Volume 41 / Issue 1

January / February 2018

Utility of the Future
New paradigm, new revenue. Page 10

Resource Recovery
Algae biofuel industry update. Page 14

Urban Water Reclamation

Changing public perception. Page 24

Pacific Island Nations

Preparing for sea level rise. Page 28

Strategic Directions Report:

Achieving sustainable water systems
ARSENIC
IS NOT
A GAME
Ready to make the right move?
AdEdge is your one-stop resource for arsenic treatment systems
for any size community. We now supply Bayoxide E33 adsorptive
media and E33 media replacements for the largest and the
smallest systems. As always, AdEdge offers competitive pricing,
experienced engineers, and unparalleled support.

With AdEdge’s arsenic treatment systems’ global success history,

why would you go anywhere else?

When you’re ready to make the right move, call us at 866.823.3343.

www.AdEdgetech.com

For further information please see the Advertiser Contact List on page 50

REGISTRATION OPEN
BlueTech Forum is synonymous with water innovation and is
known for always being one step ahead of the market. People
come to broaden their horizons, expand their network and to do
business.
$VHULHVRIURXQGWDEOHVEULHÀQJVNH\QRWHVDQGFDVHVWXGLHVZLOOLOOXVWUDWH
how the future of the water sector is being shaped and what your strategy
should be to adapt and manage water risk in a circular economy.
BlueTech Forum Roundtable Sessions
Water Technology Market Opportunities
([SHUWPRGHUDWRUVZLOOSURYLGHÀYHPLQXWHLQWURGXFWRU\SULPHUV
on topical issues after which there will be a facilitated discussion.
These interactive briefings will provide intelligence in an
easy-to-digest format, setting the stage for informed discussions
throughout the day and allowing you to interact with fellow
delegates.
The table will also contain expert contributors leading to lots of
interaction and debate on the issues discussed.
BlueTech Innovation Technology Showcase
12 companies will participate in this session and case studies
will introduce delegates to the technology concept, its value
SURSRVLWLRQWKHSUREOHPLWVROYHGWKHLQÁXHQFHUVRQWKHFKRLFH
of technology, the experience during implementation and what
this means for future rollout.
End User Innovation Needs & Experiences
Will Sarni, Founder & CEO, WaterFoundry, will chair
this interactive roundtable format meeting where
industrial and utility end users will be invited to
identify key innovation challenges in their businesses,
the challenges they have and solutions required.
This session will also detail their experience of working with
technology companies and provide example case studies. End
Users will include Coca Cola, Proctor & Gamble, Barrick Gold
Corporation, Metro Vancouver and Walmart.
More to be announced shortly.
www.bluetechforum.com
Managing Water Risk
In A Circular Economy
 Vancouver Convention Centre
June 6-7, 2018
Breakdown of delegates from the 2017 forum
Testimonials from the 2017 forum
Congratulations to you and your team On behalf of my team I would like to thank
for the organization and the excellent you and your team for organizing another
content of the Forum. It was a pleasure succesful edition of Bluetech Forum. The
to exchange with peers and solution/ combination of the round tables and
technology suppliers in that perfectly key-notes and the meetings with end-users
managed frame. like ABP, L'Oreal, Nestlé and Irish Water and
colleagues like Realtech, NPV Energy
Hans-Ulrich Buchholz
and BioGill has been worthwile and will
Environmental Compliance, L’Oreal
generate opportunities in the near future.
Also the sponsorship has been worthwile
The BlueTech Forum was an excellent and we appreciate the branding and
source of the latest technologies and attention put to the sponsor.
developments in the water process & Menno Holterman
management applications . All sessions CEO, Nijhuis Industries
were very informative and excellent for
networking. Highly recommended for
CTO’s , CEO’s , CMO’s to attend and align
the business strategy with the evolving
Industry and market needs.
Jim Matharu
Senior VP Enterprise Services IT, Aquatech
For further information please see the Advertiser Contact List on page 50
Published by

Water Environment Federation

601 Wythe Street, Alexandria
VA 22314-1994, USA
www.wef.org

Executive Director WEF

Eileen J. O’Neill, Ph.D.

Editor-in-Chief Pamela Wolfe

pwolfe@wef.org

Publisher Nic Christy

nchristy@wef.org

Subscription Enquiries
Turpin Distribution Services Ltd,
Tel: +44 (0) 1767 604 951
wefp@turpin-distribution.com
10 14
Global Advertising Representatives

Europe (excluding Italy), Asia & Middle East

Tom Bennett
International Sales Manager
Tel: +44 7730 666202
tbennett@wef.org

Italy
Fabio Potesta
Mediapoint & Communications SRL
Corte Lambruschini, Corso Buenos Aires, 8
5 piano - interno 7/6, 16129 Genova, Italy
Tel: +39 010 5704948 / Fax: +39 010 5530088
info@mediapointsrl.it

North Eastern U.S. and Canada

Dave Mathews and Vickie Bobo
308 Tribble Gap Road, Suite 6, Cumming, GA
30040, USA
Toll Free: +1 866 756 7811
19 24
Tel: +1 678 947 9950 / Fax: +1 678 947 9244
dmathews@wef.org
vbobo@wef.org
In this issue
Western U.S. and Canada
Suzanne Shutty
sshutty@wef.org
Cell: 703-407-0289

South East US and Latin America

Features Regulars
Cari McBride
601 Wythe St., Alexandria,
VA 22314 USA 6 Commentary
Office phone: +1 703 535 5266
Mobile: +1 703 626 7449 / Fax: +1 703 229 6499
10 Utility of the Future 7 Global News
cmcbride@wef.org UOTF model opens new pathway to innovation 43 WEF International
Pavilion
Other information 12 Innovation Trends 46 Technology Update
Subscription rates
1 Year: UK and Rest of the World £150
Mapping water technologies to the circular economy 49 Events
© WEF – 2018

No part of this publication may be reproduced by

14 Resource Recovery
any means without prior written permission from Rise and fall of the algae biofuel industry; Cogeneration Editorial Advisory
the publishers. Every effort is made to ensure the
accuracy of material published in World Water & technology helps landfills reduce wastewater
Environmental Engineering. However, WEF will not
be liable for any inaccuracies. The views expressed
management costs Board
by contributors are not necessarily those of the
Albert Cho
Editor or publishers.
19 Sustainable Water Systems VP for Strategy & Development
The title WORLD WATER & ENVIRONMENTAL
ENGINEERING is registered at Stationers’ Hall. Utility leaders view sustainability, data analytics as Xylem Inc.
The magazine is printed on environmentally promising solution; New urgency in adopting stormwater
friendly paper. Both text paper and cover stock are Dr. Hoshik Lee, Vice President
elementary chlorine free and sourced from paper
to strengthen water resiliency Korean Society of Water
suppliers with a well planned environmental policy.
Environment
The magazine includes editorial photographs 24 Asia Pacific Region
provided and paid for by suppliers. Yosuke Matsumiya
No space, no problem: Being innovative in an urban Director, International Division,
World Water is published bi-monthly by WEF and
distributed in the USA by Asendia USA, 701 Ashland environment; COP23: Preparing the world for climate Technical Department, Japan Sewage
Ave, Folcroft PA. Periodicals postage paid at
Philadelphia, PA and additional mailing offices.
change; Biosolids reduction must be first priority Works Association
POSTMASTER: send address changes to World
Water, 701 Ashland Ave, Folcroft PA 19032 Paul O’Callaghan
ISSN 1354-313X / USPS No: 024-544
31 Water & Sanitation Founder & CEO, BlueTech
Global problem, local solutions Research
Design and Repro www.j-graphicdesign.co.uk

Cindy Wallis-Lage
Printed by Buxton Press Ltd, Buxton, Derbyshire UK
33 Customer Service President, Global Water Business,
Power of efficiency reaps benefits in utility operations, Black & Veatch Corporation
Mobile marketing advances to benefit utility sector
Dr. Brent Wooton
VP of Policy and Exports
39 Industrial Treatment WaterTAP – Technology
Diamond electro-oxidation for spent caustic treatment Acceleration Project

Cover image: The Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center (SVAWPC) is the result of a
regional approach and cooperative effort between the Santa Clara Valley Water District and San José,
California, to recover and purify water for multiple reuse applications. Photo by: Black & Veatch

World Water January / February 2018

6 Commentary
LIFT connects the
global innovation dots
Kelsey Beveridge
Technical Writer
The Water Research
Foundation
s water demands change, it is
A
important that those needs are met
to protect public health and ensure
a safe water supply. Different geo-
graphic regions across the globe
have varying needs depending on
interests, climate, and resources that may not
necessarily be fulfilled by existing innovations. The
Leaders Innovation Forum for Technology (LIFT),
a multi-pronged initiative of the Water Environment
& Reuse Foundation (now known as The Water
Research Foundation) and the Water Environment
Federation (WEF), is playing a key role in bringing
innovation into practice and accelerating the
adoption of technology through a growing net-
work of organizations around the world.
LIFT provides tools and resources to help
utilities identify new technologies, share
information with peer utilities, and collaborate on
implementation. LIFT has four main components
covering technological, social, regulatory, and
educational aspects that each play a key role
in moving innovation forward. It provides an
opportunity for collaboration among facilities for
evaluation and testing new technology, as well as
mitigation of the risks and costs associated with
pilots and demonstrations through partnerships.
Since its inception 5 years ago, LIFT has
collaborated with like-minded organizations to
expedite resource sharing across geographic
boundaries. Through its partnerships, LIFT has
a presence in nations across the globe including
Canada, South Africa, Korea, China, Australia,
Denmark, the Netherlands, and others. These
relationships are important to encourage and
reward innovation on a global scale, advance
the best available solutions, share information
between regions, and help address challenges
specific to different parts of the world. The inter-
national partnerships help remove impediments to
technology development and deployment while
fostering a global culture of water innovation.
January / February 2018 World Water
Organizations in Canada have historically
had an active role in LIFT. For example, Metro
Vancouver is active in the LIFT Utility Working
Group and leading efforts to evaluate innovative
new technologies for potential implementation
at its facilities to save costs, improve treatment
processes, and protect the environment. As one
example, Metro Vancouver participated in a LIFT
bench scale technology evaluation of the Genifuel
hydrothermal processing (HTP) technology that
converts wastewater sludge into biocrude oil
and natural gas. It is now pursuing a larger scale
demonstration of the technology at its facility. More
recently, LIFT signed a partnership agreement
with the Water Technology Acceleration Project
(WaterTAP) in Ontario, Canada, to help remove
barriers to the innovation process through
information sharing and technology collaboration.
Both groups will leverage their resources to
advance water innovation, collaborate on
pilots and demonstrations, and share data on
technology performance.
LIFT Hubs are based in different international
regions and serve as the LIFT lead in their region.
The first hub was established in South Africa at the
Water Research Commission (WRC). WRC has
access to LIFT resources and works together to
leverage efforts for new technology identification
and deployment. This includes access to their
own portal in LIFT Link, a global online innovation
and collaboration platform that allows users to
discover new technologies and connect with
others that have similar needs and interests. WRC
works to advance technology that addresses
issues specific to their region, as technology
applications in South Africa may have different
priorities than North America. This effort expands
the global network for innovation, enabling
those interested to engage in both regional and
international conversations in a single platform.
LIFT Link users can choose to see and engage
with technologies and end users in Africa, North
America, or both.
The first hub was established
in South Africa at the Water
Research Commission.
One of the earliest international partners for the
LIFT program was The Korean Water Partnership.
This partnership explores collaboration oppor-
tunities to advance technology development
and exchange between the United States (US)
and Korea. The KWP represents the water
industry in Korea across multiple sectors and
has the opportunity to network with state-of-the-
art technologies. Because of this relationship,
the LIFT Guidance Manual was developed to
explain what LIFT is and how it benefits both
technology providers and utilities. The document
was produced in English and Korean to help
both parties, and KWP will use it in the future as
it grows into its LIFT presence. South Korea is in
the process of building a large water technology
cluster, demonstration facility, and campus in
Daegu Metropolitan City. Future collaboration
efforts between LIFT and KWP include pursuing
joint technology demonstrations at test facilities in
the US and Korea.
Another Asian partner is the International Water
Hub (IWH) in Nanjing, China. IWH is one of the
first LIFT Affiliates. In this role, IWH connects local
innovation interest activities and resources with
LIFT. IWH is building a demonstration hub that is
scheduled to open in mid-2018. IWH will be an
international platform for rapid commercialization
of innovative water technologies and fast access
to business opportunities in China and global
markets. IWH is part of the Facilities Accelerating
Science and Technology (FAST) Water Test Bed
Network managed by LIFT. The 16 test bed
facilities in China, made available through IWH,
are part of the global network of more than 70
international test bed facilities under the LIFT
program. The Test Bed Network helps connect
researchers and innovators with test facilities that
can assist in developing and piloting technology at
various scales to help manage risk and accelerate
adoption.
LIFT encourages technology providers to seek
support from federal, state, and local government
programs, foundations, financing and investing
agencies, and others to get funding to support
a pilot or demonstration of a technology. WRF
provides funding support on a competitive basis
for research and technology through several of
its research programs including the Unsolicited
Research Program, Subscriber Priority Research
Program, and the Targeted Collaborative
Research Program.
While our world’s changing water demands
present complex global challenges, LIFT’s goals of
advancing technology and inspiring collaboration
create the space for innovative solutions to be
accelerated.
For more information on LIFT and how to get
involved, visit http://www.werf.org/lift.
Author’s Note
Kelsey Beveridge is a technical writer at The Water
Research Foundation, headquartered in Denver,
Colorado and Alexandria, Virginia.

