Circumventing Wastewater Regulations with Sustainable Engineering Solutions!

Before we get started, a short teaser……

Our Australian federal government is one of the biggest pains in our collective backsides’, taking our hard earned money and seemingly wasting it. It seems that the government exists simply to make our lives more difficult…..

Image may contain: 1 person, smiling — (What a time to be alive….)

However, governments do provide several key services for our everyday life…. including wastewater infrastructure and management, and their upgrade and maintenance.

Regulatory framework and wastewater engineering

Firstly, what is regulatory framework? Well its defined as any laws, regulations, decrees and policies officially developed and approved by the government (Law Insider). Regulatory framework is one of the key responsibilities of the government, or well at least of a good government.

If we focus on wastewater (as I have done in my most recent blogs), just by looking up some legislation about wastewater in WA, you can see just how much there is.

Just by looking at this list you can see that the government has regulations (“guidelines”) telling us how to manage onsite wastewater systems, water holding tanks (i.e. rainwater tanks) as well as the important, obligatory health and safety guidelines.

So, is there a relationship between regulatory frameworks and wastewater engineering? Well, yes. Afterall, the government governs everything we do.

BUT, are these frameworks able to provide a solution to wastewater problems in remote areas? I’m not sure. So, heres a radical idea, lets think about some sustainable technology and development ideals from the UN, and engineering principles.

Are regulatory frameworks REALLY that important?

As usual, when it comes to ensuring the continual development of countries, the United Nations has some ideas in the form of their sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The UN outlines the importance of sanitation, and has goals, particularly in regards to developing more sustainable and long-lasting infrastructure (including wastewater) in developing nations. I think this is important too.

Water supply and wastewater management infrastructure in urban and rural areas comprises 4 major systems (Ashley & Cashman 2006):

Water abstracted for agricultural use (i.e. for irrigation and livestock).
Water resources (i.e. for human needs, mostly drinking and hygiene).
Water supply network (i.e. pipes and pumps etc).
Wastewater infrastructure (i.e. stormwater/sanitary drainage, treatment, effluent disposal and residual sludge management).

As Ashley & Cashman (2006) discuss, standards are important in assessing the demand for and state of wastewater-related infrastructure… and of course these vary worldwide. There are ever increasing standards in developed nations, but only ever bare minimum standards in under-developed or developing nations.

Now of course there can’t be a worldwide standard because every area of human habitation is different – some live in urban areas, and others rural.

Its impossible to provide a one-size-fits-all solution…. right?

Centralised vs. Decentralised

I think one problem with our traditional, centralised wastewater infrastructure is that it IS CENTRALISED. Whilst its great for serving a large number of people in an urban area, its not effective for rural/remote areas.

More than likely, rural areas will require DECENTRALISED wastewater management infrastructure.

Often its more cost-effective for the government (i.e. you, the tax-payer) and realistic for rural areas to have their own wastewater infrastructure (potable water source, piping/pumps etc and wastewater treatment facilities) (Capodaglio 2017). Also, its simple to construct a decentralised system for the local climatic, aesthetic and water quality requirements (i.e. more socially acceptable) (Sharma et al. 2012).

Lets think about a low population (>100 people) rural, agricultural community. Irrigation would be the biggest water requirement resulting in nutrient-contaminated runoff (from fertilizer), so wastewater treatment is vitally important for environment of the local area.

So whats a solution for this rural area?

‘Centralising’ a decentralised solution

Now as I have alluded to, there are a littany of different regulatory frameworks not just internationally, but also interstate in Australia. So I thought instead, lets think about an engineering perspective.

The UN’s SDG 9 focuses on sustainability, so in essence it is the same as an engineering solution, and these involve the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), which can be applied to almost any solution (i.e. ‘centralised’).

Resources 06 00022 g001 — (Sustainable technology thoughts tree)

Rural infrastructure needs to be future-proof, hence it has to environmentally sustainable, economically affordable and socially acceptable. Ergo, I have the perfect smart solution to wastewater concerns of our (fictional) rural community:

A PORTABLE WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEM!!!!

Well to be more specific, what you see above is a Portable Modular Natural Biological System (M-NBS). Here is a simple explanation for how it works: it goes in untreated, comes out treated.

As outlined by its developer, Ayala Water and Ecology, the development of this system aimed to fill a technological gap in small, rural areas where potable water sources are scarce and sewage issues are rife, where conventional decentralised systems were failing. Conventational systems fail due to compartively large operation costs and a lack of reliable electricity and skilled operations teams.

