Resource Recovery Challenges and Opportunities for the Water Industry

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Robert Humphries Water Corporation, Western Australia Dr.

1 Resource Recovery Challenges and Opportunities for the Water Industry Amit Pramanik, PhD, BCEEM Water Environment Research Foundation, USA Dr. Robert Humphries Water Corporation, Western Australia Dr. Heriberto Bustamante Sydney Water, NSW Tuesday, 1 May 2012 Ian Wark Lecture Theatre, CSIRO, Clayton, Victoria 9:15am to 5:00pm

2 Presentation Outline Global drivers water industry perspective Wastewater as a Re-N-E-W-able resource WERF challenges on Nutrient Recovery, Energy Production, and Sustainable Water Nutrient Recovery 1 st project focus on Phosphorus Relevant Water Industry Experiences on R-R: Water Corporation, WA Sydney Water, NSW Various cities in USA Closing Q&A

3 Global Drivers Wastewater contains resources that will become increasingly more concentrated and valuable: Water, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Metals, Bio-polymers, Electrons, Carbon Sticks and Carrots: Increasing Capital and O & M costs, more stringent Regulations, Customer demands to lower costs Questions on sustainability of current treatment methods and practices Growing global population growth, scarcity of Food and Resources, need for Water and Nutrients

Humanity s Top Ten Problems for Next 50 Years 1. Energy 2. Water 3. Food 4. Environment 5. Poverty 6. Terrorism & War 7. Disease 8. Education 9. Democracy 10. Population 2003 6.

4 Humanity s Top Ten Problems for Next 50 Years 1. Energy 2. Water 3. Food 4. Environment 5. Poverty 6. Terrorism & War 7. Disease 8. Education 9. Democracy 10. Population Billion People Billion People (Source: Richard Smalley, Nobel Laureate) Slide kindly provided by Dr. Paul Bishop, NSF and Dr. Kartik Chandran, Columbia Univ., NY Proper management and treatment of Wastewater can help address the Top 4 problems, and #7 (Sanitation most significant medical advance to protect public health and prolong life)

5 Water Industry professionals perspective Pressure to reduce concentrations and quantities permitted, e.g., nutrients, biosolids, etc Increasing use and costs of energy, chemicals, fuel for nutrient removal / disposal, transport Energy use accounts for one-third or more of WWTP total cost, second only to labor costs In the USA, the wastewater industry uses 21 billion kwh/year or ~3% of all electric power generated Flip Side = Opportunities Recognition of scarcity of resources Water, Energy, Nutrients = ingredients for LIFE on planet Water factories or reclamation plants or biorefineries becoming more common globally Technical advances in nutrient, energy, heat, and water recovery Public, Regulators, Decision-makers, Investors, NGOs, et al, seeking to be better informed

6 Other perspectives Resources becoming increasingly scarce Global nutrient imbalance, Water shortages, Food crises, etc. Residuals management increasingly difficult Increased concentration of micro-pollutants, Decreased landfill capacity, opposition to landfilling of biosolids by public? Quantities / Concentrations in Wastewater & Biosolids Volatility influent concentrations, commodity prices, extraction costs ( mineralogical barrier ), markets Viable extraction and removal technologies Resource recovery may not be a major revenue stream for all but can help offset treatment costs and goals

7 Expert Vision Consensus for a Sustainable WWTP* Self-sufficient for energy (produce and recover as much energy from wastewater and residuals as required to operate facility) Minimize carbon footprint and GHG emissions (measurable metric needed for biogenic carbon emission level as target, perhaps in terms of a mass of GHG per capita) Water quality (must meet or enhance desired use of water produced, whether for irrigation, reuse or watershed restoration) Nutrients (particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, must be recovered in marketable form) Good neighbor (facilities and operation must fit in with surrounding area) Cost-effective (rising utility bills a major issue revenue or savings from energy and nutrients may help to offset this) Need for new and improved decision support tools and methodologies to ensure that all the various components are included and evaluated * WERF Technology Roadmap workshop report (OWSO4R07d)

8 Fertilizer Dr. James L. Barnard The Future of Nutrients in Wastewater, WERF RF 2009 Possible Resource Recovery from WW Urine Separation Cooling Towers Influent BNR Potable Water Protein Recovery Pho-Strip Power Irrigation Heat Recovery Digester Composting Bio-diesel from Algae

9 Wastewater as a Re-NEW-able Resource: Nutrient Recovery Successful use of biosolids as fertilizers for agriculture and to help reclaim eroded / marginal lands

Gold Mined from Sewage Sludge Japanese News Article 30 Jan 2009 http://pinktentacle.