Cape Town prepares
to turn off taps
Water will soon be a scarcity for
the citizens of Cape Town, South
Africa, as “Day Zero” looms, when
homes and businesses will need to
adapt to rationing water provisions
and to a life without running water.
Currently, Cape Town’s 4 million
residents are being required to reduce
their water usage to just 50 liters per
day, 7 times less than the average
US citizen. Important variability in
rainfall patterns have dried up six
crucial dams that supply Cape Town
with water. Without rain, Day Zero
will become a reality by this April,
and all taps will be turned off.
The upcoming 2018 World Water
Forum, to be held on March 18-23
in Brasilia, Brazil, calls attention to
the need to promote at all political
levels the availability of safe water
for all and increased water security at
large. Climate variability and change
is exacerbating water stress in many
cities around the world.
The World Water Council is a
platform for water experts from
more than 50 countries to rally
for action on water-related issues.
Together, the global authority
on water uses its expert voices to
mobilize governments, institutions,
associations, and high-level decision-
makers on critical water issues.
São Paulo, Brazil, endured a 2-
year drought, its worst in the last 80
years. The drought emphasized the
unpredictability of water sources
and the challenges surrounding the
increasing need for water security.
The realities faced by São Paulo and
Cape Town reinforce the reality that
water is at the heart of mitigating
and adapting to climate change
impacts.
“Drought is directly linked
to climate variability and water
security. There are ways to address
the problem: first, to increase
availability and resilience through
securing our water resources. This
process involves construction of
Climate variability
and change is
exacerbating water
stress in many cities
around the world.
dams, reservoirs and repairing
water mains. Additionally, there
must be a rational use of water,
which means that all sectors must
share sources fairly and encourage
citizens to be efficient with water
use in their own homes. Industry
needs to recycle and reuse water
and ensure that irrigation uses
more efficient methods. Managing
demand in this way will enable us
to use our water resources more
efficiently and effectively,” explains
World Water Council President,
Benedito Braga.
Droughts and flooding have in-
creased worldwide and are pro-
jected to worsen by 2030, when 40
percent of the world’s population
will live in river basins under se-
vere water stress, while 20 percent
will be at risk of floods. The World
Water Council understands that se-
curing global water supplies means
demanding more funding for water
infrastructure, reinforcing gover-
nance and management practices,
and developing knowledge and ca-
pacity. As is evident surrounding
the current drought crisis in Cape
Town, citizens around the world are
extremely concerned about water
security. In fact, 63 percent of cities
foresee a risk to their water supply
from climate change.
The overwhelming need for
action on global water issues
means that the time to implement
cohesive solutions is now. The
upcoming World Water Forum will
be the global gathering point for
water issues. Here, conversation
will ignite and fuel the journey
toward ensuring the future of water
security.
The 2018 Forum will be guided
by the over-arching theme of
“Sharing Water,” in light of water’s
role in uniting communities and
tearing down barriers. The Forum
brings together heads of state,
ministers, high-level decision
makers, water experts, and
professionals to raise awareness
about water-related issues, local
authorities, and academics.
Global News 7
Surrey to turn
wastewater
into renewable
energy
The University of Surrey located in
England, United Kingdom (UK),
is looking to turn wastewater
into energy, as it sets out on a
3-year project funded by Natural
Environment Research Council
(NERC) UK.
The research, which will be led
by Dr. Siddharth Gadkari, will run
for three and a half years and aligns
with the UK Industrial Strategy,
which highlights clean growth as
a top priority.
Dr. Gadkari, a research fellow in
the Department of Chemical and
Process Engineering, will focus on
developing mathematical models for
microbial electrosynthesis (MES)
systems. MES systems are a type
of bioelectrochemical system (BES)
that makes it possible to use the
chemical energy from wastewater to
generate electricity, hydrogen, and
valuable chemicals. Dr Gadkari’s
project will involve collaboration
with Newcastle University and
Harbin Institute of Technology,
China.
Currently, billions of pounds and
a significant amount of energy are
spent in the UK every year on treat-
ing industrial, domestic, and mu-
nicipal wastewater, but this waste-
water typically contains organic
compounds that can be used as a
valuable resource in MES systems.
Renewable energy sources can
be used to supply the power that
MES systems require to achieve
an electrochemical reaction. This
technology offers a novel way to
store renewable electrical energy,
which is not constantly available
due to the nature of solar and wind
power, in the chemical bonds of
organic compounds.
The mathematical models to be
developed as part of the project will
improve engineers’ understanding
of the mechanisms of MES sys-
tems and how they affect the
environment.
The project will deliver critical
data that, complemented by experi-
ments, will help develop the tech-
nology toward commercialization,
Dr. Gadkari says.
World Water January / February 2018
8 Global News
Bentley YII 2017 honors
winners of Be Inspired Awards
Bentley Systems’ Year in
Infrastructure 2017 Conference,
held for the first time in Singapore,
highlighted extraordinary
advancements achieved by Bentley’s
building information modeling
(BIM) software users around the
world. The annual awards program
was held on October 10-12 at the
Marina Bay Sands Convention &
Exhibition Center.
This year, 10 independent panels
of jurors, comprising distinguished
industry experts, selected the Be
Inspired Awards winners from
51 project finalists. These finalists
were chosen from more than 400
submissions by organizations in
more than 50 countries. These
projects were also reviewed by a
panel of Bentley executives, who
evaluated them based on the criteria
established for each award.
Award categories included water
World’s largest industrial
facility using MBR and
EDR
On January 24, 2018, Bashneft-
Ufaneftekhim refinery, a Rosneft-
affiliated company, inaugurated
its biological treatment plant,
Bashneft key nature protection
facility, which secured its spot
as the world’s largest industrial
facility using membrane bioreactor
(MBR) and electrodialysis reversal
(EDR) technologies. The facilities,
located in the Russian city of Ufa,
will treat up to 84 million liters of
wastewater per day, which makes
them unprecedented for industrial
wastewater treatment, employing
the most advanced technologies
and enabling water reuse.
SUEZ supplied its ZeeWeed*
MBR membranes, EDR, and
reverse osmosis (RO) equipment
to the Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim
biological treatment plant and will
provide services as part of a 15-
year long-term service contract.
The SUEZ MBR technology
significantly improves treatment
efficiency by passing water
through microscopic pores of
January / February 2018 World Water
and wastewater treatment plants,
water networks, asset performance,
reality modeling, utilities and
communications, project delivery,
and many others.
In the BIM Advancements in
Water and Wastewater Plants
category, the Tongzhou Water
Works of Beijing South-to-North
Water Diversion Project won the
award. A multi-discipline design
engineering team from the Beijing
Institute of Water deployed a BIM
platform of 14 Bentley products
to secure a safe water supply to
support the relocation of an entire
city for future urban development.
The team achieved a 50 percent
increase in design work efficiency,
while their 3-D model collision
checking reduced audit drawing
work by 40 percent.
The award winner in the BIM
Advancements in Water Networks
membranes, removing impurities
and micro-organisms. Further
treatment is performed with SUEZ
EDR, RO, and ion exchange
technologies to ensure treated
wastewater compliance with the
toughest discharge and reuse
regulations and to minimize the
waste streams disposal.
As part of the long-term service
contract for the wastewater treat-
ment plant, SUEZ is providing
advanced asset performance
management with its InSight*
platform. InSight combines data
and analytics to maximize perfor-
mance, minimize unplanned down-
time, lower operating costs, and
deliver better business outcomes.
Xylems opens pump rental
business in Philippines
In January 2018, the global water
technology company Xylem opened
a pump rental and service business
in Calamba in Laguna to meet the
growing demand from the municipal
and industrial sectors across the
Philippines and Southeast Asia,
particularly in flood control, mining,
and power supply operations. It
category is the AEGEA Prolagos
Sewerage Master Plan 2041 for the
Região dos Lagos, Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, carried out by Prolagos
S.A. and AEGEA Saneamento
e Participações S.A. Deploying
Bentley’s SewerGEMS helped
the company to develop a robust
master plan for sewerage and
drainage that will ultimately lead to
the restoration of the polluted and
hypersaline Araruama Lagoon, a
tourism hub attracting more than 2
million visitors during high season.
Resulting design changes reduced
capital investment by 60 percent
to achieve 90 percent sewerage
coverage. In addition, energy costs
decreased more than 25 percent.
The 2018 Year in Infrastructure
will be held in London, England,
United Kingdom on October 16-19.
Visit www.bentley.com for more
information.
will also further expand Xylem’s
footprint in the region and build
on its current manufacturing and
sales operations in Calamba.
The Philippines are
the second largest
mining market in
Southeast Asia
Xylem’s Godwin and Flygt
brands play a key role in dewater-
ing and liquids transfer in municipal
and industrial projects, including
mining. As the second largest min-
ing market in Southeast Asia, the
Philippines has mineral resources
estimated at approximately US$1
trillion. Furthermore, by 2030, $25
billion will be invested in expand-
ing power generation infrastruc-
ture across the Philippines. Finally,
as the heavily storm-exposed
Philippines faces a growing threat
from tropical cyclones, Xylem’s
Calamba business will offer im-
mediate access to flood control
equipment to protect communi-
ties, infrastructure, and industries.
ABB and TaKaDu
help restore Ho
Chi Minh City
water network
Saigon Water Supply Corporation
(SAWACO) is deploying ABB’s
digital control and monitoring tech-
nologies together with TaKaDu’s
Integrated Event Management
Solution as part of its restoration
of Ho Chi Minh City’s water distri-
bution network.
The ABB Ability™ Symphony®
Plus SCADA solution will monitor
and control the entire water
distribution system and integrate
TaKaDu’s Event Management
Solution, which detects, analyzes,
and manages network events and
incidents such as leaks, bursts,
faulty assets, telemetry and data
issues, and operational failures.
The urban project aims to
increase efficiency, reduce water
leakage, prevent disruptions, and
ensure that everyone has access to
clean water in Ho Chi Minh City –
Vietnam’s economic powerhouse.
Last year, Ho Chi Minh City lost
nearly 30 percent of its potable
water to leaking and damaged
pipes.
ABB’s and TaKaDu’s comple-
mentary solutions will enable
SAWACO to monitor the network
conditions digitally through mul-
tiple data collection points, such
as sensors and meters, and offer
actionable insights to reduce non-
revenue water. SAWACO will then
be able to increase the amount of
water delivered to the city’s indus-
tries and eight million residents. At
a first estimate, SAWACO will hit
50 million m³/year of water savings,
equivalent to 20,000 Olympic-size
swimming pools, while production
cost savings could be higher than
US$10 million a year.
“Water projects like Ho Chi
Minh City’s show the full potential
of advanced automation for all
municipalities dealing with rapid
expansion or aging infrastructure,”
says Kevin Kosisko, managing
director of ABB’s Power Generation
& Water business. “Aggregating
and analyzing data from the field
will offer real-time insights into
network status and will increase
revenues.”
Field Notes
Gibralter
On January 30, 2018, the UK
company Modern Water plc re-
ported significant progress on the
Wastewater Treatment Project
in Gibraltar, first announced in
October 2014. H.M (Her Majesty’s)
Government of Gibraltar awarded
an Advance Works Contract to
the joint venture between Modern
Water and NWG Commercial
Services Limited (“Northumbrian
Water”), for the design and survey
work required for final planning
and environmental approvals and
preliminary site works.
These are the final steps before
work can commence on the
overall project, which is for the
design, build, and operation of
a wastewater treatment plant
capable of treating urban waste-
water as well as storm flows for
the entire population of Gibraltar.
Following a formal tender pro-
cess, the Joint Venture was
appointed preferred bidder for
the project in October 2014.
Modern Water is responsible for
the design and build portion of the
contract, which has an aggregate
tender value to Modern Water of
approximately US$30.7 million.
On completion, Northumbrian
Water will be responsible for the
operation and maintenance of the
plant for 20 years.
India
Coimbatore City Municipal
Corporation awarded a US$495-
million water services contract to
the French company SUEZ. The
26-year contract calls for SUEZ
to manage and operate the water
distribution system within the
entire city to ensure continuous
drinking water access to its 1.6
million inhabitants.
Coimbatore is one of the larg-
est textiles and industrial hubs in
the southern Indian state of Tamil
Nadu. The city aims to improve the
quality of water services and en-
sure permanent access to drink-
ing water, 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week. The scope of the contract
includes the optimization, rehabili-
tation, and operation of the entire
water distribution system (reser-
voirs, water network, house con-
nections, water meters, valves,
etc.), which will cover an area of
more than 100 square kilometers
(km2) with 150,000 connections
and a distribution network
of 1,200 km.
ARE YOU
USA
Blue-White® received its ISO
9001:2015 certification, an
ALREADY INTO
internationally recognized
standard for Quality Management
Systems (QMS). It is the most
widely used QMS standard in
PROFINET?
the world, with more than 1.1
million certificates issued to
organizations in 178 countries.
It provides the basis for effective
processes and effective people
to deliver an effective product or Profinet is the communication standard of
service time after time. Blue-White
Industries is based in Huntington the future. Unlimited address room and
Beach, California, USA.
flexible topology provide long-term security
USA: The Water Environment
Federation (WEF) is now accept-
of investment. Profinet is a worldwide
ing nominations for the 2018 standard:
WEF Awards. The annual awards
program recognizes individuals AUMA’s electric actuators are capable of
and organizations that contrib-
ute to the sustainability of water Profinet communication and more:
resources and make a profound ■ Integral topology recognition For further information please see the Advertiser Contact List on page 50
impact on the future through in-
volvement with water profession- ■ Configuration of communication
als and education.
Recipients are nominated by parameters via Profinet
their peers and recognized each
year for a variety of achievements
■ Redundant communication thanks to MRP
within the following categories: in- ■ Advanced auto diagnostics
dividual service and contribution;
education; organization and as- ■ Supports Asset Management Systems
sociation recognition; operational
and design excellence; and pub- ■ Automation of all valves within one
lished papers. installation
The 2018 recipients will be
recognized during a ceremony Discover our comprehensive
at WEFTEC 2018, WEF’s 91st
automation solutions
annual technical exhibition and
conference, held September www.auma.com
29-October 3 in New Orleans,
Louisiana, USA. Nominations
will be accepted through April 1,
2018. For more details, visit
www.wef.org/awards.
World Water January / February 2018
10 Utility of the Future
UOTF model opens new
pathway to innovation
Utilities applying Utility of the Future (UOTF) principles are saving millions of dollars in
costs, reducing phosphorus discharges, and earning new revenue streams from the
recovery of resources. Dan Parmar of Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies explains
why “we are all Utilities of the Future.”
Forty-five years ago, the Clean Water Act was
passed in the United States (US), building on
earlier federal legislation and extending stringent
safeguards to the nation’s water supply. Just 2
years after the formation of the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970 and 6 years
before the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
in 1978, it signaled a historic milestone for water
protection in the US and helped mark the 1970s
as a defining era for environmental health
and advocacy.
In the years that followed, further legislation,
mounting regulations, advances in technology,
and environmental activism all combined to
generate innovation and paradigm shifts aimed
at protecting water resources from the ever-
growing threats posed, paradoxically, by the
successes of social progress and economic
growth. While the gains have been steady, they
have not been as swift or as broad as some would
like. The reasons have a complexity all of their
own, as do most public health and safety
decisions that involve a myriad of stakeholders.
For water treatment utilities throughout
the country, decisions fundamentally come
down to whether or not it is worth disrupting
the status quo. Adopting new technologies or
processes often involves changing something
that’s currently working fine, and when the
safety of citizens is a concern, it’s not surprising
January / February 2018 World Water
that there is a reticence to embrace anything
less than the tried-and-true. In this approach,
a conservative philosophy becomes one of the
guiding principles.
Resources are also a key consideration. The
EPA estimates that US$271 billion will be
required for infrastructure upgrades over the next
25 years – an average of nearly $20 million per
treatment facility. And while some federal fund-
ing is available, according to the US Conference
of Mayors, 95 percent of infrastructure expendi-
ture is done at the local level. Most utilities
are already working with limited budgets, so
taking on new technologies that require addi-
tional financing outside of the capital plan often
requires significant rate increases to bridge the
gap. Understandably, utilities are neither eager
to saddle their constituents with the added
financial burden nor manage the accompanying
public opinion fallout.
Thinking outside the plant
Nonetheless, the sector understands all too well
the need to continue moving forward. Over the
next 15 years, 56 million new customers will
be added to the 274 million currently using
centralized water and wastewater services (versus
private septic services in the US). That increase
alone will require significant infrastructure up-
grades. But perhaps one of the biggest challenges
utilities face is environmental. According to
the EPA, there are more than 160 dead zones –
hypoxic areas caused by nutrient pollution and
other factors – throughout the US. Nutrient
pollution affects water quality in approximately
161,000 kilometers of rivers and streams, 1
million hectares of lakes, reservoirs and ponds,
and more than 2,072 square kilometers of bays
and estuaries. And the problem is global – algae
blooms occur regularly around the world, giving
rise to an estimated 400 dead zones worldwide.
In the wake of the Toledo, Ohio, water crisis,
during which more than 400,000 US citizens faced
a 2-day ban on tap water due to toxic algae, public
concern surrounding nutrient pollution escalated
nationwide in addition to scrutiny of water
supply and treatment along with it, regardless of
the source – even though EPA and state analyses
indicate that municipal treatment plant discharges
account for only 10 percent to 30 percent of
all water impairment. But because point source
discharges are far easier to measure than non-
point sources such as agricultural runoff, there
has been more rigorous regulation of the former.
Nutrient criteria are slowly but surely becoming
the norm: in 1998, 12 states had established some
form of nutrient criteria, with just four states at
Level 3 or higher. By 2008, six more states had
introduced nutrient criteria, and 24 states now
regulate nutrient limits, seven at Level 3 or higher.