Perusing the M-NBS benefits (see here), lets see if they check all of our TBL requirements for our fictional little rural town:

Environmentally sustainable?
ECONOMICALLY affordable?
SOCIALLY acceptable?

FANTASTIC!

Time for implementation…..?

Unfortunately, we can’t begin put these solutions into practice just yet.

Rather ironically, there are a lot of government regulation hurdles for any new technology, particularly one that utilises natural processes, to overcome before it can be implemented (Schellenberg et al. 2020). First-world governments worldwide are already invested in large, established, centralised infrastructure networks, so introducing decetralised solutions will always be difficult.

However, this in a way presents an opportunity. If such solutions as the suggested M-NBS are a success, this will fling open the door for new/updated regulatory framework to allow for these ecological, decentralised solutions to be implemented.

Both basic engineering principles, and the UN’s SDGs point to a cost-effective, sustainable, decentralised solution i.e. the M-NBS, which can be tailored for anywhere and implemented anywhere, including rural or urban areas in developed or developing countries.

This is the future, but we need it soon.

Over to you governments…….

Powering our Wastewater Future: Wastewater-to-Energy

Before we get started heres a little teaser….

Electricity is (virtually) as important to people in first-world now as water and food. Whilst it powers our lights, TV’s and phone chargers, it is also vitally important in powering our largely forgotten Wastewater Infrastructure.

Wastewater in my opinion is our most important infrastructure resource that is taken for granted. However, you will find that municipal wastewater treatment facilities are among our greatest electricity consumers – averaging approximately 1%-3% of a country’s total electricity output (Capodaglio & Olsson 2019). And with populations ever increasing, we will need ever more electricity to power our wastewater infrastructure.

history of global energy consumption vs population. The two curves follow a very similar path, — (Population growth is the key factor in increased energy consumption)

Question: Whats the answer to our electricity problem?

Climate change is arguably the biggest problem facing our current world. Its important to leave our world in good shape for our children and theirs. We need to live more sustainably.

Traditional renewables, by which I mean solar and wind power, whilst popular, cannot be relied upon to power our vital wastewater infrastructure! This is primarily due to the fact that the sun and wind are intermittent – solar panels and wind turbines cannot be generating power all the time, only when its sunny or windy respectively.

solar system output in kWh — (Example: The seasonality of solar panel electricity generation)

There are certain benefits to having solar/wind power sources to compliment existing sources, and I do believe that every house in Australia (depending on climate of course) should have solar panels to take advantage of our natural, renewable resources as much as possible. However, we need another, reliable, yet sustainable, general source of electricity.

This discussion gives me an idea: what if we could use our wastewater to power our wastewater infrastructure? Much like we can use our houses and their solar panels to power our household electricity?

Using Wastewater…. to Power our Wastewater Infrastructure…..???

Wastewater, and its byproducts contain sources of energy in several forms i.e. chemical, thermal and potential (Capodaglio & Olsson 2019). Wastewater sludge is one of those byproducts. Anerobic digestion (a natural process) converts the organics present in the wastewater into biogas, which in turn can be used to generate electricity (Australia Water Association 2020).

(Wastewater sludge can be used for on-site power and to enhance soil)

Another benefit of this solution is that it doesn’t have to be centralised. Anaerobic treatment with biogas production for electricity is an effective, realistically implementable local solution for industrial sites and farms too! This allows for effective management of wastewater, and a sustainable production of electricity which can reduce operating costs (Sustainability Matters 2019). I think this is a BRILLIANT solution.

Many wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) around the world have already turned to aerobic digestion to produce biogas for electricity production! For instance, the Glenelg Wastewater Treatment Plant in South Australia already has 74% of its electricity needs produced by its own, wastewater sludge generated biogas (Australian Water Associated 2020).

The economic viability of this method of energy production is fantastic! Wastewater treatment is a very expensive process, but approximately 30% of the cost is for the electricity to power it (Water Online 2018). Hence, effectively using the same process to produce its own power is not only sustainable, but also economically viable!

We need to think about the Future!

Our populations are ever increasing, and thus its important to acknowledge that our WWTPs must prepare for this increased demand. With increased wastewater ‘traffic’, and the potential of unknown-future constituents of concern, the requirement for electricity to power our wastewater infrastructure is ever increasing. Hence, we need to be prepared.

