ADAPTING A BIOREACTOR TO TRANSFORM BLACK WATERS INTO GREEN ENERGY IN A CIRCULAR ECONOMY MODEL IN A UNIVERSITY LIVING LAB IN MEXICO Analysis of the present situation Background of the project The objective is to establish the pilot plant(s) for the Black Water in closed, private, small locations. The serial production initiative is to concentrate on small target clients, condominium constructions and similar client clusters due to administrative, license, time and financial reasons. Large targets require excessive bureaucracy. Water purification and use of purified water has not yet been an issue. This project shall develop that side stream into viable business as a part of this concept. Mexico has privatized the electricity production Mexico is trying to reduce the dependency on fossil materials (oil, gas, coal) University of Guadalajara is a forerunner in IoT and other creative technologies in this field of business. The Project The objectives of the project is to develop, build, test and commercialize in large quantities the efficient, environmentally safe and secure black waters to electricity and purified water system which uses and incorporates the latest IoT technologies, the Smart City technology initiative, developed in Guadalajara and ultimately, provides the participating Finnish and other companies a long term, sustainable business platform and an entry to the Latin American market. Guadalajara the 3 rd largest city in Mexico. The Guadalajara Metropolitan Area has 15 million people. Introduction to pre-feasibility study report (Type of project, e.g. wastewater management, biogas production, biogas to electricity and heat, ) Description of project area Project location with coordinates and relevant site maps. (Area, population, nr of buildings, etc ) 1
TOTAL WC 366 SLUDGE 2,077KG/DAY ZONE A WC 84 SLUDGE 642 ZONE B WC 116 SLUDGE 886 ZONE C WC 88 SLUDGE 148 ZONE D WC 35 SLUDGE 267 ZONE E WC 43 SLUDGE 133 Physical & Salient features of the project site (Sewer systems, rivers, lakes, aqueducts, potable water systems, toilet types, etc.. Buildings: University faculties, apartment houses, restaurants, etc.. Wastewater: Type of wastewater, volumes, sludge content, percentage of dry mass, etc. Power generation: Heat & electricity, etc..) 2
Guadalajara - could the pilot system be established for a larger University population than 20 000 wastewater data people (too small to be economically interesting)? - what is the level of wastewater treatment in the campus right now? Zero, we do not have a treatment plant on the campus. All wastewater goes directly to the municipal sewage system. We should have, but the investment is so high and is an infrastructure not visible that at the moment, campus authorities were not dealing with that topic. - how much wastewater is generated and directed to the local wastewater treatment plant? Some amount is directed to local deposits without treatment and other is going to the municipal sewage.. - how much sludge are they estimating that the current wastewater treatment generates? or We do not have treatment plant on our campus. - what is the estimated amount of sludge in the wastewater? Around 2 Tons per day (Saturday and Sunday not included since activities on campus are minimal). In the case of a more extensive population, we will need to discuss with an energy center in another university campus that is driving the design of bioreactors, and they are looking for more significant solutions at the city. We were thinking that a different and smaller approach not competing with our energy center, could be a great solution to integrate into buildings and small neighborhoods with 80-100 houses or apartments (horizontal or vertical condominiums). With this strategy, we can make condominiums developments more sustainable related to water and energy, and that could be interesting for construction companies developing projects in all the country. Otherwise, the kind of business model should be as a company to provide energy to a full sector of the city and deals will be more complicated because water management is a federal initiative in the city. But we can look and review a possible business model in that case. Or we are open to look and see how to feed the bioreactor not only with dark water but also with organic waste. - what type of wastewater to energy system related education and training do you intend to include into your plans? First at a high level, to introduce the concept of circular economies and use this pilot project as an example. Second, since the energy in Mexico depends highly on fossil technologies, depending on the efficiency of bioreactors, support a methodology to train architects, civil engineers, and policymakers in cities of Mexico about this kind of approach and benefits as well as requirements for its proper integration to the Mexican context. And finally, third; we are focused on how ICT getting the precise metering can improve the environment using green technologies; energy is one of the topics and providing metrics of how carbon footprint in the city can be reduced in residential areas using bioreactors is a right way to start the shift to Smart Cities. Campus is divided into five zones. Every zone could potentially have a bioreactor depending if the amount of sludge is enough to produce energy. Or we will need to review the internal sewage to evaluate if we can concentrate a group of zones into one bioreactor. Estimations are related to standards of US and Mexico water agencies. 