Ultimately, the solution will
reduce phosphorus discharges
by up to 30 percent, significantly
reduce biosolids production,
cut back on chemical inputs,
and produce up to 6,800 metric
tons of environmentally sound
Crystal Green® fertilizer
each year.
Top: A canoe in surface water during an algae bloom.
Photo by Ostara
Above: Aerial view of Greater Chicago’s MWRD’s
Stickney Water Reclamation Facility. Photo by MWRD
Left: Ostara’s nutrient recovery facility at the MWRD
of Greater Chicago’s Stickney facility. Photo by
Black & Veatch
Between rising public concerns for environ-
mental health and continuing regulatory
pressure, treatment facilities have begun to think
creatively, creating a movement captured by the
Utility of the Future (UOTF) model, conceived
jointly by National Association of Clean Water
Agencies (NACWA), Water Environment
Federation (WEF), and Water Environment &
Research Foundation (WERF). Enlightened
agencies are redefining their purpose and
rationale in a shift of thinking from wastewater
treatment plant to resource recovery center.
Replacing the limited perspective of a facility that
simply treats sewage or wastewater is a broader,
more holistic mandate in which utilities become
a source of valuable resources – nutrients,
energy, water – recovered from the raw material
inputs they treat. The shift is revolutionary and
invigorating. It opens up pathways to innovation
and reinforces the tremendous social value that
many take for granted.
A watershed era
In some ways, the Utility of the Future concept
may even be a bit of a misnomer, as many US
facilities have already been operating along
that trajectory. An early mover over the last
decade, the public water utility Clean Water
Services in Oregon has saved tens of millions
of dollars in costs and achieved 100-percent
permit compliance through innovative
productivity measures such as a temperature
water quality trading program and nutrient
recovery. DC Water’s Clean Rivers, Green
District Partnership with Washington, DC,
uses green infrastructure to prevent pollution
from coming into contact with rainwater.
The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage
District has implemented efforts such as green
infrastructure, watershed-based permitting, and
effluent trading. It also uses renewable energy
sources to meet 100 percent of its energy needs,
all reducing its carbon footprint by 90 percent.
Global Water Resources in Arizona uses
advanced metering infrastructure and cloud-
based data analytics to reduce water losses,
offering real-time monitoring of water use.
These innovators, and many others like them,
stand as evidence-based role models for others
to emulate.
Perhaps no utility demonstrates the
tremendous power of embracing UOTF
principles better than the Metropolitan Water
Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
(MWRD). The largest treatment facility in the
world, the MWRD’s Stickney plant treats up
to 5.45 billion liters of water each day, which
discharges into the Chicago Sanitary and Ship
Canal, ultimately feeding into the Mississippi
River watershed and making its way to the Gulf
of Mexico. Being the largest treatment plant
in the world also makes it the state of Illinois’
single largest source of phosphorous making
its way into the watershed. By some estimates,
Illinois is the biggest contributor of phosphorus
and nitrogen pollution to the Gulf, with state
wastewater treatment plants accounting for
half of the phosphorus reaching the Mississippi,
according to one task force.
Faced with legal challenges from environ-
mental advocacy groups, including the Natural
Resources Defense Council, the MWRD has
had some tough decisions to make: It could
become embroiled in a legal dispute that
Utility of the Future 11
would cost tens of millions of dollars and distract
the District from effectively fulfilling its primary
commitment to ratepayers. Or it could view the
challenge as an opportunity to innovate and move
beyond conflict. As MWRD Executive Director
David St. Pierre told the Chicago Tribune,
“Usually utilities don’t do anything until the courts
or the permit writers tell us what to do. I don’t
think legal battles should paralyze us or prevent
us from continuing to improve.”
Years before limits were legally required, the
District voluntarily adopted a discharge limit of 1
milligram per liter (mg/L), and often its discharge
concentrations are half that amount. The nutrient
recovery system it chose would have to adapt to
existing operations, but – more importantly – it
would have to satisfy the District’s goals of having
a long-term beneficial impact on the watershed.
Ostara’s Pearl® nutrient recovery technology was
flexible enough to satisfy these ambitious aims
and also be cost effective enough to be feasible –
at $31 million, the cost was only a fraction of the
$700 million that regulatory agencies originally
estimated the clean-up costs would be.
Ultimately, the solution will reduce phosphorus
discharges by up to 30 percent, significantly reduce
biosolids production, cut back on chemical inputs,
and produce up to nearly 7,000 metric tons of
environmentally sound Crystal Green® fertilizer
each year, creating a stream of revenue through
a licensing agreement with Ostara that will
eventually generate up to $3 million annually.
United state of the future
MWRD’s award-winning business model
incorporates all of the characteristics that
epitomize a true UOTF: beneficial biosolids use,
community partnering and engagement, energy
efficiency, energy generation, nutrient and materials
recovery, water reuse, and watershed stewardship.
More importantly, the District serves as a lesson
and an example of the importance of engagement
and collaboration within the broader community.
Our thinking cannot afford to be siloed. We are
all interconnected and acknowledging that this
interdependence is critical to achieving global
environmental health. Conflict keeps us in
those silos, but engagement opens up paths
to innovation.
Ostara’s unique dual perspective – water
treatment and fertilizer production – really helps
drive home the notion of this interconnectedness.
The way we treat and manage one resource affects
the way we treat and manage others. As a partner
in MWRD’s strategy, Ostara’s job was to provide
the best solution possible to support the District’s
global vision. As with truly great partnerships,
all collaborators were pushed to expand their
own thinking, to see beyond limits, and create
something that hadn’t yet been achieved – and, in
effect, to also become a Utility of the Future. In
the words of MWRD’s David St. Pierre: “In terms
of a worldwide paradigm, we’re going to have
to start thinking like this on a grander scale and
recover these resources where they’re at and not
necessarily in traditional ways.” We couldn’t
agree more.
Author’s Note
Dan Parmar is president and
chief executive officer of Ostara
Nutrient Recovery Technologies,
headquartered in Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada.
World Water January / February 2018
12 Innovation Trends
Mapping water technologies
to the circular economy
The concept of circular economy is shaping innovation trends in the water sector, according
to Paul O’Callaghan of BlueTech Research, who says the market intelligence firm’s high rate of
accuracy for identifying successful start-ups is surpassed by its record in recognizing game-
changing innovations. Mapping the needs of global corporate leaders with these emerging
technologies is a major aim of the BlueTech Forum, to be held in June 2018.
Managing water risk in a circular
economy is the focus of the Blue-
Tech Forum 2018, which will be
held on June 6-7 in Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada. The
concept of circular economy
originated in the solid waste
sector, but it has extended into
water and wastewater sectors,
given its growing acceptance as a
sustainable alternative to the make-
use-dispose linear economy. In
contrast, a circular economy posits
an ambitious aim to eliminate the
need for the use of materials. In
practical terms, a circular economy
focuses on keeping resources in use
for as long as possible, extracting
maximum value from their first use,
then recovering and regenerating
products and materials at the end
of each service life.
The first stage of achieving a
circular economy is to avoid using
things in the first place. In the digital
age, the word “dematerialize”
has come into use, and multiple
opportunities to dematerialize are
taken for granted. For example,
CDs are no longer necessary to
manufacture because music can
be stored and accessed digitally
on smartphones.
Optimization
In water distribution, an example
of the circular economy concept
can be seen in the optimization of
energy consumption. By piping
water at lower pressure, less power
is required, and less water is lost
to leaks, so less water treatment is
required. Another benefit is that
less damage caused to pipeline
infrastructure reduces the need
for pipe repair and maintenance,
resulting in less consumption of
resources.
In order to help foster the shift
from a linear to circular economy,
engineers need to widen their scope
January / February 2018 World Water
in designing systems from cradle to
grave and identify recovery oppor-
tunities in products, materials, or
upcycling. This action step requires
working across sectors so that waste
materials from one industry can be
reused in another.
The United States (US) company
Environmental Operating Solutions,
Inc. (EOSi) illustrates this approach.
Based in Bourne, Massachusetts,
EOSi works closely with industrial
clients, taking byproducts and con-
verting them into products for sale
in other markets. For example,
EOSi removes glycerine from the
waste disposal line at one manufac-
turer and converts it into MicroC,
a product that can be used as a
carbon source in denitrification at
wastewater treatment plants, off-
setting the use of methanol, a fossil
fuel-based product.
Another Massachusetts company,
Cambrian Innovation, recovers
energy and water from brewery
wastewater, using an innovative
business model called a Water
Energy Purchase Agreement
(WEPA). Cambrian constructs,
installs, owns, and operates the
client’s wastewater treatment
system while the client pays for
the service based on volume.
Reducing consumption
Increasingly, BlueTech analysts are
observing a mandate for companies
– particularly industrial, but also in
the municipal sector – to move
toward a circular economy. This
shift requires reducing the consump-
tion of raw materials, carbon-based
fuels, energy, and water across the
production process, which also
eliminates waste.
Now in its eighth year, BlueTech
Forum has a strong record of
bringing together sustainability
champions from global corporate
leaders such as GlaxoSmithKline,
Procter & Gamble, Nestle, L’Oreal,
Unilever, Coca-Cola, and Barrick
Gold Corporation. In 2018, Blue-
Tech Research continues that
tradition, providing a platform in
Vancouver for those companies to
showcase their in-house initiatives
that address water risk through
circular economy strategies.
Companies are invited to share
their innovation needs as well as
success stories that demonstrate
their goals. Mapping to those needs
are the technology companies hand-
picked by BlueTech Research’s team
of experts that also form an impor-
tant part of BlueTech Forum.
Successful innovation
Internal analysis carried out by
BlueTech shows that the success BlueTech analysts
rate of BlueTech Forum’s showcase
innovation companies is more are observing a
than twice the industry average. mandate for
Success is defined by two metrics:
annual revenue turnover of US$10 companies –
million or more and non-distressed particularly
acquisition, if the company is
acquired. industrial, but also
The BlueTech Research in the municipal
Innovation Tracker provides a
live, online tool to track the most sector – to move
important innovative technology
companies in the water sector. The
toward a circular
analysis randomly selected 84 of economy.
those tracked companies that were
founded between 2000-2004. The
analysis showed that 12.5 percent
succeeded, 20 percent failed, and
67.5 percent are still in operation.
Of those successful 12.5 percent, the
breakdown showed that 8 percent
were acquired, and 4.5 percent were
achieving turnovers in excess of
US$10 million.
Fifty companies hand-picked
by BlueTech analysts for the Above: Jodi Glover, chief executive
Innovation Showcase at BlueTech of RealTech, briefs delegates on her
award-winning technology at the
Forum over the last 7 years were BlueTech Forum 2017 Innovation
examined. The analysts chose these Showcase. Photo by BlueTech
companies, which were mapped Research
 Innovation Trends 13

to key industry trends that were
anticipated in 2010-2014. This
research showed a much higher rate
of success than the average, at 27.5
percent. Of these, 15 percent were
acquired and 12.5 percent achieved
turnovers of US$10 million or
more.
Analyzing failure
While the success rates were above
average, the study also focused
on the reasons why BlueTech
Research’s failure rate of 35 percent
was higher than the industry
average. Analysts discovered that
the companies chosen for the
Innovation Showcase tended to
either succeed or fail, and not settle
into a middle-ground position.
Upon closer examination, the
analysts found that in many cases
the technologies continued to
succeed, but under ownership
of other companies.
For example, the US company
MaxWest Environmental Systems,
which developed a gasification
technology used to dispose of
biosolids and generate energy,
declared bankruptcy in 2015 and
sold the asset in a distressed state
to PHG Energy. The technology
lives on as part of PHG Energy’s
portfolio of waste-to-energy
solutions with facilities under
development in the US states of
Tennessee and Massachusetts.
Forward osmosis (FO) special-
ist Hydration Technologies
Innovations, based in Albany,
Oregon, US, closed down, but the
founder Keith Lampi opened a
new company, Fluid Technology
Solutions (FTS), and the same
FO technology is now being
applied successfully to projects
in China. Another example is the
US company M2 Renewables,
which developed the M2R®
MicroScreen™ rotating belt
screening system. The technology
helps industries and municipalities
save energy and chemical costs
in water treatment operations.
Unfortunately, the company
experienced financial difficulties
and sold its assets to Hydro
International.
Perspective is key to defining
success and failure. In this market,
the technology appears to be the
overall winner, and not the founder
or investors of the company. Blue-
Tech refers to this dynamic as “the
selfish water technology gene,”
as the technology moves forward
inexorably and is indifferent to
the interest of the investor.
Promising technologies
BlueTech has proven its success in
choosing companies and continues
to do so in promising technology
areas. Yet companies themselves
are unpredictable. There are many
uncontrollable elements in place
including the relationships bet-
ween investors, founders, and
management – and it takes time for
a technology to make that journey.
Often the person to benefit from
an innovation is not the person
who started it but the person who
happens to be holding it years into
the future when it gains momentum.
Failure to capitalize on a technology
can be due to overly ambitious
targets or mismatching expenditure
to revenue.
Investors should take a reason-
able time horizon on investment
and development of a technology
and pace their efforts. Similar to
gambling at the horse races, it’s
important to decide first on which
race to be in – FO perhaps – and
then choose the horses. In this
analogy, the jockey is the inventor
or founder, but the technology can
reappear and go on to succeed with
a different rider. Technologies such
as FO, sludge gasification, and
advanced pharma treatment are
slow growth areas and, generally
speaking, the winners are those
that stay the distance.
While speed and agility may
be key at the start of the journey,
patience and tenacity are often
rewarded in the mid-term stayer.
Early exit may be a good strategy
for a start-up company, but once
it has more than five full-scale
commercial plants in operation, it
is necessary to maximize the return
on value creation and balance
risk-reward with time.
Author’s Note
Paul O’Callaghan is
the chief executive of
BlueTech Research,
which is based in
Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada,
and Cork, Ireland. BlueTech
Research provides investors, water
companies, researchers, and regula-
tors with the latest information on
water industry trends and critical
analysis on emerging water tech-
nology market areas. It maps and
analyzes water technology innova-
tion landscape, focusing on what is
changing and how new approaches,
new technologies, and new needs
are reshaping the water technology
market. For more information,
visit www.bluetechforum.com.