Thermal energy (biogas) production contained in wastewater is already in-use today, and whilst this should be expanded to more WWTPs, their should also be a greater focus on the utilisation of energy stored in carbon compounds (Schaum 2018). One such innovation planned is the Microbial Fuel Cell, which turns bacteria found in wastewater into electricity!

(Schematic of a microbial fuel cell – its a little cut-off, but you get the idea)

It is also hoped that the fuel cell can be improved to produce electricity on an ever increasing scale.

In the future it is believed that WWTPs will expand their scope from just wastewater treatment to become system service providers, entailing wastewater treatment, production of electricity, potable water provision and the ability to manufacture fertilizer (for food production). It will envelope the most vital ingredients of our human society (Schaum 2018).

Its important to invest in this infrastructure sooner, rather than later

Given our current (and predicted future) vulnerability to climate change, we need to be proactive, not reactive, when it comes to planning for our future infrastructure and electricity requirements.

(SDG 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation)

The UN’s Sustainability Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure discusses the importance to plan for a sustainable future, by acknowledging the increase demands that comes with increased population, by finding a technogical solution that is sustainable, both environmentally and economically.

Enter wastewater energy production! It fits all the criteria. Using wastewater to produce electricity takes advantage of an almost endless supply of potential electricity (people will always produce), and has been found to be very cost-effective! There are existing solutions that also allow for the more sustinable, local production of electricity from wastewater (anaerobic digestion). This is also in-line with UN’s sustainable development goal of building resilient infrastructure and promoting sustainable industrialisation.

We need more efficient, cheaper and effective innovative ways to produce electricity to power our ever increasing requirement for wastewater treatment and infrastructure. And if we’re fortunate and creative, wastewater can also provide the foundation which provides our future generations, not only with wastewater services, but also electricity, clean water and the ability to aid food production.

The innovation and technology is already (or almost) here. We just need to implement it.

Concerning ourselves with Constituents: Not a Micro-Problem

Before we get started, please watch this teaser VLOG to get you amped up for what I am about to discuss……

Wastewater is one of the critical parts of our first-world civilisations – but it is often overlooked. There are certain things the average person simply doesn’t think about – Wastewater treatment and management is one of those things. Wastewater, after treatment, is very valuable as a potential source of potable water, particularly in arid/semi-arid countries that often struggle with sourcing water (hint: including AUSTRALIA) (Pescod 1992).

Constituents in wastewater can be varied, often depending on the location i.e. more heavy metals can be sourced from power stations, heavy industry or mining, and similarly high levels of nutrients (phosphorous and nitrogen) are a result of fertilizer usage from agriculture (Tchounwou et al. 2014). These constituents and others – coined as ‘Constituents of Concern’, are harmful to the environment and are also a challenge for the wastewater treatment process (Water Corp 2020).

However, there is one critical constituent of concern that has arisen more in recent years – Microplastics.

Forever Taken for Granted

The problem with wastewater and its treatment, at least in a first-world country like Australia, is that people take it for granted. People simply don’t acknowledge how important it is and have taken to flushing things that shouldn’t be disposed in a toilet or kitchen sink. Some examples include cooking grease and fat and common hygiene products (i.e. baby/wet wipes, tampons, Q-tips, cotton buds & dental floss) – seriously come on guys! Of course, there are some even stranger items, including cigarette butts, condoms or illicit drugs!

Also, you may be shocked to discover that even products which advertise their ‘flushability’ aren’t actually suitable to be flushed down…. Its best to think about what you’re flushing in the first place.

A "fatberg" made up of hardened fat, oil and baby wipes is blocking the sewer in the English town of Sidmouth. — (A mass of oil and baby wipes found in a sewer in Sidmouth, UK)

Wasting the Environment…..

Not only do the aforementioned unflushable (and ‘flushable’) items impact wastewater treatment methods and their effectiveness, but they’re also bad for the environment, directly and indirectly. Treating the more difficult items, and removing unwanted materials requires more electricity (Maktabifard, Zaborowska & Makinia 2018) – which isn’t good for the environment, as we know.

However, what is more unknown is that wastewater treatment plants are a huge source of microplastics – bad for the environment. Microplastics, in the form of microbeads are designed for use in cosmetics, and for medicinal and industrial purposes, which are either washed down a sink, or runoff into wastewater drains and gutters. Microplastics are also born from the fragmentation of larger plastic products caused by the sun, wind, water, or other means, as they’re deposited in landfills or littered (Conley et al. 2019).

