Wastewater utility managers and consultants; energy recovery researchers and students; water-energy policy makers
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) consume large amounts of energy, estimated at between 1% and 3% of global energy output. State-of-the-art facilities consume 20-45 kWh per population equivalent (PE) connected. The target value for WWTPs in German federal states such as North Rhine Westphalia is 20-26 kWh/PE but smaller and older facilities tend to consume much more.
Consequently, research efforts are underway globally to reduce the energy consumption of wastewater treatment. More than 50% of a standard WWTP’s energy consumption occurs during the process of aerobic activated sludge treatment by aeration. An alternative technology involves untapping the intrinsic energy content of wastewater and converting this to gas, producing heat and power.
In this webinar, the current technologies for energy recovery from water and sludge will be presented, along with promising innovations. Topics to be covered include energy recovery from water through district heating and cooling, and energy recovery from sludge through anaerobic digestion and/or incineration. Finally, the future outlook on energy recovery in the water sector will be discussed.
Basic knowledge on the concepts of resource recovery and water/wastewater treatment is expected from participants.
Following this webinar, participants will:
Here are some resources recommended by the webinar panelists:
International Water Association