The principle of cost recovery established by the Water Framework Directive underlines the need for tax rates, which can raise enough revenue to finance the cost of treatments applied to wastewater. The objective of this research is to gain an understanding the different types of charges related to urban wastewater treatment that can be levied by the authorities responsible for this service. This paper also aims to determine whether these taxes contribute to guaranteeing the economic feasibility of the wastewater treatment plants. The proposed methodological approach is applied to 18 municipalities of a province in southern Europe in 2017. The results confirm that in most of these cases, the taxes levied do not guarantee adequate tax revenues to cover the running, maintenance and investment costs of municipal wastewater treatment plants. This situation leads to a lack of financial self-sufficiency in the wastewater management service, meaning that the imbalance between income and expenditure has to be covered by government subsidies. The results of this study will help guide authorities around the world that are in charge of managing urban wastewater treatment services.

scholarly journals Perspectives on Microalgal Biofilm Systems with Respect to Integration into Wastewater Treatment Technologies and Phosphorus Scarcity

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2245
Author(s):  
Kateřina Sukačová ◽  
Daniel Vícha ◽  
Jiří Dušek
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Phosphorus Removal ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Phosphorus Uptake ◽  
Phosphorus Recovery ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Water Ecosystem ◽  
Treatment Technologies

Phosphorus is one of the non-renewable natural resources. High concentration of phosphorus in surface water leads to undesirable eutrophication of the water ecosystem. It is therefore necessary to develop new technologies not only for capturing phosphorus from wastewater but also for phosphorus recovery. The aim of the study was to propose three different integration scenarios for a microalgal biofilm system for phosphorus removal in medium and small wastewater treatment plants, including a comparison of area requirements, a crucial factor in practical application of microalgal biofilm systems. The area requirements of a microalgal biofilm system range from 2.3 to 3.2 m2 per person equivalent. The total phosphorus uptake seems to be feasible for construction and integration of microalgal biofilm systems into small wastewater treatment plants. Application of a microalgal biofilm for phosphorus recovery can be considered one of the more promising technologies related to capturing CO2 and releasing of O2 into the atmosphere.

The potential for thermal energy recovery from wastewater treatment works in southern England

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 287-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Hawley ◽  
Richard Fenner
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Energy Recovery ◽  
Shadow Price ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Heat Extraction ◽  
Southern England ◽  
Financial Feasibility ◽  
Discharge Temperature

This paper asks how much heat could be recovered from wastewater treatment plants under UK climatic conditions, and can this heat be used effectively to reduce their carbon footprint? Four wastewater treatment sites in southern England have been investigated and the available heat quantified. Issues relating to the environmental, economic and practical constraints on how this energy can be realistically recovered and utilised are discussed. The results show there is a definite possibility for thermal energy recovery and demonstrates that the financial feasibility of three options for using the heat (either for district heating, sludge drying or thermophilic heating in sludge digestion processes) is highly dependent upon the current shadow price of carbon. Without the inclusion of the cost of carbon, the financial feasibility is significantly limited. An environmental constraint for the allowable discharge temperature of effluent after heat extraction was found to be the major limitation to the amount of energy available for recovery. The paper establishes the true potential of thermal energy recovery from wastewater in English conditions and the economic feasibility of reducing the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment operations using this approach.

scholarly journals Innovative technologies in municipal wastewater treatment plants in Sweden to improve Baltic Sea water quality

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 00113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Józef Trela ◽  
Elżbieta Płaza
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Municipal Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Treatment Processes ◽  
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants

The article presents new trends in the treatment of municipal wastewater in Sweden caused by the constantly increasing requirements for discharging pollutants into Baltic Sea waters. The development of new technologies for nitrogen removal, pharmaceutical residues removal and the possibility of using membrane processes in wastewater treatment is presented. The state of research on innovative wastewater treatment processes at the level of pilot-scale tests and their implementation in full technical scale has been described. These technologies can allow the application of new, economical and environmentally friendly wastewater treatment processes based on biological, chemical and physical methods. Swedish wastewater treatment plants are preparing to meet the new conditions required for discharged wastewater with a value of 6 mg N/L for total nitrogen and 0.2 mg P/L for total phosphorus. This requires large investments in the reconstruction of municipal wastewater treatment plants and the introduction of new treatment processes.

scholarly journals Hydrologic System Protection by Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Technologies in Jordan

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-27
Author(s):  
Naser Almanaseer
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Jordan Valley ◽  
Experimental Site ◽  
E Coli ◽  
System Protection ◽  
Decentralized Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Hydrologic System ◽  
Treatment Technologies ◽  
Removal Efficiencies

The nine different technologies are constructed at the pilot scale in one experimental site at Al-Balqa Applied University and use the same wastewater characteristics as the inlet. Monthly samples were collected from the inlet and outlet of nine different decentralized wastewater treatment technologies for three years (June 2016-June 2019). The samples were analyzed for physical, chemical, and biological parameters including TSS, Turbidity, pH, COD, DO, NH4, NO3, TN, BOD, and E. coli. Removal efficiencies for the nine technologies are obtained for COD, BOD, TN, and TSS to be above 95%. NH4 the removal efficiencies for the nine technologies vary and found to be in the range of 27 to 76% while for the E. coli in the range of 65 to 95%. Further, data on energy consumption were collected for each technology and found for the nine investigated technologies in the range of 0.03 to 0.30 Jordan Dinars per treated cubic meter. The investigated technologies were evaluated, and the best options were endorsed. It is concluded that the adaptation of decentralized wastewater treatment will certainly help protect the hydrologic system in Jordan especially in the high lands where significant groundwater recharge occurs and a considerable amount of surface water flows towards Jordan Valley and collection dams.

