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Wastewater generation model to predict impacts of urine separation on wastewater treatment plants
(2024)
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are under increasing pressure to enhance resource efficiency and reduce emissions into water bodies. The separation of urine within the catchment area may be an alternative to mitigate the need for costly expansions of central WWTPs. While previous investigations assumed a spatially uniform implementation of urine separation across the catchment area, the present study focuses on an adapted stochastic wastewater generation model, which allows the simulation of various wastewater streams (e.g., urine) on a household level. This enables the non-uniform separation of urine across a catchment area. The model is part of a holistic modelling framework to determine the influence of targeted urine separation in catchments on the operation and emissions of central WWTPs, which will be briefly introduced. The wastewater generation model is validated through an extensive sampling and measurement series.
Results based on observed and simulated wastewater quantity and quality for a catchment area of 366 residents for two dry weather days indicate the suitability of the model for wastewater generation and transport modelling. Based on this, four scenarios for urine separation were defined. The results indicate a potential influence of spatial distribution on the peaks of total nitrogen and total phosphorus.
Potential and risks of water reuse in Brandenburg (Germany) – an interdisciplinary case study
(2024)
For Brandenburg, a region in Germany with increasing water shortage and drought events, water reuse can counteract competition scenarios between drinking water supply, agricultural irrigation, and industrial use. Centralized and decentralized sources for reclaimed water are found to potentially substitute 245 or 28% of irrigation water, respectively, in agriculture production in Brandenburg. For such a reuse scenario, the
fate of organic micropollutants is examined for diatrizoate (DZA) and carbamazepine (CBZ). Retention in local sandy soil and transfer into roots and leaves of arugula are analyzed in lysimeter studies and greenhouse pot experiments. Vertical transport was found for DZA and accumulation in or on arugula roots with a root concentration factor of 1,925+34% but a low bioconcentration factor due to intrinsic molecule properties. CBZ was not found to be mobile in the sandy soil but accumulates in arugula roots and leaves by factors of 70+7% and 155+12%, respectively. Further research on potential plant uptake and groundwater enrichment for more substances is highly recommended as well as tertiary wastewater treatment prior to water reuse.
Wastewater Generation Model to Predict Impacts of Urine Separation on Wastewater Treatment Plants
(2023)
Wastewater treatment plants are under increasing pressure to enhance resource efficiency and reduce emissions into water bodies. Separation of urine within the catchment area may be an alternative to mitigate the need for costly expansions of central wastewater treatment plant. While previous investigations assumed a spatially uniform implementation of urine separation across the catchment area, the present study introduces a modelling framework which allows to determine the influence of targeted urine separation on the operation and emissions of central wastewater treatment plants. The framework includes an adapted stochastic wastewater generation model, the Stormwater Management Model, and Activated Sludge Model No. 3 with Bio-P module (SIMBA#). The entire application is embedded in the R programming language. The model is validated by an extensive sampling and measurement campaign. Preliminary results based on observed and simulated wastewater generation and transport for a catchment area of 436 residents indicate the suitability of the model for wastewater generation and transport modelling, but also show further need for calibration.
From 2023, new minimum standards for the reuse of treated wastewater will apply in the EU. Internationally, water reuse has already been a relevant issue for some time. Rising water demand worldwide, also as a result of global climate change, is increasing the scarity of freshwater resources in some areas. Reclaimed water is increasingly considered as a valuable substitute for natural water resources. Even before the new EU regulation came into force, DWA has published an extensive report covering a variety of aspects to be considered within the scope of non-potable water reuse. This article provides an overview of that DWA Topics issue “Non-Potable Water Reuse – Development, Technologies and International Framework Conditions for Agricultural, Urban and Industrial Uses”.
Against the background of the world population growth, accompanied by increasing water demand on the one hand and at least regionally decreasing freshwater resources as a consequence of climate change on the other hand, reclaimed water is increasingly considered as a valuable substitute for natural water resources. DWA has recently published an extensive report covering a variety of aspects to be considered within the scope of non-potable water reuse. This article provides an overview of and excerpts from DWA Topics “Non-Potable Water Reuse – Development, Technologies and International Framework Conditions for Agricultural, Urban and Industrial Uses”.
The in-situ performance of large decentralised stormwater treatment systems is investigated by means of continuous turbidity measurements. Turbidity measurements are used as a surrogate to continuously estimate Total Suspended Solid (TSS) concentrations. TSS event loads are calculated at the inlet and outlet of two stormwater treatment systems, which both are installed at the outlet of catchments with high pollution potential. The event-specific performance is defined as ratio between TSS loads of inflow and outflow. Based on measurement data obtained, the overall TSS load retention efficiency is about 32 %.
Membrane contactors are a promising alternative for nitrogen removal and recovery from process water compared
to other physicochemical and biological sidestream treatment processes. Münster wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is the first municipal WWTP in Germany operating a full-scale membrane contactor
system to improve the nitrogen elimination and recovery efficiency. Factors influencing the operation and membrane performance are investigated in an accompanying research project. Additional operational aspects of the applied membrane modules are investigated in detail using a bench-scale membrane contactor. First results of the full-scale application demonstrate a high nitrogen removal efficiency of >95%.