Renewable energy from wastewater - Practical aspects of integrating a wastewater treatment plant into local energy supply concepts

Kollmann, René; Neugebauer, Georg; Kretschmer, Florian; Truger, Barbara; Kindermann, Helene; Stoeglehner, Gernot; Ertl, Thomas; Narodoslawsky, Michael

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.08.168

Cited by 76 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The authors of [77] showed for a commercial district located in Milan (Italy) that a PtH system complemented by sewage heat recovery is competitive to individual, distributed heat pumps. In addition, WWTPs are able to participate in local heat supply systems by feeding-in surplus heat [35,70,78,79]. This is realized, e.g., at the Hamburg WWTP, which is feeding heat into the district heating systems for the container terminals of the port of Hamburg.…”

Section: Heat-sectormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thermal energy potentials of the Austrian WWTPs are stated in [81], showing that WWTPs are able to contribute significantly in local district heating concepts by recovering energy from digester gas production and wastewater effluent. Based on that, the authors of [78] proposed a set of methods to integrate the potentials into local energy concepts, considering spatial, environmental and economic issues. It is shown that the heat generation from WWTPs offers an alternative to conventional heat generation at competitive costs.…”

Section: Heat-sectormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, thermal energy from WWTPs is a continuous and reliable source of energy, which can be substantially used in district heating, substituting fossil energy sources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (cf. [78,81]).…”

Section: Heat-sectormentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Possible Roles of Wastewater Treatment Plants in Sector Coupling

2020

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The development of a power system based on high shares of renewable energy sources puts high demands on power grids and the remaining controllable power generation plants, load management and the storage of energy. To reach climate protection goals and a significant reduction of CO 2 , surplus energies from fluctuating renewables have to be used to defossilize not only the power production sector but the mobility, heat and industry sectors as well, which is called sector coupling. In this article, the role of wastewater treatment plants by means of sector coupling is pictured, discussed and evaluated. The results show significant synergies-for example, using electrical surplus energy to produce hydrogen and oxygen with an electrolyzer to use them for long-term storage and enhancing purification processes on the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Furthermore, biofuels and storable methane gas can be produced or integrate the WWTP into a local heating network. An interconnection in many fields of different research sectors are given and show that a practical utilization is possible and reasonable for WWTPs to contribute with sustainable energy concepts to defossilization.Energies 2020, 13, 2088 2 of 20 reached, like in Uruguay, Germany and the United Kingdom [6]. The gradual extension of RES and the expedited abandonment of fossil and nuclear energy production results in new problems but also new opportunities for power supplies. There is a shift from demand-oriented power generation to a production-driven generation of electrical energy. In an electricity system with a high share of RES, flexibility options are needed to counterbalance fluctuating wind and solar-based power production to maintain the high standards in its supply [7]. For now, there are just a few hours of surplus energy but with proportions of more than 60% RES; times in which supply exceeds demand are increasing significantly. On this basis, there will be a high need of short-term flexibility in the near future to stabilize power grids and further integrate RES into the energy grids [8]. Short-term storage options are classified in the range of seconds up to 24 h (daily storage). These energy surpluses and deficits have to be balanced by flexible energy generators and consumers. Furthermore, long-term storage capacities are needed to provide enough energy in times of deficits on a larger scale. This is caused by longer periods of low amounts of available wind and sun. To compensate these fluctuations and store or generate energy, based on its availability, fundamentally different applications compared to short-term flexibility are required [9].Energy has always been stored, but the focus and the technologies used have changed. Storage concepts like pumped storage plants, battery or compressed air systems are not suitable for long-term storage-too expensive or cannot provide enough capacities for an extensive use in every country [10]. Additionally, ecological issues and resource scarcity have to be considered. Unlike solar and wind-based energy p...

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Section: Heat-sectormentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Heat-sectormentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Possible Roles of Wastewater Treatment Plants in Sector Coupling

2020

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“…Neugebauer et al [23] estimated the thermal energy supply potentials of Austrian wastewater treatment plants considering their particular treatment capacity and spatial context. Kollmann et al [24] describe a procedure to assess the integration of a wastewater treatment plant into local energy supply concepts considering a spatial analysis, different energy flows, and the ecologic footprint of different supply scenarios. Finally, Schopf et al [25] investigate potential energetic and economic benefits for wastewater treatment systems associated with digester gas and sewage sludge utilisation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Participation as a Key Aspect for Establishing Wastewater as a Source of Renewable Energy

et al. 2018

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Climate change is one of the great challenges of our times. In the search for renewable energy sources, wastewater has received increasing attention in recent years. This is due to the fact that it can serve as a source of electricity and heat supply, as well as a substitute for natural gas. The current literature frequently addresses more technical aspects from a mostly sanitary engineering-orientated perspective. Social aspects related to the energetic use of wastewater still appear to be underrepresented. To support the closure of existing knowledge gaps and to contribute to the development in this field, this article addresses two issues: it defines and characterises key stakeholder groups required to catalyse broader energetic usage of wastewater, and it proposes a participatory approach to support successfully establishing wastewater as a commonly accepted source of renewable energy to best support the ongoing energy transition.

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“…It is also possible to use traditional sources of electricity and prepare the installation in astationary mode with the blower station located on the reservoir bank [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Model Studies on the Effectiveness of MBBR Reactors for the Restoration of Small Water Reservoirs

et al. 2018

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Abstract. The authors present the Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR)model with a quasi-continuous flow for small water reservoir restoration, characterized by high concentrations of organic pollutants. To determine the efficiency of wastewater treatment the laboratory analysis of physic-chemical parameters were conducted for the model on a semi-technical scale of 1:3. Wastewater treatment process was carried out in 24 h for 1 m3 for raw sewage. The startup period was 2 weeks for all biofilters (biological beds). Approximately 50% reduction in COD and BOD 5 was obtained on average for the studied bioreactors. Significant improvements were achieved in theclarity of the treated wastewater, with the reduction of suspension by 60%. The oxygen profile has improved significantly in 7 to 9 hours of the process, and a diametric reduction in the oxidative reduction potential was recorded. A preliminary model of biological treatment effectiveness was determined based on the conducted studies. In final stages,the operation mode was set in real conditions of polluted water reservoirs.

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Renewable energy from wastewater - Practical aspects of integrating a wastewater treatment plant into local energy supply concepts

Cited by 76 publications

References 16 publications

The Possible Roles of Wastewater Treatment Plants in Sector Coupling

The Possible Roles of Wastewater Treatment Plants in Sector Coupling

Participation as a Key Aspect for Establishing Wastewater as a Source of Renewable Energy

Model Studies on the Effectiveness of MBBR Reactors for the Restoration of Small Water Reservoirs

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