For further information please see the Advertiser Contact List on page 50

WATER & WASTEWATER TREATMENT MADE EASY...

Ideal for...
for
Get the Advantage of Hayward Flow Control Solutions • CHEMICAL DOSING / DILUTION
From our world class thermoplastic basket strainers to our valves and actuation, Hayward’s industry-leading products • REVERSE OSMOSIS
are ideal for demanding water and wastewater treatment applications. With a vast product line to handle corrosion • DESALINIZATION
resistance and maintain chemical balance, our solutions will keep your systems working right for years to come. • MEMBRANE SYSTEMS
For more information, please contact us at hfcsales@hayward.com or call 1.888.429.4635. See us also at haywardflowcontrol.com. • NEUTRALIZATION PROCESS
• MEDIA FILTRATION
Hayward is a registered trademark
of Hayward Industries, Inc.
© 2018 Hayward Industries, Inc. Thermoplastic Valves | Actuation & Controls | Strainers | Filters | Instrumentation | Pumps | Bulkhead Fittings & Tank Accessories

World Water January / February 2018

14 Resource Recovery

Rise and fall of the algae

biofuel industry
Understanding the failings of the algae biofuel industry and the successes of algae
bioproduct sector could help water resource recovery facilities achieve financial and
environmental sustainability. Lucie Novoveská of Industrial Phycology and Morgan Brown
and Barry Liner of Water Environment Federation offer their insights.

Resource recovery and energy production have
become a focal point in the water quality sector
over the last few years. However, this is not
the first time that a new market for recovered
resources and renewable energy has been realized
recently. The rise and fall of the algae biofuel
industry is an important story for the water
sector to know, as it aids in understanding and
overcoming potential roadblocks.
Setting the terms
In 2011, a Water Environment Federation
(WEF) position statement declared: “WEF
believes that wastewater treatment plants are
NOT waste disposal facilities, but rather water
resource recovery facilities that produce clean
water, recover nutrients (such as phosphorus
and nitrogen), and have the potential to reduce
dependence upon fossil fuel through the
production and use of renewable energy.”
Wastewater treatment
This shift has become so important that is a necessity, not a
5 years ago, WEF formally began to use the
term water resource recovery facility (WRRF), discretionary product
instead of wastewater treatment plant. This
potential to recover various resources is an
exciting shift for WRRFs. There is a chance to
tap open new markets and revenue streams.
However, because wastewater utilities have
historically focused on providing a service of
environmental protection and public health, the
business development opportunities provided Above: The Algenol Biotech photobioreactor is
used to produce profitable food products derived
by resource recovery do not necessarily play from algae such as vegan proteins (front), natural
to the strengths of a wastewater utility’s colorants, and other items. Photo by Algenol
capabilities. Biotech LLC

January / February 2018 World Water


For example, when the Metropolitan Water
Reclamation District of Greater Chicago in
the United States was beginning to recover
phosphorus, it had to have a new law passed to
enable the sale of recovered products. Beyond
the structural aspects, marketing and business
development professionals in the water sector
would be well served by learning from the lessons
of the algae biofuel industry.
Algae’s tale
Algae-based biofuel, a renewable fuel generated
from algae, was considered a prospect full of
great potential at the beginning of the 21st
century. The enormous size of the liquid-fuel
market, dependence on fossil fuel sources,
and the need for renewable fuels made algae
biofuel a very attractive and lucrative potential
alternative to traditional fossil fuels. According
to phycologists (scientists who study algae), algae
are fast growing cells that naturally contain up to
50 percent lipids, a needed precursor for biofuel.
In 2007, the October issue of National
Geographic compared algal cells to floating sacs
full of fat and protein that reproduce faster than
any other higher plant. The article, “Growing
fuel: Green dreams,” declared phycologists the
new “rock stars of biofuels.” Dozens of newly
established algae biofuel companies raised money
from venture capitalists and the US government
due to interest in this technology’s promising
potential.
Unfortunately, optimistic biofuel production
predictions and profit forecasts did not meet their
targets. At the beginning of the second decade
of the 21st century, it became clear that algae
biofuel goals were “over-promised and under-
delivered.” The algae-based biofuel industry
failed to meet its objectives for several reasons:
• It is difficult to obtain high algal growth rates
and high lipid accumulation at the same time
and throughout the seasonal changes
• Each of the cultivation methods (open ponds,
closed photobioreactors, and algae turf
scrubbers) faced challenges concerning either
cost, maintenance, or efficiency
• Processing of accumulated algae biomass
(including mixing, pumping, algae separation,
and biocrude generation) was not economical
at scale.
Seasonality, complex biological processes, and
difficulty to scale are all challenges that WRRFs
also face. Because of these challenges, algae-
based biofuel could not compete economically
Resources recovered from wastewater
AD biogas
Nutrient
recovery
Wastewater
Metal
recovery
PCPP
recovery
with other fuels. Existing cultivation techniques
and technology could not support the optimistic
targets. The algae biofuel industry raised funds
based on the premise that the technology was
nearly there when, in fact, more research
was needed.
Currently, research focusing on algae-based
biofuel continues predominantly on the academic
level, even though industry giants ExxonMobil
and Synthetic Genomics recently announced
joint research toward advanced algae biofuels
and a path toward commercial scale production.
Their approach is based on algae engineering
and genetic modifications of algal cells to
obtain desired strain characteristics. Large-scale
cultivation of genetically modified organisms is
a controversial topic for both the general public
and the scientific community.
Currently, there are only a handful of
profitable microalgae producers, and all of
them had to make changes in their product
development to adapt to changing demands.
The majority of algae companies that focused
on biofuels either disappeared or shifted
their product portfolio from biofuel to other
algae products including nutraceuticals,
pharmaceutical, aquaculture feed, plastic, and
wastewater treatment. Only flexible companies
that pivoted to another non-biofuel market
remained active in the algae industry.
One such company is Algenol Biotech LLC,
located in Fort Myers, Florida, United States
(US). Founded in 2006, Algenol was one of
the most promising algae biofuel companies in
existence. The company received a grant in 2010
from the US Department of Energy’s American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for
US$25 million to build a pilot-scale biorefinery
for producing ethanol using its proprietary Direct
to Ethanol® algae technology, which results in
algae using carbon dioxide to make ethanol
during photosynthesis. Algenol projected that
its biorefinery would produce 400,000 liters
of ethanol per year. However, by 2015, the
company’s investors decided to shift the focus
of the company toward other products derived
from algae, such as natural colorants, vegan
protein, nutraceuticals, and personal care. Even
though the plans for their innovative ethanol
biorefinery were never commercially realized,
the very same biorefinery will now be used to
produce profitable food products.
Heed economic drivers
There is much to be learned from the green
Resources recovered from algae
Wastewater
Biosolids
treatment
High value
Biopolymers
products
Resource Recovery 15
history of algal biofuels. One major lesson is
that economic drivers are always prevalent. The
renewable energy that algae can provide had
great promise as a viable alternative to fossil
fuels; however, the economics were not favorable.
The same can be true of energy production
at WRRFs. A recent study by the Water
Environment & Reuse Foundation (WE&RF),
“Assessing the Benefits and Costs of Anaerobic
Digester CHP Projects in New York State,”
examined this topic. The researchers discovered
that very few WRRFs in New York have moved
forward with anaerobic digestion and biogas
utilization projects.
Despite financial and programmatic support
available, these projects were found to lack
economic feasibility due to the electric power
tariff provisions that eliminated savings from
energy projects. Similar to the algal biofuel
industry, biogas production at WRRFs is a
great source of renewable energy, but it will not
prosper without favorable economic conditions
in place.
These conditions can work both for and
against resource recovery at WRRFs. For
example, the electric power economic barriers
are often structural, driven by the power sector’s
business models. A potential advantage for
WRRFs is the fact that wastewater treatment is
a necessity, not a discretionary product, meaning
that the cost of resource recovery might be
evaluated at the margin instead of total cost,
leading to opportunities for incremental revenues
to lessen rate increases.
Build in flexibility and diversification
Flexibility and product diversification have also
been deemed important factors in the success of
algae companies. Despite the poor economic
environment surrounding algal biofuels, many
of these companies growing algae pivoted their
activities and remain profitable. The waste-
water sector is capable of the same flexibility
if recovering energy and nutrients prove to be
economically inviable.
For example, metal recovery from wastewater
is on the horizon. According to a WE&RF
report, a 40-million liters per day (ML/d) WRRF
has the potential to recover almost US$4 million
of silver per year. Another study reported that
biosolids coming from a population of 1 million
people could contain metals valued up to $13
million annually.
Continued on page 27
Biofuel
Fertilizer
Algae
Human &
animal feed
Biochemicals
World Water January / February 2018
For further information please see the Advertiser Contact List on page 50
 Resource Recovery 17

Cogeneration technology helps

landfills reduce wastewater
management costs
A cogeneration solution treats challenging landfill leachate using waste heat from a power
generation facility to evaporate industrial wastewater volumes up to 97 percent. Earl Jones
of Heartland Water Technology explains how the process works.

More than 60 percent of landfills

dispose of their leachate by trans-
porting it to municipal wastewater
treatment plants. Factors driving up
costs of leachate disposal and the
costs of managing a landfill include
trucking costs as well as municipal
operators’ growing reluctance to
accept leachate due to the challenges
leachate brings to their treatment
processes.
Many landfills over the past
two decades have developed
valuable waste-to-energy projects,
generating renewable energy
from the biogas created through
the decomposition of organic
materials within the landfill. The
vast majority of these biogas-to-
energy projects are simple cycle
power generation configurations,
meaning that the ample energy
available in the hot exhaust
produced by the power generation
equipment is vented to atmosphere
and not used beneficially. A landfill
in the eastern United States (US),
however, is making use of this hot
exhaust energy from its biogas-to-
Figure 1a (left): Diagram of
energy plant to evaporate leachate concentrator turbine. Figure 1b (above)
on site using a novel solution by Heartland Concentrator™ uses waste
Heartland Water Technology, based heat from a Solar® turbine as part of
in Hudson, Massachusetts, US. By a landfill CHP operation. Images by
Heartland Water Technology.
using this freely available energy
and treating leachate onsite, the
landfill is taking positive control energy. However, when making otherwise wasted heat energy. Water-energy nexus
over its leachate management, electricity, this approach falls far Users get more value out of a fuel The water-energy nexus is a
generating even more value out of short of using 100 percent of a when hot exhaust energy is used term that highlights the integral
its renewable biogas, lowering its fuel’s potential energy. According for economically useful purposes. relationship between water and
total cost-to-treat, and significantly to the laws of thermodynamics, In fact, some cogeneration appli- energy, and cogeneration is a classic
reducing its dependency on muni- it is impossible to convert all of cations can use nearly 90 percent of example. Today, there are more
cipal wastewater treatment plants. the potential energy in a fuel to the energy potential of a fuel. With than 4,400 cogeneration systems in
electricity. However, those who are the heightened focus on climate the US in a variety of applications.
Cogeneration not familiar with power generation change and greenhouse gas (GHG) The vast majority recovers thermal
Cogeneration, also known as equipment might find it surprising reduction, and until such a time energy by doing different versions
combined heat and power (CHP), that modern engines and turbines when hydrocarbon fuels are not of the same thing: heating water.
refers to the use of both power convert less than half of a fuel’s needed for energy combustion, The four main categories of heat
(electrical or mechanical) and energy potential to usable electricity. hydrocarbon fuels should be used recovery projects include:
thermal energy from a single source, The rest of the energy – up to two- as efficiently as possible. For these • Combined-cycle power plants: use
such as a turbine or engine. thirds of the potential energy of economic and environmental waste heat from combustion to
Reciprocating (piston) engines a fuel – is lost to the atmosphere reasons, cogeneration should be make steam, which is then used to
and turbines convert hydrocarbon in the form of heat. Cogeneration a priority. power a steam generator to make
fuels, such as natural gas, into useful solutions capture and use this additional electricity

World Water January / February 2018

18 Resource Recovery
Figure 2. A landfill treats leachate onsite using three Heartland Concentrators in a cogeneration configuration with its
existing turbines. Image by Heartland Water Technology
• Utility heating solutions: use waste
heat to make hot water, which is
then circulated for building heat
and process applications
• Utility steam solutions: use waste
heat to make steam that is used
for steam process applications
• Absorption chillers: use waste heat
for air conditioning, refrigeration,
and process fluid cooling
solutions.
Cogeneration solution
treats challenging industrial
wastewaters
Heartland Water Technology
deploys a novel cogeneration
solution that uses heat from
combustion processes to evaporate
challenging industrial wastewaters,
such as landfill leachate, power
plant scrubber water, cooling tower
blowdown, mine water, and oilfield-
produced water, among others.
The Heartland Concentrator™
is a proprietary direct-contact
evaporator that mixes hot gases
directly with wastewater, trans-
ferring heat and causing waste-
water evaporation. It can reduce
wastewater volumes by more
than 90 percent, and in many
cases the water can be completely
evaporated, leaving only solids,
in a process known as zero liquid
discharge (ZLD), which can be
accomplished in one unit operation.
Figures 1a and 1b show the
Heartland Concentrator in a
cogeneration configuration.
This proven and safe integration
with a turbine (or engine) uses a
slight vacuum to redirect gases
from the turbine exhaust and
into the concentrator. The heat
January / February 2018 World Water
Use of the
Heartland
Concentrator in
this cogeneration
configuration has
dramatically
lowered the
landfill’s cost and
other economic
risks related to
leachate
management.
from the exhaust is then rapidly
transferred into the wastewater,
driving evaporation. When used
as a cogeneration application,
the Heartland Concentrator
helps deliver combined thermal
efficiencies of 85 percent or more.
Solid waste landfill
A large municipal solid waste
(MSW) landfill in the eastern
United States generates more than
303,000 liters per day of landfill
leachate requiring appropriate
treatment or disposal. The landfill
also operates a significant landfill
gas-to-energy facility, which
collects and treats the biogas
formed from the decomposition of
organic material within the landfill,
using that biogas to generate
electricity from Solar® Centaur
gas turbines.
Given how challenging landfill
leachate is to treat, more than
60 percent of landfills dispose of
their leachate by transporting it to
municipal wastewater treatment
plants, where the leachate is
diluted by the larger volume of
municipal wastewater. The costs
of leachate disposal are being
driven up by trucking costs as well
as municipal operators’ growing
reluctance to accept leachate due
to the challenges it brings to their
treatment processes.
This landfill now treats its leach-
ate onsite using three Heartland
Concentrators in a cogeneration
configuration with its existing tur-
bines. This solution (see Figure 2)
allows the landfill maximal control
over its leachate management. Use
of the Heartland Concentrator has
yielded environmental benefits
for the landfill by maximizing the
value and productive use of its
landfill gas, reducing GHG emis-
sions by taking trucks off of the
road, and decreasing the risk of an
environmentally damaging leach-
ate spill. More importantly, use of
the Heartland Concentrator in this
cogeneration configuration has dra-
matically lowered the landfill’s cost
and other economic risks related to
leachate management. It virtually
eliminates high trucking disposal
costs and significantly reduces the
operator’s dependency on munici-
pal wastewater treatment plants. In
short, the Heartland Concentrator
at this landfill displays the many
benefits attainable through cogen-
eration at the water energy nexus.
Conclusion
When designing industrial waste-
water treatment facilities, the signifi-
cant benefits from cogeneration as
well as opportunities to maximize
energy efficiency and minimize
operating costs should be consid-
ered. While there are numerous
alternatives if CHP is the goal, using
water treatment as the CHP integra-
tion when wastewater disposal costs
are high provides a strong financial
alternative that can also reduce the
operational and environmental risks
typically associated with waste-
water treatment.
Author’s Note
Earl Jones is the chief executive
officer for Heartland Water
Technology, based in Hudson,
Massachusetts, United States.
Heartland signs
contract to
treat landfill
leachate
Heartland Water Technology, Inc.
signed a contract with the Three
Rivers Solid Waste Management
Authority on December 19, 2018 to
install a Heartland Concentrator™
at the Three Rivers Regional Land-
fill near Pontotoc, Mississippi,
United States, to treat landfill
leachate. The seven-county region
consists of Pontotoc, Itawamba, Lee,
Monroe, Union, Lafayette and
Calhoun Counties in northeast
Mississippi.
After extensive evaluation, Three
Rivers selected the Heartland
Concentrator technology for its
ability to use waste heat emitted
from turbines and engines in a classic
cogeneration (combined-heat and
power) configuration. The system
will capture and use the thermal
energy from Three River’s existing
Landfill Gas-to-Energy plant.
This award comes after extensive
competitive evaluations by the
Three Rivers team to secure a
reliable and cost-effective solution
for leachate management. The
Heartland Concentrator, supported
by strong customer references and
site visits by the Three Rivers team,
provided demonstrable lifecycle
cost advantages.
Heartland and Three Rivers plan
for the facility to be operating in
the third quarter of 2018.
 Sustainable Water Systems 19

