Exploring the feasibility of energy self-sufficient wastewater treatment plants: a case study in eastern China

Abstract

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are typical case of water-energy interactions. As the number of WWTPs increases and the effluent quality requirements become more demanding, the issue of energy efficiency of WWTPs has been attracting increasing attentions all over the world. In this study, we calculated the electricity consumption in a WWTP located in eastern China, and analyzed the feasibility of energy self-sufficient through scenario analysis. Two parallel paths, reducing energy consumption and increasing the conversion of wastewater to usable energy, and four scenarios were studied. The results showed that combined heat and power and solar photovoltaic cells technology can generate energy for WWTP. Furthermore, energy self-sufficient WWTPs can be realized through energy saving technologies and application of renewable energy. The study is significant for new built WWTPs, as well as the transforming of existing WWTPs.