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Office of Research and Development National Exposure Research Laboratory Non-traditional technologies - Recovery of resources Disclaimer: This presentation does not necessarily reflect official U.S. EPA policy 1 No – it is all about the money So for technology options it is all about resource recovery (energy, nutrients, H 2 O) People need to save money & have water services well into the future Are nutrients the issue here? Waste of energy in the water sector Water services utilize about 3-7% of electricity produced i.e. some 100 billion kWh/y = 16 avg coal power plants Yet there is about the same amount of embedded energy in food/fecal residuals in our sewers However household energy use – 14% for hot water i.e. heating water more important energy issue 3 rd highest use after heating (29%) & cooling (17%) of homes 2 www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/enduse/er01_us.html 3 Let’s rethink the municipal water system First – noting how we got to where we are today Second – based on a system’s view what could be more sustainable And do we have the wrong economic & service model? Given $20 billion/y annual short-fall in water system maintenance (EPA GAP report, 2005) Most significant incentive for waterworks was fire fighting Since the Great Fire of London in 1666 the market for fire insurance was opened up US National Board of Fire Underwriters 1872 lead to premiums reduced 20-50% if waterworks available for fire fighting Drinking water system still designed today based on providing fire fighting flow Hence lose of quality and excess to private needs! Silsby first steam Fire Pump Engines, 1856-1891, USA 4 Next was disease concern 5 (403,000 cases from a single outbreak of Cryptosporidium hominis in Milwaukee (WI) April 1993, but only 9% of outbreaks vs. Giardia 86%) (Some likely to be viral & parasitic protozoa, but how many are non- culturable bacteria?) (85% Norovirus) (30% Cu, 12% F, 9% NO 3 - ) Craun et al. (2010) CMR 23:507-528 (29% since 2001 80% of deaths) Etiologic agents (%) for 780 drinking water outbreaks, 1971-2006 USA
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Page 1: Non-traditional technologies - Are nutrients the issue ... · Non-traditional technologies - Recovery of resources Disclaimer: This presentation does not necessarily reflect official

Office of Research and DevelopmentNational Exposure Research Laboratory

Non-traditional technologies -Recovery of resources

Disclaimer: This presentation does not necessarily reflect official U.S. EPA

policy1

�No – it is all about the money

•So for technology options it is all about resource recovery (energy, nutrients, H2O)

–People need to save money & have water services well into the future

Are nutrients the issue here?

Waste of energy in the water sector• Water services utilize about 3-7% of electricity produced

–i.e. some 100 billion kWh/y = 16 avg coal power plants

• Yet there is about the same amount of embedded energy in food/fecal residuals in our sewers

• However household energy use – 14% for hot water–i.e. heating water more important energy issue–3rd highest use after heating (29%) & cooling (17%) of homes

2 www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/enduse/er01_us.html 3

Let’s rethink the municipal water system• First – noting how we got to where we are today• Second – based on a system’s view what could be more sustainable

• And do we have the wrong economic & service model?

–Given $20 billion/y annual short-fall in water system maintenance (EPA GAP report, 2005)

Most significant incentive for waterworks was fire fighting

• Since the Great Fire of London in 1666 the market forfire insurance was opened up

• US National Board of Fire Underwriters 1872 lead to premiums reduced 20-50% if waterworks available for fire fighting

• Drinking water system still designed today based on providing fire fighting flow

• Hence lose of quality and excess to private needs!Silsby first steam Fire Pump Engines, 1856-1891, USA4

Next was disease concern

5

(403,000 cases from a single outbreak of Cryptosporidium hominis in Milwaukee (WI) April 1993, but only 9% of outbreaks vs. Giardia 86%)

(Some likely to be viral & parasitic protozoa, but how many are non-culturable bacteria?)

(85% Norovirus)

(30% Cu, 12% F, 9% NO3

- )

Craun et al. (2010)CMR 23:507-528

(29% since 200180% of deaths)

Etiologic agents (%) for 780 drinking water outbreaks, 1971-2006 USA

Page 2: Non-traditional technologies - Are nutrients the issue ... · Non-traditional technologies - Recovery of resources Disclaimer: This presentation does not necessarily reflect official

Water futures – energy limited by the current design

6

Water conservation only

Water conservation & stormwater reuse

Water conservation & wastewater RO reuse

Energy used (kWh) Reuse limit

0 .Percent water demand reduction . 100 .

Novotny (2011) Wat Sci Technol 63(1):184-190

i.e. need to change the system

Renewable energy

Demand manag’t was the first step

7

Sydney’s water savings 2000-2009

Sydney Water Corp, 2010

Dual systems mandated in all greenfield developmentsBut the next million pop?

Same usage today as in 1972

Energy use: rainwater, desal in Australia

8

Prosser (2011) Water: Science and Solutions for Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Canberra

i.e. need to manage pump type/usage

9

Global phosphate use in agriculture:1800-2010

Need for phosphorus recycling

Guano

manure

RockphosphateHuman excreta

YearAshley et al. (2011) Chemosphere 84:737-746

World Phosphate Reserves –Geopolitically Sensitive

Morocco77%

ROW17%

China 6%USA2%

More concentrated than OPEC

Image courtesy Ostara10

Likely trends / Implications

• Climate change / climate resilient infrastructure :–More intense storms, sewer overflows, outages

• Pressure sewers, off grid systems more resilient–Aging population, more prone to diseases

• e.g. legionellosis via water aerosols (etc.)• Need to reduce greenhouse gases :

–Move less water over long distances, i.e. recycle, especially reuse within homes/buildings