1 Rectory 2 Central Auditorium 3 Information Resources Center CERI 4 Spacious Classrooms 5 Cyber Garden 6 Day Care / Nursery 7 Playground / Childcare 8 General Services 9 Learning Technologies 10 Smart Cities Innovation Center 11 Postgraduate Faculty 12 Gym 13 Restaurant Accounting Economy and Society Business Mgmt Medical Services 3
TECHNICAL PARAMETERS Technical description (Piping: Type of pipes, sizes, water flow, issues, etc. Buildings: Number of buildings, average nr of floors, building volumes, nr of apartments, etc.. Biowaste: Types of waste (wastewater sludge, food waste, domestic biowaste), waste supply, volumes in kg/day/person, etc. Other (Availability of water, heat and electricity) ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL PARAMETERS Environmental and Social Scoping Study Description of the project under consideration and its alternatives; Applicable environmental legislation and institutional framework; Key environmental and social aspects to be addressed in the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA); (for example in case of waste management who owns the processes and utilities, and how will the project impact life in the area, and will there be environmental effects?) Recommendations on specific impact identification and evaluation methodologies; Records of stakeholder engagement; List of documents consulted; List of tasks undertaken by the consultant. FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC PARAMETERS (Preliminary cost/benefit analysis, including possible gate fees for waste & sludge, consumer price of potable water and waste water, electricity price, natural gas price, sludge transport costs, etc..) STAKEHOLDERS List of Stakeholders Permit Requirements Contacts made SUMMARY OF TOPICS TO BE REPORTED 1. Permissions required in the campuses of Guadalajara University for wastewater treatment biogas production electricity production general building requirements environmental aspects 2. Electricity selling price (EUR/KWh) 3. Heat selling price (EUR/KWh) 4. Solid fertilizer selling price (EUR/ton) 5. Liquid fertilizer selling price (EUR/m 3 ) 6. Current waste management practices in the UGD campus 7. Solid waste gate fee at a waste landfill (EUR/ton) 8. Liquid waste gate fee at a waste landfill (EUR/m 3 ) 9. Average cost of truck fuel (EUR/day) per day? 4
10. Typical labor cost (EUR/hr) 11. Typical plant operating hours (hrs/day) 12. Typical number of weekly working days (days/week) 13. Typical depreciation period for investments (years) 14. Monthly telecommunication cost (EUR/Mbit) 15. Typical annual production facility safety system cost (EUR/m 2 ) 16. Average annual interest rate for a bank loan (%) 17. Average interest for opening a Letter of Credit (%) 18. Typical loan payback expectancy (years) 19. Requirement for an environmental impact analysis (EIA) 20. Area available for a pilot sustainable power plant in Guadalajara 21. Drinking water supply and availability in the area 22. Input materials accessible for biogas plant within Guadalajara University campus - wastewater sludge (tons/day) - water content of the sludge (%) - biowaste from households (tons/day) - biowaste from restaurants, shops and cafes (tons/day) 23. How is wastewater treated in the vicinity of Guadalajara University? - how much is treated (m 3 /hour)? - what are the sizes and condition of current sewage pipelines? - what is the average flow in the water and sewage pipelines? - where is the treated water released and how much (m 3 /day) - how much sludge is generated (m 3 /day) o how much dry substance does it contain (%) - where is the sludge dumped? - how is it transported? - what are the existing quality requirements for wastewater treatment? - what are the maximum storm water flows (m3/hour)? - how are the wastewater treatments and flows monitored? 24. Existing wastewater quality parameters: S. No. Parameter Value 1 Temp. (Summer, Winter, Monsoon) C 2 PH 3 Total suspended solids (TSS) mg/l 4 Total BOD5 at 20 C mg/l 5 Total COD by reflux method mg/l 6 Dissolved Oxygen mg/l 7 Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen(TKN) (as N) mg/l 8 Ammonical Nitrogen (NH3-N) mg/l 9 Total Phosphorus (P) mg/l 10 Total Coli form nos per 100 ml 25. Security situation for businesses in Guadalajara 26. Who could be the buyers of fertilizers, irrigation water, biogas and electricity generated by the pilot operation? 5