Now in its fifth year, the 2017 Black & Veatch Strategic Directions: Water Industry Report
reveals increased focus by water utilities on sustainability, public outreach, and data
analytics. Cindy Wallis-Lage, president of Black & Veatch’s water business, discusses
top water industry issues based on findings from the annual report in an interview with
World Water Editor-in-Chief Pamela Wolfe.

Utility leaders view sustainability,

data analytics as promising solutions

World Water The 2017 Black & Veatch
Strategic Directions: Water Industry Report
revealed interesting shifts in strategy and
approaches to achieving sustainable water
systems – a goal that is shared by water
industry leaders. In your opinion, what are the
most important takeaways from this report for
water suppliers in terms of future planning?
Cindy Wallis-Lage I have really enjoyed
working on this report because it is interesting to
see how things change, how utilities are moving
forward, and the resulting progress. Leadership,
data analytics, and financing are three areas
where I see progress. We are moving beyond the
emotive message “water is life” to a conversation
on the importance of water for sustainable
communities and economic development.
Water is critical for the survival, quality of life,
and growth of our communities and attracting
new business. Water industry leaders who
begin with a holistic, “big picture,” integrative
approach; who seek to collaborate; and who are
informed, forward-thinking, and accountable
help ensure we’re using our dollars wisely. That
leadership is paramount to changing the water
industry.
We are also seeing greater understanding of
the benefits of data analytics in terms of
increasing efficiency and maximizing asset
potential. Financing future solutions is also
essential, and this also puts customer engagement
in the spotlight. Utilities and their leaders need
to help the public understand why infrastructure
investment is necessary and why rates may need
to increase. It’s important for water providers
to help educate consumers about the critical
value of water and utility services, and how
foundational water is for any community to
survive and grow.
WW How does the recent trend of
extreme weather events, such as hurricanes
and severe rainstorms with record-breaking
precipitation levels, support water leaders
and utility managers in presenting their case
for increased investment in infrastructure?
Wallis-Lage It gives water leaders an
opportunity to have a dialogue, but it’s also
challenging because we have to be careful. We
can’t say that we could spend enough money to
never have an impact from a Category 5 storm
or that we could design a system that would
never have an issue.
Instead, looking forward, we need to
plan to the best of our ability and build in
as much resilience as is logical for our water
infrastructure. Utilities can’t plan for everything,
but they need plans for how to recover services
as quickly as possible. They need to ask the
questions: What can we manage through the

Effective planning enables the Water Corporation in Western Australia to develop and maintain sustainable water supplies. Upgrades to the Woodman Point
Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Perth metro area will increase treatment capacity and the quality of treated wastewater, which is used to produce recycled
water for industry use. Photo by WP180 Alliance

World Water January / February 2018

20 Sustainable Water Systems

Harvesting stormwater
and runoff from urban
areas is becoming more
common in areas like
southern California to
help utilities supplement
existing water supplies.
Provided by Black &
Veatch

event? How long can we go without power?

How long can we go without our pump stations?
What backup plans do we need? How will
we recover? Beyond extreme storms, utilities
also need to plan for population changes,
shifts in supply and demand, long-term quality
requirements, and aging infrastructure.

WW The report says that one-third of

respondents “want to incorporate data into
their strategies.” What are the reasons for this
growing interest in using data technology as
part of the integrated planning process?
Wallis-Lage One of the greatest
opportunities we have is in data analytics.
Utilities are data-rich, but it doesn’t mean that
they are knowledge-rich. Real knowledge
requires data collection, data analytics, subject
matter expertise, visualization, and real-
time information to understand our systems
and customers’ usage, and to make nimble
and informed decisions as a utility. Utilities
are interested in data analytics tools due to
workforce challenges and the resulting need to
automate more. Use of more complex technology
also calls for automation to input and extract
information to optimize performance.
Use of data analytics gives us an opportunity
to be predictable and to optimize operations
and maintenance. It allows us to get the most
out of our assets. Utilities that really embrace
data analytics gain a knowledge platform to
make real-time decisions in a manner that
drives efficiency in their operations. Use of
data analytics also lets them optimize their
assets and asset life. It’s a win-win. Recent improvements in instrumentation and automation can be combined with data analytics tools like
Black & Veatch’s Asset 360® system to help utility managers leverage data for improved decisions and
operations. Photo courtesy of Black & Veatch
WW: So is that essentially the business
case for data analytics?
Wallis-Lage Yes. It is really automation, because they see its potential are the ones that and get the analytics in place so that utility
predictability, and the ability to optimize assets. are moving faster toward smart integrated leaders can make decisions based on reliable
When done well, the resulting savings will infrastructure. While the value of big data information.
quickly recover the cost of the investment. analytics is gaining momentum, it’s a complex So there is still a journey. Those that still look
challenge for many utilities as they have to at it as cost ask, “Can I afford it?” The question
WW: Are utilities beginning to understand the rely on good instrumentation and sensors to I ask is, “Can you afford not to?”
benefits of data analytics enough to invest have confidence in the data. The devices and
in it? technology have come a long way, and there WW: What reasons explain the hesitation in
Wallis-Lage Some have embraced the are fabulous and very reliable instrumentation adopting greater reliance on data analytics in
journey, and some see it as a cost versus an sensors available now compared to several asset management and utility operations?
investment. Those that look at it as an investment years ago. It’s important to install the right ones Wallis-Lage I would say it’s probably a

January / February 2018 World Water


The Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) in Orange County, California, takes highly treated
wastewater that would have previously been discharged into the Pacific Ocean and purifies it to produce
high quality water that meets or exceeds all state and federal drinking water standards. The world’s largest
water purification system for indirect potable reuse, the GWRS currently provides 379 million liters (100
million gallons) of water every day, enough to meet the needs of nearly 850,000 people. Photo courtesy of
Black & Veatch
comfort level with data analytic tools. Some
contend that the current mode of operations
is sufficient and that high-tech equipment is
unnecessary or invites additional challenges.
There is also the discomfort of change with IT,
requiring a different skill set, which the staff
may not have. However, it’s also an absolutely
wonderful opportunity for us to engage
millennials and young professionals in our
industry. Using IT is their “sweet spot.” So the
question is how to bring them in and give them
the opportunity to help continue to move into
big data analytics much faster.
For example, we use 3D design software
that enables engineers to use virtual reality to
walk through a plant and “see” it in 3D. It’s
phenomenal. Younger professionals, who have
grown up during the proliferation of information
and digital technology – and yes, that includes
mastering video games – are comfortable with
this, while others are not and prefer to see designs
in 2D on paper. But we are not doing paper
anymore.
WW: What is the “new normal” for water
utilities? The report says it’s the need for
water suppliers to accommodate a changing
climate and rising public scrutiny of water
supply utilities. Given the recent extreme
hurricanes in the Caribbean and the Gulf of
Mexico and extreme rainfall in other parts of
the world, how does the “new normal” affect
future strategy?
Wallis-Lage The change goes back to our
discussion on resilience. Part of the new normal
is accommodating changing weather patterns.
While change is a constant, the challenge is to
understand the ramifications of changes and plan
for it. We have financial limitations, so we need
to consider different ways to pay for resilience.
And, through heightened traditional media
coverage and social media availability, we have
a public that is much more conscious of water
and the utilities than ever before.
The challenge for water leaders is to form “col-
laborative communities” – positively engaged
stakeholders at all levels that understand the
goals of sustainability and resilience – and com-
municate clearly to the public. More specifically,
people need to understand what resilience and
sustainability mean for their community because
these can be different in every location.
Resilience must be defined and incorporated
into everything we do. Equipment and facilities
need to endure and perform under a variety of
conditions. Better public understanding of our
role as responsible stewards of resilient water
infrastructure would also improve understanding
about the need for investment.
Regarding project delivery, we need to be more
open in the public sector to finding other finance
mechanisms to add value, such as P3s (public-
private partnerships) or a more collaborative
delivery method such progressive design-build.
Current demands require that we operate
differently, so the new normal is also recognizing
that everything we’ve learned in the past is an
information point, but the past may not always
be an accurate predictor of the future. With
that in mind, we need to examine the “what-if”
scenarios and determine where we can operate
within them.
People ask, “How do you not use the past
to predict the future?” The Water Corporation
in Western Australia offers a good example in
terms of sustainable water supply planning.
Since the 1970s, rainfall in the southwest of
Western Australia has decreased by some 19
percent – however stream flows to Perth’s
drinking water dams has decreased much more
dramatically. Water Corporation planned for the
future through its Water Forever plans, which
adopts a three-pronged approach that includes
working with the community to reduce water
use, increasing the amount of water recycled, and
developing new water sources.
Now desalination provides about half (145
billion liters) of Perth’s water supply and it is the
first city in Australia to operate a Groundwater
Replenishment Scheme.
WW Water suppliers are trying to
meet increasing demands for water through
a variety of strategies – leak reduction,
conservation, water reuse, stormwater
harvesting – that could require a more
integrated approach. The report mentions
that water leaders are “exhibiting new levels
of leadership and political will.” Is this what’s
necessary to implement integrated solutions?
Sustainable Water Systems 21
Wallis-Lage We have to use a holistic
approach and look at the overall water supply
that includes raw water, used water, and even
stormwater. An interesting point raised in the
report is the shift away from looking for new
supplies to understanding that we have a lot
of water available to us. It can have different
quality, but we can clean it up, move it, store it,
and keep reusing it. This requires collaboration
because more reuse means the utility is selling
less water. This shouldn’t be a competition;
it should be complementary. Regional water
agency collaboration provides the opportunity
for holistic thinking: reusing water for beneficial
purposes versus wasting it as well as using
green infrastructure to capture stormwater
and replenish aquifers.
WW What are the prospects for regional
collaboration among US water districts?
Wallis-Lage A more holistic approach
based on watersheds that cross city, county, and
state lines should be used to drive our decision-
making on water supply issues. For example, the
Central Florida Water Initiative is a collaborative
water supply planning effort among three of
the largest water districts in the state. Their
holistic approach is based on a watershed and
not city, county, or other political boundaries.
I think we’re going to see more of this type of
collaboration in California and Texas.
WW In the US, some water utilities are
exploring alternative, collaborative financing
models such as public-private partnerships
(P3s) to fund the replacement of aging
infrastructure. In fact, the report says more
than 50 percent of respondents said they’d
consider a P3. Is there a growing acceptance
of P3s?
Wallis-Lage I think utilities are interested
in saying they would consider it, but considering
and doing it are two very different things. There
is a lot of dialogue, which is good, about how
a P3 works. Part of that educational process is
helping people understand the benefits it can
provide, such as being able to solve financing
and infrastructural modernization challenges
faced by utilities. New investments through P3s
can help utilities stabilize rates, optimize utility
assets, and/or upgrade services. Rates may
increase, but they probably won’t increase as
much because the delivery model and financing
structure are much more predictable in the long
term. P3s enable utilities to optimize their assets
or upgrade services through new assets. So costs
for utilities may be reduced due to improved
efficiencies from new technologies. A key element
in the education process is differentiating P3s
from privatization. With P3s, the utility retains
ownership and keeps operations staff. The P3 is a
mechanism that can help drive greater efficiencies
in the operation, equipment, and assets that are
owned by the utility.
WW Water suppliers are increasingly
engaging customers to increase awareness
about the true costs of water infrastructure.
How have these initiatives affected issues
such as rate increases and use of recycled
water for direct and indirect potable water?
Wallis-Lage In the past, public utilities
stayed out of the press. The accessibility of
more information and more instantaneous
World Water January / February 2018
22 Sustainable Water Systems

communication has changed the industry. Public

utilities are now engaging with the public to
communicate on infrastructure issues. The
utilities are helping the public understand the
services that utilities provide and that a great
deal of planning, infrastructure construction,
and asset maintenance goes into ensuring system
reliability to turn on the tap and flush the toilet.
Helping people understand the big picture of
water infrastructure – something we didn’t do as
proficiently in the past – makes a big difference.

WW Do you think you have seen

concrete results from that?
Wallis-Lage Yes. DC Water has made
major investments and incurred substantial rate
increases each year, but George Hawkins (former
general manager of DC Water) did a great job
of talking about why and the benefits for the
community. Water industry leaders have to help
people understand the why and get past the
emotion of rate increases. Sometimes you also
have to highlight the ramifications of not doing
it. During the recent recession, some utilities
deferred preventative maintenance and asset
investment. This led to asset failures such as pipe
breaks and water quality issues, and subsequently
rate hikes to cover the repair costs. The cost to
fix infrastructure in a crisis mode is multiple
times the cost of well-planned investments and
New urgency in adopting
timely maintenance.

