Advanced processed wastewater for different uses: constellations favouring future implementation of a multimodal water reuse concept

Advanced wastewater treatment is often used to produce one single water quality. In recent years, technologies have been developed that allow the production of different qualities that are fit for their purpose. These technology bundles are still not being marketed, and market requirements are unclear. Two constellations in West Basin, California and in Oman were analysed to shed light on the different constellations of actors, resource situations and institutions. The first led to the industrial reuse of several water qualities, while the second produced an application in holiday resorts, leisure and food production. A hypothetical solution was contrasted with an historical case. The analysis of the constellations showed that multi-sectoral investments and dependencies require strong cooperation arrangements and long-term agreements. Governmental institutions were revealed to be suitable for coordinating the process, especially during the initial phase, but also in view of security of supply. A (comparative) examination allows an initial, still provisional systematic overview of other constellations that favour systems with recycled water of different qualities. Further research is required to understand the welfare and distribution effects of multimodal water pricing policies and the feasibility of co-financing of agricultural irrigation and opportunities for more sustainable water reuse.

Potential for reuse of effluent from fish-processing industries

The most common problems in the fish processing industry relate to high water consumption and the generation of effluents with concentrated organic loads. Given that reuse can represent an alternative for sustainable development, this study sought to assess the potential for recycling effluents produced in a fish-processing plant. In order to do so, the final industrial effluent was analyzed using the American Public Health Association (APHA) standard effluent-analysis method (2005). In addition, the study assessed treatments which produce effluents meeting the requirements prescribed by different countries' regulations for reuse and recycling. The results found that effluents with smaller organic loads, such as those from health barriers and monoblock washing, can be treated in order to remove nutrients and solids so that they can be subsequently reused. For effluents produced by the washing and gutting cylinders, it is recommended that large fragments of solid waste be removed beforehand. Effluents can in this way attain a quality compatible with industrial reuse. This study further highlights the possibility of treating effluents so as comply with drinking water standards. This would potentially allow them to be used within the actual fish-processing procedure; in such a case, a revision of standards and measures for controlling use should be considered to prevent microbiological damage to products and risks to handlers and final consumers.

Pilot-scale test of industrial wastewater treatment by UASB and MBR using a ceramic flat sheet membrane for water reuse

A pilot plant was studied to investigate a new method for reclaiming wastewater from the industrial area of Jurong, producing high quality water from it for industrial reuse. The new process used an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) and a membrane bioreactor (MBR) with a submerged ceramic flat sheet membrane. The feedwater from the chamber with the industrial wastewater was high in chemical oxygen demand (COD), which varied between 644 and 2,380 mg L–1 and had a pH range of 6.7–7.1. The MBR process was operated in series at a flux of 18–25 Lm–2 h–1 for 100 days. The average COD and the biological oxygen demand of products of the above system were 155 and 9 mg L–1, respectively. The results of this study indicated that a UASB-ceramic MBR process was capable of stably producing high quality water for industrial reuse from industrial wastewater.