WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT AS AN ENERGY SUPPLIER IN UPPER AUSTRIA

Ren Kollmann 1

ABSTRACT
Considering wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) not only as an infrastructure treating
wastewater but also as an energy-producing site, provides an interesting research topic. As
several international studies have already shown, there is a high potential in the use of so far
wasted energy and other resources on WWTP facilities (Zach et al., 2012).
Resent research has shown that the internal heat and parts of the electricity demand could be
covered by the plant itself and under certain conditions even supply infrastructure nearby
(Kretschmer et al., 2015, Kindermann and Kollmann, 2015 and Kretschmer et al., 2014). To
make this topic more visible a real life case study within an Austrian city and its WWTP with a
population equivalent of 30000, will be investigated. The current research project including
this case study is focusing on an economical optimisation of the available energy producing
technology network on the WWTP by calculating an optimal energy supply system for this case
study, using Process Network Synthesis (PNS). PNS is based on the p-graph methodology
(Friedler et al. 1995). The programme defines an economical optimal energy network taking all
possible energy producing technologies and available resources into account.
Keywords: Process Optimisation, Process Network Synthesis (PNS), regional energy, optimal
energy technology networks, wastewater

Ren Kollmann, Graz University of Technology, Institute for Process and Particle Engineering, Inffeldgasse 13/3,
8010 Graz, Austria, rene.kollmann@tugraz.at;

Sustainable Development Symposium | 6th annual European postgraduate symposium | 1