WW Is there also a growing trend in

more and larger water reuse projects?
Wallis-Lage Yes. As I mentioned earlier,
we can’t afford to waste a drop. It is important
to remember that we still have responsibility
for environmental stewardship, so it isn’t as if
we are trying to reuse every drop and no longer
discharge to receiving streams to support aquatic
life or deplete reservoirs and adversely impact
recreational value. We need to be cautious
and remember there are a lot of touch points
with water. But there are reuse opportunities,
especially in coastal areas, for capturing water
– including wastewater and stormwater – and
keeping it within the community. Stormwater
can be a major water supply that should be
captured and used effectively to meet water
supply needs within a community. While not as
predictable as other resources, we still need to
make sure we are using stormwater effectively
rather than losing it to oceans or outside a given
watershed.
WW Financial concerns are not as
critical to water suppliers as in past years,
according to the report. Instead, has concern
about aging infrastructure risen in priority?
Wallis-Lage Yes. That’s part of what’s
changing, and I think it’s part of the answer.
Utilities realize that rate hikes ultimately have to
pay for the infrastructure and they are educating
their customers to understand the need for
investing in water infrastructure. The investment
isn’t a superfluous or extravagant spend, but
rather an investment to build sustainable and
resilient systems to ensure that multiple genera-
tions going forward have the quality of life that
we have.
The 2017 Black & Veatch Strategic Directions:
Water Industry Report is available for free
download from www.bv.com.
stormwater to strengthen
water resiliency
Andy Kwok, managing director at Black & Veatch Hong
Kong, shares his perspective with World Water on the
rising trend in advanced stormwater management by
utilities in the Asia Pacific region.
World Water According to the 2017
Black & Veatch Water Industry Report, utilities
in the Asia Pacific region are investing in
advanced stormwater management strategies
to improve water resource resilience and
overall sustainability. What factors are driving
this infrastructure investment?
Andy Kwok The Asia Pacific region has
been developing rapidly over the past decades.
The pace of urbanization, particularly in Asia,
is phenomenal. By 2025, it is projected that 21
of the world’s 35 megacities (with populations
more than 10 million) will be in Asia.
Most readers are generally aware of China’s
economic and urban growth. We are also seeing a
rising middle class and rapid urban development
throughout Southeast Asia. The Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as an
economic block, ranks as one of the largest
economies in the world and is supported by
favorable demographics. These factors attract Above: Vortex intake
and drive investment in infrastructure, including Top right: Bottom rack intake
stormwater management, as many cities in the Photos by Drainage Services Department of
Hong Kong
region are facing intense rainfall duration. Top: Glenn Chan and Andy Kwok (right) at Happy
City planners and citizens see opportunities Valley Underground Stormwater Storage Scheme
and constraints from the continuous rapid Photo by Black & Veatch

January / February 2018 World Water


urban development. Along with other utility
infrastructure, roads, office buildings, and public
spaces, drainage and stormwater infrastructure
are competing for space.
Land is priced at a premium whether in
established cities like Hong Kong or in adjacent,
emerging cities like Shenzhen. This economic
reality can be a catalyst to innovative approaches
to stormwater management. Equally, there is
growing awareness and understanding that
advanced stormwater management strategies
can improve water resource resilience and over-
all sustainability.
WW Traditionally, water and sanitation
investment has lagged behind other infra-
structure priorities; however, this trend
could be changing. Is the new “urgency” in
adopting advanced, integrated stormwater
management strategies a positive cons
quence of the growing realization of the op-
portunities to increase water supply and im-
prove flood protection?
Kwok It is certainly a factor at play.
Potable water is a precious resource in our daily
life. The realization of the opportunities for
integrated water resources and flood protection
strategies enables a synergy for cost-saving in
terms of water being conserved in the facilities of
the water utilities while also mitigating flood risk.
Instead of the traditional approach to address
these items separately, integrated stormwater
management is being explored to achieve
sustainability in most cities.
However, I believe the urgency around invest-
ment in stormwater management is driven by the
fact that many of the solutions of yesterday can
no longer be applied for tomorrow. Patterns and
experiences of intense rainfall are shifting where
what we would term technically as a 1-in-50 year
rainfall event is recurring more frequently.
Engineers are compelled to address climate
uncertainties through technologies, such as real-
time data monitoring and control similar to
SCADA. For example, we proposed the scheme
of installing a movable weir system at the Happy
Valley Underground Stormwater Storage Scheme.
Climate change drives stormwater
innovation in Hong Kong
In December 2017, engineering consultancy
Black & Veatch was awarded first prize for
Construction Sustainability in the Construction
Industry Council Construction Innovation
Award 2017 in Hong Kong for its hydraulic
design concept: using vortex intakes to
manage urban stormwater.
In collaboration with Professor Joseph H.
W. Lee and the Drainage Services Department
(DSD) of the Government of the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region, the team
identified the opportunity to implement the
“upstream interception” scheme to relieve
flooding risks caused by rapid urbanization
and global climate change in the Northern
Hong Kong Island areas, including Causeway
Bay, Admiralty, Central, and Sheung Wan.
The key feature of the scheme was the
construction of the Hong Kong West Drainage
Tunnel (HKWDT) extending from Tai Hang,
an area southeast of Causeway Bay located
in the mid-north of Hong Kong Island, to an
outfall at Cyberport, in the west of the island.
The HKWDT was completed in 2012.
Central to the success of the HKWDT is
a vortex intake system situated 100 meters
below ground that efficiently and safely
intercepts high-speed turbulent flow from the
natural watercourses to a tunnel system.
Today, about 30 percent of the upland
stormwater runoff in the northern Hong Kong
Island is collected via 34 intakes into the main
tunnel for discharge to the sea.
It was critical that the design avoided the
high-velocity flow overshooting the intake
Operation of the weir takes into account the
water levels in the upstream and downstream
storm drains as well
as the tidal level. This allows stormwater to enter
the tank at the right time, not too early or too late.
If all of these factors are converging and,
critically, the solution reduces the overall cost, I
believe we will see the deployment of advanced
stormwater management solutions gathering
momentum.
WW Hong Kong’s award-winning Happy
Valley Underground Stormwater Storage
Scheme project is an example of how cities
are adopting advanced subsurface solutions
to manage intense rainfall and alleviate
flooding. Since its commissioning in March
2017, do you see momentum in terms of this
approach being replicated in other cities or
locations in the Asia Pacific region?
Kwok Many in academia and in overseas
public utilities have conducted visits and tours to
the under-construction and commissioned Happy
Valley Underground Stormwater Storage Scheme
over the past few years. In addition to being a
reference with the potential for replicating the
approach, the scheme also initiates innovation in
tackling flood risk in urban cities where space is a
major constraint for infrastructural development.
Sustainable Water Systems 23
structure and continuing its original path along
the watercourse to the downhill low-lying
urban area.
The team analyzed the inverse relationship
between the efficiency of the hydraulic
interception of the intake structure and the
flooding potential of the downhill urban area.
Inadequate intake designs could result in
unstable flows and excessive air entrainment
in the drop shaft, leading to formation of air
pockets and negative pressure in the tunnel.
Construction was carried out to minimize
the disturbance to surrounding residences
and businesses and the impact on the
local environment and landscape. When
constructing the low-flow drain or the dry
weather flow channel at the intakes to maintain
downstream flow in the dry season and
normal wet season, the team also considered
environmental factors that would enable the
ecology at the downstream watercourses
to be maintained.
The vortex intake system now sets a
standard for the hydraulic design of vortex
intakes and drops. The design guidelines were
documented in a 2009 paper, “Hydraulics of
Tangential Vortex Intake for Urban Drainage,”
and have been adopted by the industry.
The guidelines have since been applied to
the design of the Thames Tideway Tunnel in
London, England; London Mogden Sewage
Works; the Toronto – Don River and Central
Water Front in Canada; and the Singapore
Deep Tunnel Sewer System.
Each city’s challenge is unique, of course, and
cost is always a significant determining factor.
The project design was able to realize a number
of savings opportunities. For example, the
movable weir system enabled the volume of the
tank to be reduced by 25 percent, from 80,000
cubic meters (m³) to 60,000 m³. This reduction
translated into substantial time and capital cost
savings. There is also a significant reduction
in operation cost because the shallower tank
allows discharge of about one-third of the stored
stormwater by gravity without pumping.
WW Other approaches such as sponge
cities in China and retarding basins in
Singapore are being developed. How could
these help to optimize stormwater reuse?
Kwok Stormwater could potentially be
explored for reuse upon sampling and analytical
testing to examine the water quality. Our
recent projects on drainage master planning in
Hong Kong require the drainage improvement
proposals to incorporate sustainable drainage
systems (SuDs) to reduce the potential impact
of new and existing developments with respect
to surface water drainage discharges. These
components would involve the optimization of
stormwater reuse in order to achieve a reduction
in discharge to the adjacent receiving waters.
World Water January / February 2018
24 Asia Pacific Region
Japan’s Shibaura Water Reclamation Center (WRC) is changing public perceptions of
wastewater treatment in an urban environment. Brianne Nakamura of the Water Environment
Federation and Yuka Okabe and Yosuke Matsumiya of the Japan Sewage Works Association
report on how Tokyo is setting the pace for more sustainable infrastructure projects by
incorporating resource recovery from the WRC into a commercial skyscraper.
No space, no problem
Being innovative in an urban environment
Tokyo, Japan, might not always be thought of
as a leader in wastewater treatment innovation,
but with its growing population and dense urban
environment, Tokyo is in fact a great example
of a city where Water Reclamation Centers
(WRCs) must remain proactive to ease the spread
of nationwide problems. Despite the limited
space and growing pressures of WRCs to fit into
residential and commercial communities, Tokyo’s
WRCs, such as the Shibaura WRC, are finding
ways to adapt and improve the treatment of
wastewater in the nation’s capital.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, the
role of wastewater service in Japan has evolved.
In 1884, when the Tokyo Metropolitan Govern-
ment (TMG), which operates wastewater
services, laid the first sewer pipes in Tokyo, the
nation was dealing with a widespread chlorella
outbreak. At the time, the priority was to keep
the town clean by removing sanitary wastewater
and stormwater from houses and streets without
treatment, yet by the 1950s, rapid economic
growth with increasing population led to
severe water pollution. To restore a clean water
environment, several measures were taken such
as an amendment to the Sewerage Law together
with enactment of Water Pollution Control Law
in 1970. Also during this time, Tokyo started
looking at innovative measures including the
installation of recreational use space on WRCs’
rooftops in 1964.
Shibaura WRC: From slaughterhouse
to high rises
When the Shibaura WRC started its operation
in 1931, it was the third of Tokyo’s thirteen
WRCs to be developed. The WRC services
most of the Chiyoda, Chuo, Minato, Shinjuku,
and Shibuya wards as well as some parts of
the Shinagawa, Bunkyo, Meguro, Setagaya,
and Toshima wards of Tokyo. Originally
designed at a modest 190,000 cubic meter per
day (m3/d) capacity, the WRC greatly reflected
the Southern region of Shinagawa Station at
the time, joining its industrial neighbors that
included a slaughterhouse and warehouses.
Beyond these, much of the land in the Shinagawa
area was owned by the national railway agency
since the Shinagawa Station was one of the
January / February 2018 World Water
two train stations when the first train service
began in Japan in 1872. When the rail agency
became privatized in 1984, the land around the
Shinagawa Station began to develop rapidly,
both commercially and residentially, as the area
around Shibaura WRC quickly began to absorb
into Tokyo’s central business district (CBD).
In 2003, when the bullet train was introduced
to the Shinagawa Station, it triggered another
development boom, which included a surge in
high rises and headquarters of corporations,
including Sony Corporation, which sits just
across the road from the Shibaura WRC.
With the boom in redevelopment in the area,
the Shibaura WRC was challenged with fitting
into its new urban environment. Gone was
the ability to expand the WRC, even with the
pressure to complete necessary upgrades at the
facility including upgrading from secondary
treatment to nutrient removal, controlling
combined sewer overflow (CSO), rehabilitating
old assets, and adopting resource recovery.
Harmonizing with the community
In an effort to maximize the existing 20-hectare
site and 830,000-m3/day capacity, the WRC
installed a rapid filtration system for clarification
and CSO control in 2002. Additionally, the depth
of clarifiers and aeration tanks had been doubled
from 5 meters (m) to 10 m since 1974. Space,
however, is not the only problem Shibaura WRC
is facing; with the growing number of neighbors,
the WRC has been challenged not only to fit in
but also to harmonize with the community.
In downtown Tokyo,
developers must use
either reclaimed water or
harvested stormwater.
Right: The Shinagawa Season Terrace and the
covered Shibaura WRC reaction tanks. Photo by
JSWA, Yuka Okabe
 Asia Pacific Region 25

46,000
The amount (m2) of park and recreational space
Shibaura WRC has provided to the community
since 1980.

4,900
The amount (m3) per day of reclaimed water
that is supplied to 72 buildings throughout a
part of Tokyo’s central business district from
Shibaura WRC as of 2016.

A view of the second park provided at the Shibaura

WRC. The park sits above the facility’s sedimentation
and reaction tanks. Photo by JSWA, Yuka Okabe

Close neighbors and odor control

With a growing number of commercial and
residential high rises surrounding the Shibaura
WRC, the plant began transporting all sludge
via pipeline in 2008 to the nearby Nanbu Sludge
Treatment plant, which is located in an industrial
zone. By relocating all the sludge produced, it
eliminated some of the concerns about odors.
In addition to the removal of sludge, the WRC
has made tremendous efforts to minimize odors
by covering much of the facility. The entire WRC
is covered except for the final clarification tanks,
including the grit chambers, which are deep
underground and housed with deodorization,
and the clarification and reaction tanks, which
are covered with deodorization. One of the most
recognizable features of Shibaura is the kawaii or
“cute” deodorization cover of the facility’s main
reaction tanks, which includes an image of Earth-
kun, the mascot for the Bureau of Sewerage
Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Some of
the covered areas also have reinforced concrete
platforms, which are used to provide recreational
space to the community. With the reduction of
odors from the facility coverings and removal
of sludge, patrons can enjoy the park spaces
and not worry about a smelly WRC.