10 Gold Mined from Sewage Sludge Japanese News Article 30 Jan STP in Town of Suwa (central Nagano prefecture) started mining gold from sludge, earning a 5 million yen ($56,000) in 1 st month of operation (Jan 09). Est. 1.9 kg (4.2 lbs) of gold can be mined from each ton of molten fly ash generated when incinerating sludge at its facility. Unique situation: precision machining companies, metal plating facilities, and hot springs. Joint research in 2007 by Nagano prefecture & Japan Sewage Works Agency found concentration of gold in ash comparable to high-grade ore. Before rise in price of gold, cost to extract gold > potential profit, so ash treated as industrial waste material. Town uses revenue to pay plant maintenance and operating costs. Treats ~100,000 tons of wastewater each day, generating about 3 tons of ash in the process. Not feasible for all WWTPs mineralogical barrier

11 Wastewater is a Re-N-E-W-able Resource Three new WERF inter-related challenges and goals Nutrient Recovery Transition from treatment based industry to a resource recovery industry that is both economically and environmentally sustainable. Energy Production and Efficiency Energy self sufficiency for wastewater treatment plants. Water Establish sustainable systems that integrate management of wastewater, stormwater, drinking water and source water. Used Water New Water Energy Various Technologies and Policies Nutrients (current and future) Water Metals Others? Resources in wastewater increasingly more concentrated &/or valuable. What s the value & the market? What can we mine and How? Biosolids, etc. Energy Nutrients & other resources

12 WERF Nutrient Recovery challenge Goal: To transition our wastewater treatment industry to one focused on resource recovery (starting with nutrients) with the vision that most, if not all, materials in wastewater can be commoditized. First project, 2 years, WERF cost $200K: Quantify incentives and barriers to adopt phosphorus (P) recovery technologies. Provide decision making guidance to apply &/or implement phosphorus recovery technologies. Research phosphorus recovery technologies at pilot or bench-scale to determine viability for commercial development. Other projects to be developed in 2012 / 2013: Nitrogen recovery, Additional testing of P recovery technologies, Optimizing/Choosing recovery options

13 Australian Example Context Swan Estuary Algal Blooms, Climate Change, Resource Efficiency Water Corporation spends ~$3 million/year delivering biosolids to end users who pay nothing for the nutrients and other valuable components. Farmers are wasting money and harming the Swan Estuary by using technically inefficient, soluble fertilisers on leaching sands. Climatic drying is already affecting SW Australia - farming systems must change to adapt. Resource constraints are real we need to close the loop and recover value from our waste streams. Slides courtesy of Dr. Bob Humphries & Tom Long See also: Lime-amended BioClay and the Ellen Brook Sustainability Project: Background Information and Progress to Date, August 2011

14 Lime-amended BioClay or LaBC Recycling Nutrients & Lime for Environmental and Financial Benefit What is in LaBC? 45% Lime-amended Biosolids (LAB) & 55% clay 70.00% 60.00% 50.00% Kaolin Clay 64% 40.00% Moisture 27% LaBC has a ph >11 and NO pathogens! 30.00% 20.00% 10.00% Calcium Oxide 3% Cellulose & Lignin 6% 0.00%

Growth Response Trials 2009 West Road Bullsbrook, Western Australia 200 tonnes/ha LaBC 300 kg/ha Super 3:1 50 kg/ha Urea No LaBC LaBC is designed to

15 Growth Response Trials 2009 West Road Bullsbrook, Western Australia 200 tonnes/ha LaBC 300 kg/ha Super 3:1 50 kg/ha Urea No LaBC LaBC is designed to provide lime, slow-release nutrients and overcome water repellence and acidity in Perth s sandy soils

16 LaBC offers More Sustainable Outcomes Environmental - Carbon fixation - Nutrient leaching - Biodiversity - Water quality Improved Sustainability Economic - Farmer incomes - Local employment - Reuse of waste - Revenue Costs Social - Relationships - Cooperation - Climate resilience - Social resilience Technical - Low leach nutrients - Non-wetting soils - Soil water capacity - Perennial plants

Sydney Water - Renewable energy generation Target Capacity to generate 20% of renewable energy Equivalent to removing 20,000 cars from the road Cogeneration Projects Utilising biogas from the

17 Sydney Water - Renewable energy generation Target Capacity to generate 20% of renewable energy Equivalent to removing 20,000 cars from the road Cogeneration Projects Utilising biogas from the digesters on sewage treatment plants Generating electricity and heat Electricity displaces black power use Heat utilised in digesters Hydroelectric Projects Utilising pressure reductions and gravity flows in water and wastewater streams

18 Renewable energy generation in Sydney Water Eight co-generation plants and three hydro electric generators currently operating In 2010/11 the generators produced over 58,000 MWh. This is almost 15% of our total energy use. Generating renewable energy is critical to achieving our Energy and Green House Gas Mitigation Strategy (2020)

19 Renewable energy generation Cogeneration

20 Renewable energy generation Hydroelectric

21 Renewable energy generation Cogeneration Plants Malabar STP 3.0 MW Cronulla STP 0.5 MW North Head STP 1.4 MW Bondi STP 1.4 MW Liverpool STP 0.3 MW Glenfield STP 0.5 MW Wollongong STP 0.5 MW Warriewood STP 0.2 MW Operational Hydro-electric Plants Prospect 3.7 MW North Head 2.1 MW Woronora 0.2 MW

From WWTP to a resource recovery plant Biogas Energy

Nitrogen Phosphorus Value Products Biopolymers Biosolids 1.

