For some time now, I’ve been promoting the idea of “capital-avoidance” wastewater treatment plant upgrades. The idea is to use existing tankage to provide biological habitats for nitrification, denitrification, and enhanced biological phosphorus removal.
The effort is gaining traction. A goodly percentage of operators “get” what I’m talking about. In Wisconsin next month I have the opportunity to meet with 50 operators. We’ll talk about ways that they might improve treatment while reducing operating costs.
In promoting this concept, I’ve been focusing on cost. By doing so, I have failed to promote another advantage to the capital-avoidance effort. The 21st Century way of thinking is “sustainability.” Now that I’ve seen the light, I’m on it.
I was one of those guys in the 1960s who got caught up in the Earth Day scene. I painted an ecology flag on the trunk of my car. It once got me pulled over by a cop who asked if it was a North Vietnamese flag. (History note: we were once at war with the North Vietnamese; thousands of Americans died there.) My explanation left him confused, but my Mom got it. She not only tolerated my way of thinking, she made an ecology flag quilt for me. Something I cherished. Sadly, neither she nor the quilt is any longer with me.
Using existing wastewater treatment equipment differently versus buying new may not get you any LEED awards, but I challenge anyone to explain how doing so is anything but “sustainable.”
Some ideas to consider: create anaerobic and/or anoxic zones by dialing down the electrical use, cycle aeration in aerobic zones to maintain enough DO for nitrification but no more, and cycle aeration of sludge digestion / sludge holding tanks to allow for VFA formation but not methanogenesis. All of these improve treatment, save money and reduce the carbon footprint. Want more ideas? Go to my company’s Wastewater Science web page.
I encourage wastewater operators to (a) use what you have only as much as you need and (b) buy as little new stuff as possible. Taking these actions may reduce your carbon footprint enough to offset Al Gore’s mansion’s carbon footprint. More importantly, doing so provides your children with a cleaner water environment and a more sustainable lifestyle. Not to mention, saving your ratepayers a boatload of money that you can then spend on other environmentally beneficial projects.
Thanks for reading.
Grant