Park and recreation spaces

One of the most important aspects of blending
in with the community is gaining the under-
standing of the public. At the request of the
Tokyo community, Shibaura WRC provides
green park and recreational spaces for the
community to use.
Similar to many cities, green space is a scarcity
in Tokyo, and by offering recreational use
space, the addition of green spaces has helped
the Shibaura WRC not only leave a positive
impression on the community but also help
others better understand the importance of
wastewater systems.
Since 1980, Shibaura WRC has provided
46,000 square meters (m2) of park and
recreational space to the community, which sits
above the facility’s reaction and sedimentation
tanks. Opened in 1980, the first two parks
included seasonal blooming flowers, trees, a
sports field, and a dog-walking path. In 1988, a

World Water January / February 2018

26 Asia Pacific Region
third recreational area was opened and included
both tennis and futsal courts. The final section,
which was recently opened in 2015, included a
large park with fountains and botanical gardens
of wetlands and hills. This area used reclaimed
water from the WRC for irrigation, and while
the park property is located on the Shibaura
WRC grounds, all of its maintenance and
operation are the responsibility of the Park
Authority of Minato Ward. The parks are open
year-round, typically from early morning to the
evening, allowing the community to enjoy the
space freely.
Skyscraper built on a WRC
When a redevelopment policy that included a
section on environmental friendliness was issued
for Shinagawa, the TMG was approached by a
developer to build the Shinagawa Season Terrace,
a 32-story skyscraper above the Shibaura WRC
combined sewage overflow (CSO) storage tank.
Completed in 2015, the Shinagawa Season
Terrace is 160 m high and 210,000 m2 in total
floor area. The building includes two under-
Table 1: Table of Shinagawa Season Terrace project responsibilities
Design
Building Developer
CSO tank Developer
Reinforced Concrete TMG
platform
January / February 2018 World Water
Above: The first park business district from Shibaura WRC.
provided at the Shibaura Additionally, the air conditioning throughout
WRC sits above the facility’s Shinagawa Season Terrace is completely supplied
sedimentation and reaction
tanks and contains seasonal
by recovered wastewater heat. Located in the
blooming trees and flowers lower levels of the building, heat exchange
as well as a dog-walking pumps receiving secondary effluent from
path. Shibaura are used to heat and cool the building.
Left: The third recreational
area provided at the
These subtle resource recovery incorporations
Shibaura WRC is located from the WRC into a commercial skyscraper
above the facility’s present a great example of how Tokyo is striving
sedimentation and reaction to become a more sustainable city, and they
tanks, provides tennis
and futsal courts to the
have set the pace for more sustainable infra-
community. Photos by structure projects.
JSWA, Yuka Okabe
From “ick” factor to community member
ground stories and 32 stories of aboveground
While most WRCs are typically considered
office space, a restaurant, and clinical space. Just
“icky” facilities, Shibaura, like most WRCs
below the building sits the Shibaura WRC’s CSO
in Tokyo tries to give back to the community
storage tank, a big resource for an area with
by being completely odorless and providing
limited space and frequent overflow concerns.
public spaces, a rarity in high-density urban
With a capacity of 76,000 m3, the storage tank
environments. And with the addition of great
stores the first flush of wet-weather flow for the
educational outreach programs such as the
surrounding area.
Tokyo Sewerage Museum Rainbow and the
While the building and operation of the sky-
Shibaura Summer Festa, an educational day to
scraper is a joint effort between the developer,
help the community better understand the work
NTT Urban Development, and the TMG, aspects
of the WRC, the Shibaura WRC has recently
of the Shibaura WRC are evident throughout
received more visitors for learning purposes.
the building (see Table 1).
Such a response is a successful result of public
Throughout the building, reclaimed water
outreach and an investment in community
is used for toilet flushing and for landscape
friendliness by the WRC.
irrigation. The reclaimed water is produced
While the area surrounding Shibaura may
by polishing secondary effluent by a series of
seem completely developed, the TMG is already
processes, which include biological filtration,
thinking ahead for more ways to better integrate
ozonation, coagulation, and ceramic membrane
the WRC into the community. With the 2027
filtration. In downtown Tokyo, developers
arrival of the maglev train service between
must use either reclaimed water or harvested
Shinagawa and Nagoya, investment in land
stormwater. As of 2016, more than 4,800 m3
development is expected to accelerate, adding
per day of reclaimed water are supplied to 72
continuous pressure for the WRC to harmonize
buildings throughout a part of Tokyo’s central
with the neighborhood.
Authors’ Note
Operation Management Procurement Brianne Nakamura is a technical program mana-
Developer Developer Developer ger at Water Environment Federation, based
Developer TMG TMG in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. Both
Assistant Manager Yuka Okabe and Director
TMG TMG TMG
Yosuke Matsumiya work at the Japan Sewage
Works Association, located in Tokyo, Japan.
 Resource Recovery 27

Continued from page 15 treats wastewater. Furthermore, to help determine if recovering algae bioproduct sector, WRRFs
this new treatment strategy phosphorus is a viable option for a can successfully recover valuable
Another example of a potential decreased operating expenses by facility. It takes into account capital resources in a sustainable way, both
pivot in water resource recovery is 50 percent, saved 40 percent on costs, operation and maintenance environmentally and financially.
demonstrated by WE&RF project capital expenses, and reduced the costs, as well as non-monetary costs
titled “Producing Value-Added physical footprint of the facility by such as environmental and social Authors’ Note
Biopolymer from Methane Gas 75 percent. While these are very factors. WE&RF plans to release Lucie Novoveská is chief scientist
Generated by WRRFs.” In this encouraging results, more research another TERRY for evaluating at Industrial Phycology, a member
study, researchers from Mango is needed, and significant socio- carbon recovery in the near future. of the Algae Biomass Organization,
Materials investigated the possibility technological planning is required Additionally, WEF has and is located in Bristol, United
of using untreated biogas to pro- to make projects like these viable. developed three roadmaps on Kingdom. Morgan Brown is
duce biopolymers rather than energy, nutrients, and water reuse. technical programs manager, and
purifying biogas for other uses. Roadmaps to resource recovery These roadmaps help industry Barry Liner is chief technical officer
They concluded that biopolymer There are a number of resources decision-makers understand the and director of the Water Science
production could be more than available for WRRFs to evaluate the relevant issues pertaining to each and Engineering Center at the
three times more economical than feasibility of resource recovery for topic when considering resource Water Environment Federation,
converting to electricity and more their specific situation. WE&RF has recovery. By understanding the based in Alexandria, Virginia,
than two times more economical the Tool for Evaluating Resource failings of the algae biofuel industry United States.
than converting biogas to vehicle Recovery-Phosphorus (TERRY-P) along with the successes of the
fuel.
As technology advances and costs
come down, metal recovery and
biopolymer production could be-
come feasible ways to offset the cost
of recovering less profitable resourc-
es that are important to pursue in
the name of sustainability.
While metal recovery from
wastewater shows the highest
maximum opportunity in dollars
per kilogram, nutrient recovery
is significantly less profitable.
However, nutrient pollution
is widespread and global. All
municipal wastewater certainly
contains nutrients, and the US
Environmental Protection Agency’s
increasingly stringent guidelines
for nutrient discharge are driving
WRRFs to increase their efforts in
nutrient removal and, potentially,
recovery. Recovered nutrients can
serve as a marketable product
that feeds the internal revenue and
creates a circular economy for
wastewater treatment.
For example, the recovery of
phosphorus through struvite
(magnesium ammonium phosphate)
has been implemented globally at
full-scale installations by companies For further information please see the Advertiser Contact List on page 50
such as Ostara of Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada, and Multiform
Harvest of Seattle, Washington,
USA. Another prospective benefit
to nutrient recovery is the potential
to generate credits in watersheds
where water quality trading is used
to address nonpoint source nutrient
pollution. In these cases, WRRFs
can earn revenue for nutrient
reduction to complement the
product sales revenues.
Nutrient recovery can also be
coupled with other biological
processes to revolutionize waste-
water treatment. For example,
the Stoke Bardolph wastewater
treatment facility in the United
Kingdom replaced traditional
activated sludge treatment with
a three-stage biological process
that recovers phosphorus,
generates biogas, and efficiently

World Water January / February 2018

28 Asia Pacific Region
COP23: Preparing the world
for climate change
The global consultancy, Arup, developed a resilience index for Pacific Island Nations to
help decision-makers strengthen the ability of low-lying islands to protect residents and
infrastructure from the effects of climate change such as sea level rise. Mark Fletcher and
Jason Fairbairn of Arup, speakers at the United Nations 23rd Climate Change Conference,
explain how sea level rise is affecting these nations and the importance of efforts to
reduce their vulnerability by using the index and other actions.
The Prime Minister of Tuvalu spoke
a powerful message to world leaders
ahead of the gathering at the United
Nations 23rd Climate Change Con-
ference (COP23) last November, in
Bonn, Germany: “If we save Tuvalu,
we save the world.” Located in the
Pacific Ocean, midway bet-ween
Hawaii and Australia, Tuvalu is
fighting for its survival. With three
islands and six low-lying atolls, it
is facing rising tides, storm surges,
and more intense rainfall, which
threaten to sink the nation of 11,000
inhabitants in the next 20 to
50 years.
Small island nations across the
Pacific Ocean are all feeling the
impact of climate change driven
by the thermal expansion of water,
melting glaciers, and ice caps as
temperatures rise globally. Five
low-lying archipelagos in the Solo-
mon Islands have already been
submerged. It was, therefore, fitting
that Fiji should preside over COP23
in November. The Fijian presidency
provided the opportunity to voice
the vulnerabilities and challenges
facing Small Island Developing
States (SIDS) and other low-lying
coastal areas. Looking through a
climate change lens at the Pacific
Island Nations offers insight into
how this global challenge will be
felt locally, how communities and
cultures are facing overwhelming
odds, and how global momentum
needs to be built in order to enact
change.
One very important outcome of
the climate negotiations in Bonn
is the agreement to hold facilitative
dialogue known as the 2018 Talanoa
dialogue. Talanoa is a traditional
word used in Fiji and the Pacific to
reflect a process of inclusive and
participatory dialogue. It fosters
stability and inclusiveness by creat-
ing a safe space that embraces
mutual respect for a platform of
decision-making for the greater
January / February 2018 World Water
good. It will allow countries and Addressing water issues across having effects that include un-
non-state actors to share stories and the water cycle is key to adapting predictable rainfall, floods, and
showcase best practices in order to climate change and reducing the droughts. It remains clear that
to urgently raise ambitions for impact of water-related disasters. changes to our water environment
taking pre-2020 action. The aim Climate change contributes to and our cities are the primary areas
is ultimately to enable countries unpredictable rainfall, floods, and in which people will feel the global
to collectively move closer to the rising seas – and governments must effects of climate change. Unless
more ambitious Paris Agreement plan accordingly. Since climate water is properly addressed and
goal of keeping the rise in global change is not striking each part of considered, then the implementation
temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. the world at the same rate or in of any global climate agreement
the same way, many nations could will fail.
A resilience index for Pacific benefit by studying what is being At the COP22 talks, held during
Island Nations done by Fiji and other Pacific Island November 2016 in Marrakesh,
Homes to thousands of people, Nations. Morocco, a global climate action
many atolls are less than 5 meters water day was established to high-
above sea level. The changing Getting water on the agenda light the importance of water. Efforts
climate may have a catastrophic Climate change will be felt most were doubled at COP23, with a
effect on such local communities, strongly through its impact on the formal water day held on November
damaging their physical environ- water cycle. However, governments 10, 2017, as part of the non-state
ment, customs, and culture. Sea are yet to make water issues figure actor engagement mechanism of the
level rise coupled with storm surge is prominently into their nationally Marrakech Partnership for Global
about four times the global average determined contributions, their Climate Action (MPGCA). The
in parts of the Pacific Ocean. At the national adaptation plans, or other water day highlighted the innovative
same time, rising seas threaten to United Nation Framework Conven- work that is being done by the water
ruin freshwater supplies for some tion on Climate Change (UNFCCC) community and facilitated oppor-
communities. To allow decision- programs. tunities for increased collaboration
makers to better understand the Climate change increases the moving forward. The sessions were
impact, Arup has developed a intensity and frequency of natural focused on exploring the critical
resilience index to focus action and disasters and water-related crises, links between water and the global
support on improving the resilience
of low lying Pacific Island Nations
to sea level rise.
The detailed work of producing
the index enables others to under-
stand this vulnerability at a high
level, with the primary objective of
helping to increase the resilience of
the Pacific Island Nations. The index
provides insights into the challenges
and the complexity of the issues the
communities are facing, and it also
makes recommendations for further,
more focused research. Initial
review has suggested that a range
of different appropriate responses
exist, from hard and soft protection
to relocation. Understanding how to
work together to build the resilience
of nations such as Tuvalu can also
help other countries facing similar
flood situations – or drought – in
decades to come.
 Asia Pacific Region 29

climate adaptation, mitigation,
and finance agendas; knowledge
and capacity development; and
Sustainable Development Goals
2 and 11 that address hunger and
the sustainability of cities and
communities, respectively.
The inclusion of the water day
within the official thematic discus-
sions signaled progress. Outcomes
from the water day included three
short-term (2018) and three mid-
term (2020) priority objectives and
actions that could have significant
impact, all of which are captured
in Marrakesh Partnership Water
Action Day Outcomes. These deliv-
er concrete results that are aligned
with the long-term aims of the
Paris Agreement. The significance
of this outcome document is that it
will feed into the 2018 facilitative
dialogue through the work of the
Global Climate Action Champions.
At the high-level closing of the
Global Climate Action events, the
first Yearbook of Climate Action
was presented to UN Secretary-
General António Guterres. The
Yearbook captures the climate
actions of businesses, water,
investors, cities, regions, and civil
society, demonstrating that non-
party stakeholders are steadily
progressing to achieve the central
goal of the Paris Agreement. The
Yearbook will play a central role in
ensuring that the Talanoa dialogue
– within which governments will
evaluate progress on the long-
term goal of the Paris Agreement
– successfully signals enhanced
international ambition.
across the water cycle – both in
terms of protecting against water
damage and in maintaining fresh
water quality and quantity.
However, there is no guar-
anteed solution to protect cities
from changes to the water cycle.
Adaptation to sea-level rise, particu-
larly to the risk of flood and storm
surges, will require parties from
across the private and public sec-
tors to come together and cooper-
ate. A variety of interventions are
possible, ranging in approach from
the following strategies: protect and
adapt, accommodate and recover,
and retreat.
Protect and adapt: This strategy
most commonly relies on structural
approaches that are designed to re-
duce the risk of an event by decreas-
ing the likelihood of it occurring.
Examples include hard or natural
flood defenses.
Accommodate and recover:
This approach looks to human
behavior or infrastructure to reduce
the impact of sea-level rises while
maintaining the use of coastal
areas. Examples include land use
planning, implementing targeted
building codes, and managing
water demand.
Retreat: As sea level rises and
flood risk increase, evacuation or
relocation away from coastal areas
is likely to become an increasingly
necessary adaptation choice. Many
cities will need to decide to retreat
from certain locations or relocate
particular assets.
Investing in both infrastructure
and capacity development to
improve access to safe drinking
water and sanitation as well as
increase water-related disaster
preparedness will lead to healthier
and more prosperous communities.
For many, a combination of all
three strategies will be required. For
those exposed to water shortages,
consideration of short- to long-term
actions, including water rationing
and desalination, place their own
demands on citizens.
Establishing a City Water
Resilience Framework
With support from The Rockefeller
Foundation, a US-based foundation
set up to “promote the well-being of
humanity throughout the world,”
Arup is establishing a framework
to help cities better prepare for and
respond to possible shocks and
stresses to their water systems. The
first phase, due to run until January
2019, will see the development
of the City Water Resilience
Framework (CWRF), giving cities
of all sizes a guide to understanding
and measuring the resilience of their
water systems. The ambition is to
create a global standard for water
resilience assess-ment to inform
planning and invest-ment decisions.
The framework will recognize
the complexity and scale of urban
water systems and consider all
elements of the water cycle. The
aim is to increase the influence of
cities in driving change and bringing
together stakeholders from across
a water basin area to deliver better
outcomes.
The project is aligned with the
City Resilience Index (CRI),
developed by Arup in conjunction
with The Rockefeller Foundation.
The CRI articulates the resilience
of an urban system in an accessible,
evidence-based, and measurable
way so as to inform planning,
development, and investment
decisions.
With these initiatives and others
like them that provide opportunities
for sharing experiences and solutions
through dialogue and action, the
world is becoming better prepared
for a changing climate.
Author’s Note
Mark Fletcher is the global water
leader of Arup. Jason Fairbairn
is a water resources and climate
specialist at Arup, both are based
in London, United Kingdom.

