In many countries around the world heating (and cooling) has been and will remain the biggest energy sector, but it is still widely dominated by fossil energy sources today. Wastewater as a source of renewable energy contains large amounts of heat and due to its place-bound localization in urban sewer systems it is usually also situated in very close distance to potential heat consumers. However, one has to keep in mind that heat extraction from wastewater might have undesired impacts on temperature-sensitive treatment processes in the related wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). To assess the potential impact of in-sewer heat recovery on inflow temperature, two different approaches are available today: a simple (but less significant) alligation alternate, or very accurate (but less practical) mathematical models. To close the gap between practicability and significance this article introduces a novel approach to pre-assess the suitability of in-sewer heat recovery sites based on little and easily available data considering energy- and wastewater-related perspectives. A case study application demonstrates the informative value and general usability of the approach. Consequently, the proposed procedure can provide guidance and a template for related investigations at any place in a conventional (combined or separated) sewer system.
In 2018 the European Union has recognized wastewater as a renewable energy source, particularly due to its thermal energy content. To create and further develop knowledge on the possible role that wastewater could play in the energy transition, this article pursues two objectives: 1) it presents an overview on the electric and thermal energy potentials available at the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Central European area also taking their spatial context to adjacent settlement structures into account. 2) It introduces a small number of easy to apply criteria to (pre-)assess the suitability of WWTPs for being integrated into local energy (heat) supply concepts from an integrated perspective (considering energetic, spatial and environmental aspects). The investigations address the energy generation potentials of 3,315 WWTPs (with a treatment capacity of at least 5,000 population equivalents) in the area under survey. Analysis reveal, that notable amounts of heat ranging to almost 26 TWh/a are available. Their exploitation appears very promising, as investigations also show, that about 73% of the considered WWTPs are situated near or even within existing settlement structures implying very advantageous heat supply distances. Following the estimation of energy potentials, which is made available in the supplementary material, the presented suitability criteria can then be used to identify the most promising WWTPs in a specific regional/local context, in the investigated Central European area and beyond.
The advancing digitalisation is one of the great challenges of our times. Related activities also concern the wastewater sector. In the field of building construction, one emerging approach is building information modelling (BIM). The presented work investigates, to which extent BIM practices have already found their way to wastewater management, and what kind of benefits and constraints are incorporated. Information is collected by means of a literature review and international expert surveys. Results indicate, that several BIM-related key elements are already well established in the sector, but not necessarily in the intended manner. Consequently, the digital transition in the wastewater sector is not about replacing existing procedures and technics but to rethink and optimise them. This primarily concerns data and information management in combination with the application of digital tools. Furthermore, wastewater management requires more integrated approaches, involving interdisciplinary/collaborative concepts and live-cycle perspectives. Appropriate change management is necessary to give support and guidance to employees during the transition process. Furthermore, also from the political side, a clear definition and communication of the pursued digital vision is important. This article aims at stimulating discussion and research to optimise wastewater management from the digital perspective.
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