Sustainable Solutions To Address Wastewater Treatment Plant Costs

There are many ways to reduce energy consumption in wastewater treatment plants, and you may benefit from the following suggestions for reducing your plant's carbon footprint, now and in the future.

1. Upgrade the pump station

A large portion of utility company energy consumption is attributed to one or more pumping stations used in collection systems in nearly every community. Older pumps are usually designed to operate at a single speed and on/off cycle. Today's pump/motor/drive combinations are more efficient over a wider flow range. Upgrading older pumps can save on long-term operating and maintenance costs. Inexpensive and more reliable variable frequency drives can also be used to match pump speed to flow, further reducing energy requirements.

2. Optimized aeration

Aeration systems in activated sludge wastewater treatment plants account for more than 50% of annual electricity consumption. You can optimize ventilation by upgrading blower and air distribution system components with variable frequency drives and installing a dissolved oxygen control system, which can reduce blower power consumption. If you have an aging blower, consider replacing it with a single high-efficiency turbo blower that has a wide operating range and can be controlled based on dissolved oxygen. Do you have an aging diffuser system? If so, replacing the diffuser grille with a new fine- or ultra-fine-pored diffuser will improve oxygen transfer efficiency and reduce the amount of air required for treatment.

3. Improve sludge management

Solids handling processes consume more than 20% of the energy in wastewater treatment facilities, and the pumping and handling of solids requires energy at every step of the process. From minimizing transported water and solids to utilizing biogas to generate electricity and heat water (also known as cogeneration), options for saving money and energy are plentiful.

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