Research Started on Net Zero Energy Solutions for Wastewater Treatment

Energy costs make up a significant proportion of utility operating budgets. A large number of utilities are now looking at ways to become energy neutral or even ways to recover more energy from their treatment processes than what is put in. The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) has contracted with Black & Veatch (UK), in partnership with AECOM, the North East Biosolids and Residuals Association, and Hemenway Inc., to discover other ways of energy balance, reduction, recovery and production opportunities. This research project, called Energy Balance and Reduction Opportunities, Case Studies of Energy, Neutral Wastewater Facilities and Triple Bottom Line (TBL) Research Planning Support (ENER1C12), is aimed at transferring industry knowledge and experience between different utilities and to help provide guidance to achieve a self sufficient energy supply.

This study has been co-sponsored by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and is expected to take 18 months. The study will include 23 utility partners around the US and Australia. The research team will discover different ways for utilities to reduce demand, increase energy efficiency, recover energy and produce energy onsite by developing baseline energy flows for common wastewater treatment processes. The team will also document successes and obstacles at energy-neutral or near-net-neutral facilities and identify sustainable options for managing biosolids through TBL assessment of biosolids-to-energy recovery processes and other biosolids management practices.

Completion of WERF’s Barriers to Biogas Use for Renewable Energy (OWSO11C10) report in late July preceded kickoff of the new study; both research projects are part of the organisation’s energy production and efficiency program.