scholarly journals ESCALONAMENTO DE TECNOLOGIAS: DESENVOLVIMENTO DE PRODUTO E PROCESSO DO LABORATÓRIO À ESCALA PILOTO CONECTADO AO MERCADO (PARTE 1)

Química Nova ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elimar Vasconcellos ◽  
Priscila Souza ◽  
Marcella Franco ◽  
Vinícius Castro ◽  
Lorena Souza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Plant ◽  
Process Development ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Feasibility Studies ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Scaling Up ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
One Step ◽  
Expensive Process

TECHNOLOGY SCALE UP: PROCESS DEVELOPMENT FROM THE LABORATORY TO PILOT SCALE CONNECTED TO MARKET (PART 1). In this article, it is described the main aspects to be considered during the process of scaling up hard sciences technologies developed in the Science and Technology Institutes aiming at industrial application. Based on the experience of our group in scaling up, pre-acceleration, and acceleration of different technologies, a methodology was developed and divided into four main stages: Step 1, which involves basic research, Step 2 with a focus on product development, and Step 3 with a focus on process development, all on the laboratory scale and the last one, Step 4 focused on pilot plant development. The most important aspect of this article is to show that many critical questions can be answered even in the laboratory phase. In this way, the risks of Step 4 are minimized. Step 4 is a complicated, lengthy, and expensive process of construction and operation of a pilot plant. Aspects such as proof of concept, technical and economic feasibility studies, minimum viable product, capital expenditures, and operating expenses of pilot plants are approached in a simplified way to serve as a basis for researchers who wants to know the long path to be followed by technology before reaching the industry, consequently the market.

scholarly journals Biological control and management of the detoxication wastewater treatment technologies

2007 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 213-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yana Topalova
Keyword(s):  
Water Pollution ◽  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Scale Modeling ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Treatment Technologies ◽  
Control And Management ◽  
Xenobiotic Biodegradation

Detoxication technologies require the combination of theoretical and practical knowledge of xenobiotic biodegradation, wastewater treatment technologies, and management rules. The purpose of this complicated combination is to propose specialized strategies for detoxication, based on lab- and pilot-scale modeling. These strategies include preliminary created algorithms for preventing the risk of water pollution and sediments. The technologies and algorithms are essentially important outcome, applied in the textile, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, woodtreating, and oiltreating industries. In this paper four rehabilitation technologies for pretreatment of water contaminated by pentachlorophenol (PCP) have been developed in the frame of the European and Bulgarian National projects. Emphasize is put on the biological systems and their potential of detoxication management. The light and transmission electron microscopy of the reconstructed activated sludges the microbial, kinetic and enzymological indicators are presented and approved as critical points in the biocontrol.

Decentralised wastewater treatment technologies from a national perspective: at what cost are they competitive?

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 145-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Maurer ◽  
D. Rothenberger ◽  
T.A. Larsen
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Sewer Systems ◽  
Wastewater Systems ◽  
Treatment Technologies ◽  
Wastewater Infrastructure ◽  
National Perspective ◽  
Maintenance Requirements

In this paper we estimate at what cost decentralised wastewater treatment can be competitive compared with conventional centralised technologies. For the current wastewater infrastructure in Western Europe and North America, typical replacement costs are 2,600 US$/cap for large countries and 4,800 US$/cap for small ones. In the same literature, average annual operating costs are reported to be 3.8% of replacement costs. However, if a long-term interest rate of 3% is consistently applied, this value increases to 4.7% for small countries and 5.5% for large ones. Assuming that alternative wastewater systems will only be accepted if their costs are similar to existing ones, the possible investments for alternative wastewater treatment technologies are calculated. Between 640 and 2,170 US$/cap can be invested in new technologies for scenarios without a sewer system. The corresponding figures for scenarios with sewer systems are between 260 and 680 US$/cap. Acceptable maintenance requirements are calculated on the basis of unit size. Transition periods are not accounted for.

Evaluating upgrade possibilities of activated sludge wastewater treatment plants utilizing biofilm-based treatment technologies – an experimental study at the South Pest WWTP

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Szilágyi ◽  
R. Kovács ◽  
I. Kenyeres ◽  
B. Törő ◽  
Zs. Csikor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Suspended Solids ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Plant Root ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Load Reduction ◽  
The South ◽  
Treatment Technologies ◽  
Biofilm Carriers

As more and more wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) arrive to a point in their lifecycles when their original capacities are not sufficient anymore, the demand for good WWTP retrofitting solutions becomes increasingly critical. One of the typical problems is the suspended solids overload of secondary clarifiers, which is one of the main concerns at the South Pest WWTP as well. Pilot scale studies were carried out at the WWTP with a biofilm based technology applying biofilm carriers imitating plant root structures in order to characterize the potentials of clarifier TSS load reduction while maintaining the existing biodegradation performance of the activated sludge stage. The research demonstrated that the clarifier load can be reduced by more than 90%, while the original biodegradation performance of the system does not decrease. In addition to this, it was demonstrated that the biomass amount in the reactors can be increased substantially opening potentials for further biodegradation capacity.

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