Graphical abstract: Wastewater treatment plants as a source of plastics in the environment: a review of occurrence, methods for identification, quantification and fate — (Just a little diagram to help us understand where our wastewater ends up)

Microplastics are one of the largest effects our modern society has on the environment at this current time. These tiny plastic fragments have the potential to release harmful pollutants and chemicals to flora, and fauna (once ingested), particularly in aquatic environments. Large numbers of marine life, including fish and turtles (and subsequently their predators) ingest these little, un-break-down-able, plastic devils. It would surely be dangerous to any species who eat aquatic life…….. oh wait.

I am eating WHAT??? — (Thanks to 4ocean for helping me make my point)

Someone should do something about this!!!!!!!……?……

There is no question that this is a problem of our own making. To overcome problems like this and the others that plague our modern world, the United Nations have listed 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). These are based on the principle of not leaving anyone behind – something I believe we should all support. Amongst these include goals based on climate action, reduced inequality and the irradication of poverty, however the one critical goal relevant for this rant… oh sorry “discussion” is SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation.

The basic idea behind this goal is that everyone has the right to clean water and sanitation. The one key target is that by 2030, the aim is to considerably increase water quality to increase how much wastewater can successfully be treated, by reducing pollution, dumping of rubbish, and the general release of hazardous chemicals and materials. This will supposedly halve the amount of untreated wastewater.

….and that someone is you, and me… and everyone!

I thoroughly believe that we as individuals have a greater power over making the world more sustainable than we may think.

To help achieve SDG 6 we need to reduce the amount of rubbish that litters our waterways and bodies, hence we will be able to treat water more effectively (and use less electricity!!!). But where do a lot of these contaminants come from? Manufacturing! The big companies (Apple, Samsung, automotive companies etc) often produce their products in developing countries with cheaper labour costs. This makes treating wastewater even more difficult there, which is the UN’s goal – to improve the ability of effective wastewater treatment in developing countries.

Of course, these companies can alter their standards to reduce harmful wastewater runoff, or at least improve the runoff quality – they need to play their part as well! However, consumers (i.e. us, in the western, developed world) buy these products. Hence, by consuming less we are reducing the amount produced (demand vs. supply) and the amount of wastewater pollution, allowing for easier and more effective treatment!

We can also make changes at home too! Properly disposing of our used products will reduce the amount of constituents of concern (including MICROPLASTICS) going into our environment, either via wastewater treatment plants or runoff. To properly manage microplastic contamination in water bodies and streams, efforts should focus on a diverse range of microplastic sources (UN Environment Programme 2018).

If we make even a few minor changes to our everyday life, we can make the world more sustainable. Together we can make a difference!

References:

Conley, K., Clum, A., Deepe, J., Lane, H. and Beckingham, B., 2019. Wastewater treatment plants as a source of microplastics to an urban estuary: Removal efficiencies and loading per capita over one year. Water Research X, 3.

Maktabifard, M., Zaborowska, E. and Makinia, J., 2018. Achieving energy neutrality in wastewater treatment plants through energy savings and enhancing renewable energy production. Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology, 17(4), pp.655-689.

Pescod, M., 1992. Wastewater Treatment And Use In Agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.

Sydney Morning Herald. 2019. ‘Don’t Feed The Fatberg’: Mass Of Oil And Baby Wipes Blocks UK Sewer. [online] Available at: <https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/don-t-feed-the-fatberg-mass-of-oil-and-baby-wipes-blocks-uk-sewer-20190109-p50q9v.html> [Accessed 12 August 2020].

Tchounwou, P., Yedjou, C., Patlolla, A. and Sutton, D., 2014. Heavy Metals Toxicity and the Environment.

UN Environment Programme. 2018. Wastewater Treatment Plants – A Surprising Source Of Microplastic Pollution. [online] Available at: <https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/wastewater-treatment-plants-surprising-source-microplastic-pollution#:~:text=Microplastics%20are%20defined%20as%20pieces,effective%20at%20filtering%20them%20out.> [Accessed 12 August 2020].

United Nations. 2020. #Envision2030: 17 Goals To Transform The World For Persons With Disabilities | United Nations Enable. [online] Available at: <https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/envision2030.html> [Accessed 12 August 2020].

Water Corporation. 2020. How Wastewater Is Treated. [online] Available at: <https://www.watercorporation.com.au/Our-water/Wastewater/How-wastewater-is-treated> [Accessed 12 August 2020].