Thermodynamic calculations show that the chemical energy in biodegradable and inert chemical oxygen demand and reduced nitrogen in municipal wastewater is approx. 2kWh per m3. Largescale Waste Water Treatment (WWT) plants can recover between 5 to 15% of this energy through anaerobic digestion. However, since other important parts of the treatment plants are energy intensive (aerobic biological oxidation requires 0.40-0.65 kWh per m3 of water), it follows that most treatment plants are net users of energy. With the advent of new and improved treatment technologies a net-energy-positive wastewater treatment plant is now considered achievable. However, a significant challenge in this area is the presence of very significant fluctuations in the energy demand from a WWT due to diurnal fluctuations in flow rates and concentrations of carbon and nitrogenous pollutants.
An integrated energy system approach provides opportunity to provide decision support on process operation strategies increase/decrease loading to follow electricity tariffs and/or short-term loading response to provide power system flexibility. Thus, there is a need for real-time data analysis and forecasting systems that will inform process control strategies. The benefits of such an approach are cost savings, improved control systems and decision support systems for planning plant upgrades as part of long-term wastewater throughput and/or tightening nutrient discharge limits.
Benchmarking Leachate Co-treatment Strategies in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants under Dynamic Conditions and Energy Prices
2020; Journal of Environmental Management; Dereli, R.K. Giberti, M., Liu, Q., Flynn, D., Casey, E.
Modelling demand response with process models and energy systems models: Potential applications for wastewater treatment within the energy-water nexus
2019; Applied Energy; Kirchem, D., Lynch, M. A., Bertsch, V., and Casey, E.
Investigation of energy and operation flexibility of membrane bioreactors by using benchmark simulation model
2019; 6th MEMTEK International Symposium on Membrane Technologies and Applications, Turkey; Wu, H., Dereli, R.K., Casey, E.
Benchmarking Leachate Co-treatment Strategies in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants under Dynamic Pollutant Loads and Energy Prices
2019; 10th IWA Symposium on Modelling and Integrated Assessment (WATERMATEX 2019), Denmark; R.K. Dereli, M. Giberti, Q. Liu, D. Flynn, E. Casey
Extending Benchmark Simulation Model no 1 with dual layer reaction-settling model in aeration tanks: towards demand response in WWTPs
2019; 10th IWA Symposium on Modelling and Integrated Assessment (WATERMATEX 2019), Denmark; M. Giberti, R.K. Dereli, D. Flynn, E. Casey
Impact of partial storage and scheduling control of dry weather flows on wastewater treatment plant energy cost and peak demand mitigation
2019; 10th IWA Symposium on Modelling and Integrated Assessment (WATERMATEX 2019), Denmark; Q.Liu, R.K.Dereli, D. Flynn, E. Casey
Predicting wastewater treatment plant performance during aeration demand shifting with a dual layer reaction settling model
2019; Water Science and Technology; M. Giberti, R. Dereli, D. Flynn, E. Casey
Modeling long-term performance of full-scale anaerobic expanded granular sludge bed reactor treating confectionery industry wastewater
2019; Environmental Science and Pollution Research; R.K. Dereli
Exploring the potential of wastewater treatment facilities to contribute to power system flexibility: an integrated energy systems approach
2019; 30th European Conference on Operational Research (EURO 2019), Ireland; Dana Kirchem, Muireann Lynch, Eoin Casey, Juha Kiviluoma, Valentin Bertsch
Modelling Demand and Response in WWTPs: Extension of BSM1 with aeration tank settling
2018; 2nd WaterEnergyNEXUS Conference, Italy; Giberti, M., Dereli, R.K., Flynn, D., Casey, E.
Modeling Co-treatment of Leachate in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants in the Context of Dynamic Loads and Energy Prices
2018; 2nd WaterEnergyNEXUS Conference, Italy; Dereli, R.K., Giberti, M., Liu, Q., Casey, E
Modelling demand-side flexibilities from wastewater treatment plants in an integrated energy system
2018; 29th European Conference on Operational Research (EURO 2018), Spain; Dana Kirchem, Valentin Bertsch, Juha Kiviluoma, Muireann Lynch, Eoin Casey
Market effects of industrial demand response and flexibility potential from wastewater treatment facilities
2018; 15th IEEE International Conference on the European Energy Market (EEM 2018), Poland; Kirchem, D., Lynch, M., Bertsch, V. and Casey, E.
The potential to harness demand-side flexibilities from large-scale wastewater treatment plants in an integrated energy system
2017; 1st International Conference on Energy Systems Integration, United States of America; Dana Kirchem, Muireann Lynch, Eoin Casey, Muireann Lynch
The Triple Bottom Line for Efficiency: Integrating Systems Within Water and Energy Networks
2017; IEEE Power and Energy Magazine; E Casey, S Beaini, S Pabi, K Zammit, A Amarnath