Run plant simulations using Veolia Water inhouse modelling

22 From WWTP to a resource recovery plant Biogas Energy Offset Energy Water Resource Recovery Options Nutrients Nitrogen Phosphorus Value Products Biopolymers Biosolids 1. Material mass balance on existing plants 2. Run plant simulations using Veolia Water inhouse modelling tools 3. Identification of technologies to be tested/validated at pilot-scale

23 USA Examples: Los Angeles, CA Hampton Roads, VA Boise, ID San Diego, CA

24 City of Los Angeles, CA Biosolids example City also has implemented programs for Biogas generation, Bio-slurry, Water Recycling & Reuse

Geothermal Treatment, Carbon Sequestration, and Methane Generation Through Deep Well Injection of Biosolids GeoEnvironment Technologies Geothermal Treatment Technology*: 1.

Allow material to undergo natural process of high-temperature anaerobic biodegradation, instantly (within 24 hrs) pasteurizing the material and over time (30-60 days) starting

25 Geothermal Treatment, Carbon Sequestration, and Methane Generation Through Deep Well Injection of Biosolids GeoEnvironment Technologies Geothermal Treatment Technology*: 1. Inject biosolids into deep (hot) geologic formation 2. Allow material to undergo natural process of high-temperature anaerobic biodegradation, instantly (within 24 hrs) pasteurizing the material and over time (30-60 days) starting conversion to methane and carbon dioxide 3. Design process to capture and sequester generated C0 2 in formation water 4. Store or recover high purity methane for beneficial use * US, Canadian, European, and Asian Patents held by GeoEnvironment Technologies Currently used in City of Los Angeles TIRE project Slide Courtesy Dr. Mike Bruno

26 Recycle Streams with High N & P - CENTRATE Influent Primary Clarifier Aeration Tank Secondary Clarifier Effluent RAS Primary Sludge WAS Thickening Anaerobic Digestion 1% of Total Plant Influent Flow Rich in Nitrogen & Phosphorus 15 to 25% of the Total Plant TN load Ammonium Conc. 800 to 1,500 mg-n/l Temperature C Alkalinity insufficient for complete nitrification Insufficient carbon for denitrification Centrate Dewatering Biosolids For a Bio-P plant with no iron addition: Centrate TP = mg/l 26

27 Process Flow Diagram

28 City of Boise, ID example of approach to Sustainability Wastewater as a Resource Nutrients Existing: Biosolids, 4,000 acre farm New: (a) Struvite recovery, (b) Treatment plus Offset (Dixie Drain Offset) Energy (Efficiency and Recovery) Efficiency Existing efforts: UV Retrofit with more efficient bulbs and controls New: (a) ESCO (Payment in lieu of taxes - 30% Waste to Energy and 10% for Combined Heat and Power) (b) Expanding heating system to new fermentation tank, buildings, and Struvite Production Facility Recovery / Generation Existing: methane for co-gen and space heating New: (a) Add grease and green waste receiving? (b)passive solution(s) to meet Temperature limits, (c) Solar Panels at the farm (150 ac solar project) Water Potable Use: 25% per capita flow decrease since 2000 Reuse: Existing river system reuses water for Ag land irrigation New development in water short areas: MBR + purple pipe/ri

automated pace control of hydro, etc. 4.53 MW DIGESTER GAS BASE + 1.

29 San Diego, CA: Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant example of in-house creativity Plan to add 1 MW Photovoltaic System (solar), 900 KW expansion of cogen facility, automated pace control of hydro, etc MW DIGESTER GAS BASE MW PEAKING DIGESTERS FLARES PRIVATIZED BUDG 300 KW FUEL CELL MW FUEL CELLS OFFSITE (BOC) 1.35 MW HYDRO

30 Closing and Q & A Bottom line ongoing paradigm shift Wastewater, once considered a problem, can be a valued resource Successes (and failures) will help water industry address key global issues

31 For additional information, please contact: Amit Pramanik, PhD, BCEEM Dr. Robert Humphries Dr. Heri Bustamante Ph: (571) Water Environment Research Foundation 635 Slaters Lane, Suite G-110 Alexandria, VA

Maximising the Value of Biosolids - Catchment and Estuary Restoration The Ellen Brook Sustainability Project

Maximising the Value of Biosolids - Catchment and Estuary Restoration The Ellen Brook Sustainability Project Robert Humphries 1, Tom Long 1, Katrina Walton 2 and David Allen 3 1 Water Corporation of Western