• Renewable energy & nutrient recovery :–Utilize energy within ‘wastes’energy/heat recovery–Urban agriculture / recycle of local nutrients

11

Page 3: Non-traditional technologies - Are nutrients the issue ... · Non-traditional technologies - Recovery of resources Disclaimer: This presentation does not necessarily reflect official

We need a paradigm shiftCurrent single use

Resource recycle instead of disposalhttp://www.ecosanservices.org

1212

Solutions•Use of specific process-oriented tools to aid in sustainability assessments, and

•Product-oriented decision support systems to aid stakeholder involvement in the process

13

Multi-Criteria Decision Aiding (MCDA), using process tools & being stakeholder-driven:

• Health Impact Assessment

• Life-Cycle Assessment, EF

• BCA, Life-Cycle Costing

• Reliability/ robustness

14

Swedish-Australian Urban water sustainability framework

Lundie, S., Ashbolt, N., Peters, G., Livingston, D., Lai, E., Kärrman, E., Blaikie, J. and Anderson, J. (2008) Sustainability Framework. WSAA Occasional Paper No.17. Water Services Association of Australia, Melbourne.

Examples of Urban Master planning

•Stockholm city brownfield redevelopments•Gold Coast, Sth of Brisbane, Australia (greenfield development)

•Common points–Not about one issue, but the whole system–Dominant driver – economic viability

15

Hammarby Sjöstad, Stockholm

16

Stockholm Royal Seaport (SRS) (Norra Djurgårdsstaden)• This urban development for 10,000 new residences and

30,000 new workspaces, based on Hammarby Sjöstad• Planning work started in the early 2000s and the new city

district will be fully developed around 2025

• Goals:–By 2020, carbon emissions <1.5 tonnes/person.year

–By 2030, free of fossil fuels–Resilient to future climate changes

17

Page 4: Non-traditional technologies - Are nutrients the issue ... · Non-traditional technologies - Recovery of resources Disclaimer: This presentation does not necessarily reflect official

18 19

Pimpama Coomera Water Futures Project

• First discussed at a series of strategic workshops attended by Gold Coast Water and key government stakeholders in mid 2002

• 18 month stakeholder-driven process20

Initial 10 Options down to 5 then 1

21

Innovative water systemsBased on sustainability principles –interfaced to financing models, food production & healthy living environment

•An example new water system paradigm–No-DW firefighting, blackwater-only sewer, local greywater reuse for non-potable household use

22

e.g. EcoSan toilet: in India with unique pay-the-user

• Located in Musiri, Trichy, Tamilnadu, India, the Ecosan Community Compost Toilet

• Operating since Jan, 2008• Users paid 10 paise per visit -

about 1/4 of one US cent as human urine and feces are a valuable source of nutrients used in agriculture

(Text and image courtesy of SCOPE)Society for Community Organisation and Peoples Educationhttp://www.scopetrichy.org/23

Page 5: Non-traditional technologies - Are nutrients the issue ... · Non-traditional technologies - Recovery of resources Disclaimer: This presentation does not necessarily reflect official

Ashbolt, N.J. (2011). In: Energy and Water 2011. Water Environment Foundation, July 31-August 3, 2011, Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 1233-1241

Future municipal water services:What are the new businesses?

24

Small-scale ‘conventional’system ystems

Septic tank Absorption trenchPoor maintenance is a major problem

Primary out

25

For stand-alone homes

Aerated Wastewater Treatment Systems (AWTS)

Warranties: • Concrete Tanks & Partitions 15 years • Internal Pipework 10 years

• Electrical control box & alarm panel 5 years• Pumps 2 years

26

Require a maintenance contract for use

Problems with AWTS

27

Waterless composting toilets

Split Level system with ceramic pedestalWith or without urine-diversion

Stand alone single unit for 4 person housee.g. Biolet 60 XL (http://www.biolet.com/)28

Slow evolution vs step change

29

Vacuum toilet

Graywater treatment

Urine-diversiondual-flush toilet

Urine-diversion dehydrating toilet

Sewage treatment(Biolytix NZ system)

Page 6: Non-traditional technologies - Are nutrients the issue ... · Non-traditional technologies - Recovery of resources Disclaimer: This presentation does not necessarily reflect official

Why divert the urine?

30

• Use as a plant fertilizer– Normal nitrogen application (80-100 kg/ha)

≡ 10-40 tonnes of urine/ha is needed

Urine-diverting toilets• WM-Ekologen model DS• Other models have combine vacuum system or dry fecal collection with urine diversion.

• BB Innovation & Co. model Dubbletten

• gives 3.3 - 3.6 g N / L

31

Urine storage tank (264 gal) & Aquatron solids separator composter

32

• Slone FLUSHMATE® Pressure-Assist toilet (1 gal)• The Propellair TM toilet (0.4 gal flush)

–The ‘Propel air’ flushing system reduces water consumption to 0.4 gal per flush, using 84% less water & 80% less energy than avg 2.4 gal WC

• The Quench TM recirculating shower system–The commercially available Quench conservation shower

uses up to 67% (25 vs 43 L) less water than a low flow shower head & use up to 87% less energy

• The Xeros TM cloths washer–uses 90% less water & 2% energy since clothes nearly dry, no dryer required

What’s in the ‘pipeline’ toreduce demand: 40 to 13 gal/p.d

33

Conclusions

• In addressing the ‘three pillars’ of sustainability assessments – need to consider over the life-time of the complete water services system–Human health (chemical, microbial & wellbeing)

–Environment (water footprint, EF & LCA options)–Economic (BCA, NPV, LCC)

• Probably requires novel market approaches & governance structures to succeed–E.g. Maintenance contracts & overarching planning group34 35


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