Building urban water resilience

Cities are an important space for
focusing efforts to protect the
planet and people from the effects
of climate change. More than 50
percent of the world’s population
lives in urban areas, with an For further information please see the Advertiser Contact List on page 50
expected increase to 66 percent
by 2050. Because of the rapid
expansion of cities, water resources
are already under increasing stress.
Moreover, local authorities need
to incorporate greater resilience
and safeguard their citizens from
climate-related risks arising from
either too much, too little, or
contaminated water. Many at-risk
cities and towns are in low-lying
coastal locations, so flooding is
a direct threat to human life as
well as to the economic, social,
and environmental life of these
communities.
Twenty mega-cities located on
seacoasts or within delta systems
are predicted to grow to a combined
population of greater than 420
million people by 2030. For this
reason, it is critical for urban areas
to consider their resilience to change

World Water January / February 2018

30 Asia Pacific Region
Biosolids reduction must
be first priority
Source reduction is the first step toward achieving a circular economy. A partnership between
the Hoyo Group in China and the US company Drylet, creator of an innovative biocatalyst
solution that reduces sludge volumes by 50 percent, is helping Chinese cities such as Nanjing
to cost effectively improve wastewater management. Drylet CEO Luka Erceg explains.
An entire industry has sprouted
to provide solutions for managing
sludge. The circular economy
approach has been guiding efforts
to convert that waste stream
into a resource stream for energy
generation, agricultural compost,
and other applications. Extracting
nutrients from biosolids is an
important part of the wastewater
treatment equation, but it is a long
way from a complete solution. The
2017 edition of the United Nations
World Water Development Report,
“Wastewater: The Untapped
Resource,” points out that only
5 to 15 percent of the available
nitrogen in wastewater can be
recovered. Despite significant
technological advances in nutrient
recovery, the report shows that
business opportunities remain
limited, primarily due to lack of
markets. Reuse can’t be the first line
of defense when there’s too much
waste to handle.
Low nutrient recovery and low
demand combined with over-
whelming volumes lead to the vast
majority of wastewater sludge
ending up in landfills, where it emits
greenhouse gases (GHG). About
half of the sewage sludge produced
in the United States is landfilled – a
large financial and environmental
price that is unsustainable, with
hauling transportation costs and
landfill tipping fees in addition to
their associated GHG emissions. In
Europe, up to 80 percent of sludge
is dumped in landfills or fields, or it
is incinerated. Reuse is insufficient
for the problem it’s charged with
remedying.
The waste management hierarchy
is a guiding principle of industry,
yet the current circular economy
approach ignores its foundation:
source reduction is the best first
step. Minimizing the amount of
biosolids that need to be processed
reduces strain on infrastructure and
addresses the root of the escalating
problem. As the global population
continues to grow, the volume of
January / February 2018 World Water
Cities such as
Nanjing will
facilitate a 100
percent diversion
of biosolids.
biosolids produced will continually
exceed the world’s capacity to reuse.
There is no more prescient example
than China, a country whose
population is at 1.5 billion and
growing, and whose wastewater
management issues are intensifying.
Chinese cities adopt reduction
strategy
China’s wastewater treatment
industry generates 22 million
tons of sludge every year, which
overwhelms its processing capacity.
In fact, in 2013, Beijing’s largest
wastewater treatment plant was
illegally dumping its biosolids
waste in the city’s outskirts, a
problem replicated in other large
urban areas such as Guangzhou,
Shenzen, and Shanghai. China
has since taken steps to address its
biosolids dumping problem. The
city of Xiangyang in Central China
is one of the few Chinese cities to
build a biogas plant to generate
energy from organic waste such
as biosolids. This is a great first
step, but most municipalities don’t
have the financial resources or
infrastructure available to turn all
of their biosolids into energy.
For this reason, cities in China
are starting to see reduction as a
primary biosolids management
strategy and embracing innovations
that help them implement it. The
Nanjing Hoyo Municipal Utilities
Investment Administration Group
took steps toward making source
reduction a priority by signing a
partnership with Drylet to create a
joint venture to distribute in China
their proprietary biocatalyst, which
is manufactured in the United
States. The biocatalyst boosts
nature’s processing power with
a protective substrate for sludge-
eating microbes, reducing biosolids
volumes by up to 50 percent. These
biocatalysts provide 12 football
fields of solid area covered with
microbes per pound of product,
offering 100 times the colony-
forming units per gram compared
to a liquid culture. Protected by the
substrate, the microbes reproduce
at an accelerated rate, feeding off
the organic waste in a frenzy, and
converting solids into water and
gas. By changing the microbial
environment at the wastewater
treatment plant with effective, non-
toxic enhancements for activated
sludge, the Aqua Assist product is
an alternative to harsh chemicals,
which helps customers shrink their
environmental footprint without
capital investment.
China’s latest 5-year plan
identified wastewater treatment as
a top priority, and new regulations
are increasing demand for tech-
nologies including biological denitri-
fication and membrane filtration
that support or integrate into waste-
water treatment. Drylet’s intro-
duction to the Chinese market
started through a United States
Department of Commerce water-
focused mission in June 2017,
when the company began sharing
its approach to biosolids reduction.
The partnership with the Hoyo
Group was formalized during
the US trade mission to China in
November 2017, which invited 29
US companies, including Drylet,
among the 100 that applied to
accompany Commerce Secretary
Ross and President Trump to
Beijing.
Based in the second largest
city in the east region of China,
Hoyo takes a holistic approach to
urban planning, specializing in low
carbon, intelligent construction
and operation of municipal
infrastructure throughout the
country. Hoyo sees the power of
reduction as a sustainable solution
and has also committed to joining
Drylet as an equity investor. As part
of its strategic relationship, Hoyo
is setting up trials with Drylet’s
Aqua Assist product at the Nanjing
wastewater utility, which fits into
the organization’s larger strategy.
Hoyo is the leading public-private
partnerships (PPP) player in the
Chinese municipal utilities market
and is actively expanding its PPP
platform to include innovative
technologies as water and
wastewater treatment demand
throughout the country becomes
more acute. Drylet’s partnership
with Hoyo is expected to generate
tens of millions of dollars in annual
revenues in China and will help to
address the remediation of sewage
treatment plants, lakes, rivers, and
other public water projects.
While treating waste as a
resource helps create a closed
loop system, the reality is that
reduction is the first step to
keeping waste out of landfills.
The endorsement of Drylet’s
wastewater remediation technology
by the Hoyo Group speaks
volumes about China’s readiness
to embrace innovative solutions
to managing its growing waste
problems. Cities such as Nanjing
that adopt a combined approach
of reduction and recycling will
facilitate a 100 percent diversion
of biosolids. Wastewater utilities
need to start embracing the policies
and technologies that stop waste
volumes from becoming an issue
in the first place.
Author’s Note
Luka Erceg is the
president and chief
executive officer of
Drylet, Inc., based
in Houston, Texas,
United States.

Global problem, self-sustaining solutions
In the first of a two-part feature, author Marie Roberts De La Parra examines communities
most affected by inadequate access to water and sanitation to gain a better understanding
of how their needs can be addressed through self-sustaining solutions.
Sanitized water that’s affordable, fresh, and
clean is, unfortunately, not accessible to all.
Underserved and marginalized communities
around the world have inadequate access to
water that is vital for their health, hygiene,
sanitation, and well being. Understanding
the needs and challenges specific to these
communities can provide insight into developing
and implementing self-sustaining solutions. It
would also help all stakeholders to address the
needs of communities facing water hardships
caused by contaminated water and climate effects
such as drought and floods, inadequate water
and sanitation, and financial limitations.
Who is affected?
Native American, urban, and rural communities
in the United States (US) are affected by the
lack of access to clean water, with many in the
mainstream population unaware of this situation
and its effects on health and living conditions.
Tribal communities face significantly greater
water system issues – up to 60 percent higher –
than non-tribal communities.
A News21 investigation of 680,000 water
quality and monitoring violations from the
United States Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) reports that “as many as 63 million people
have been exposed to potentially unsafe water
more than once during the past decade” in the
US. In a PBS report dated August 1, 2017, it
was confirmed by Environmental Science and
Technology Letters that water in the US city of
Flint, Michigan, suffered from orthophosphate
contamination, which keeps toxic lead stuck to
pipes and causes potential issues for approxi-
mately 100,000 residents. The limits placed on
access to sanitized running water are a primary
source of discontent for US residents. Some of
the affected communities include those within
the states of Alaska, California, Michigan,
Texas, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Chicago, and
Louisiana, to name a few.
In Canada, indigenous populations face
chronic water needs, and in Australia, Aborigine
communities are greatly affected by the
redirection of water flows that have a sacred
connection to native Australian populations.
To the Aborigine community, water is a
foundational aspect of spiritually as well as
a life-sustaining commodity.
As of 2016, China’s population was at 1.379
billion, with one-third of its citizens in rural
communities having no access to piped water
supply. A large percentage of China’s water
resources is used for agricultural irrigation
of rice, wheat, potatoes, tomato, sorghum,
peanuts, tea, millet, barley, cotton, oilseed,
and soybeans. Annual water use per person
in China is approximately 440,000 liters in
comparison to the norm for most communities
in the US at 1.8 million liters per person. Water
usage is for personal, agriculture, and industrial
consumption.
In West Africa, communities are under
tremendous stress to address water capacity gaps,
sanitation, hygiene, and potable water needs.
According to 2015 US Agency for International
Development statistics, 2,243 water boreholes
are needed to improve the quality of life of West
African communities that range in size from
75 to 2,000 people.
Furthermore, a 2017 World Bank study
reports that in Latin America and the Caribbean
region, 21 million of the 33 million people with-
out access to a source of improved drinking
water live in rural areas.
Water supply issues are also evident in other
locations across the globe. Communities in both
Brazil and India lack access to toilets and face
high water consumption. While water sources
dry up in Iraq, communities are confronting
a severe water shortage that is growing and
expanding in the region. Ninety-eight percent of
Iraq’s water comes from two rivers, which are
being impacted by regional issues of declining
water quality.
Such communities are not waiting for the
local municipality to come repair a broken
pipeline, nor do they represent neighborhoods
that have an organized structure for delivering
fresh, clean, and sanitized water from the spigot.
These communities are rather waiting for
environmentally sound designs that will increase
water resource capacity building. As reported by
Andrea Sospenzo, an outreach assistant from the
EPA’s Environmental Finance Center (EFC), some
underserved communities within the US have
been waiting more than 40 years to get water
connections with some of these communities
inhabited by African Americans, such as those
living in the Roger-Eubanks community in North
Carolina. EFCs provide technical assistance
to communities to improve their wastewater,
drinking water, and stormwater systems through
innovative financing and increased resiliency to
climate change.
Water and Sanitation 31
The local and regional concerns of each of
these communities align with the global need
for water investment mechanisms to bind
communities together with a synchronizing
critical desire for collaborative leadership.
Who’s in charge?
Stakeholders with each of these communities
have similar players: the government, local
organizations, the general public, community
members, neighboring communities, cynics,
politicians, landholders, policy-makers,
industry groups, private investors, non-profit
organizations, the educational arena, donors,
volunteers, community partners, health
advocates, and the individuals and families
affected by the lack of access to clean water.
Due to already limited lack of resources,
underserved and marginalized communities in
rural and urban communities have an ongoing
battle in achieving leadership to make a positive
long-term change that is also transformative and
sustainable across generations.
With 4.5 billion people who lack proper
hygienic water systems worldwide, and another
2.1 billion people without access to clean
sanitized drinking water, the prospect of illness
and disease looms on. According to US Center
for Disease Control and Prevention 2013-2014
records, 361,000 children under the age of 5 died
from unclean water-related conditions. These
cases are brought on by such diseases found in
contaminated waterways including hookworm,
diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, Hepatitis A,
typhoid, Legionella, Cryptosporidium,
Pseudomonas, and Giardia.
Addressing needs
For those living across the globe within
underserved, marginalized, or low-wealth
communities, the issues of water access, water
affordability, sanitation, and hygiene are a reality
of life. Many people unaffected by water scarcity
may not be aware of or understand the true
effects of those living without access to clean
accessible water. The importance of meeting
the needs of vulnerable groups still struggling
to gain access to clean water through self-
sustaining strategies in the 21st century cannot
be overstated. When life-sustaining needs go
unmet, a community can develop feelings of
abandonment and also feel the ache of being
left behind economically and socially while
dealing with water insecurities.
Engaging in transformative mechanisms
Innovative collaborative mechanisms, strategies,
and tools for accessing water are helping to
empower people in underserved, marginalized
communities. They include program designs
such as those presented by the Consortium of
World Water January / February 2018
 32 Water and Sanitation

International Agricultural Research Centers
(CGIAR) Research Program on Water, Land,
and Ecosystems, including the report “Six
ways to increase productivity of flood-based
farming systems,” the sourcebook Water-Smart
Agriculture in East Africa, and the Soil Organic
Carbon App, to name a few.
The World Resources Institute compiled a
report on the top 36 countries facing factors
indicating high water stress. The top 10 shown
on its list, with a baseline water score of 5 being
the highest, include Antigua and Barbuda,
Bahrain, Barbados, Camaros, Cyprus, Dominica,
Jamaica, Malta, Saint Lucia, and Qatar. These
water-stressed countries are also among those
of the 100 countries that the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works with to
improve water access and water quality. The
UNICEF website provides an interactive map
of countries with water insecurities, showcasing
community water project developments and
improvements. Notably, UNICEF partners
collaborate and receive donations around
the world from sources including businesses,
foundations, faith-based entities, civil society
organizations, and private donors, among others.
The US-based nonprofit organization Global
Communities provides low-income families in
developing communities with access to affordable
and sustainable clean water, a toilet, and
assistance with sanitation and hygiene practices
for disease resistance. Its water, sanitation, and
hygiene program, WASH, administrates regional
program management in a variety of ways from
providing environmental mitigation measures
to directing provision of small-scale water
systems and offering education on safe water
handling and safe water storage development,
in addition to other programs. Some locations
where programs have been established include
Honduras, Ghana, Liberia, Yemen, South Sudan,
Rwanda, and Kosovo.
In Ontario, Canada, the government is
working with First Nations peoples, local native
tribes, on a water program pilot to address
water solutions that are equitable, viable, and
sustainable. The program provides technical
feedback and advice to the Tribal Councils from
communities of the Anishinabek Nation, the
Nishnawbe Aski Nation, and the Grand Council
Treaty 3 – an important step in developing a
self-sustaining community effort.
Conclusion
Many water initiatives, projects, infrastructure
developments, and efforts are underway to
assist some of the 4 billion people worldwide
who are dealing with the affl iction brought on
by the lack of water for basic living needs. Given
the magnitude of vulnerable communities in dire
need, a multi-dimensional approach that relies
on knowledge sharing platforms, skill develop-
ment, capacity-building practices, and training
programs is indispensable. Water affordability,
sanitation, and hygiene need a call to action for
solutions that capture viable, long-term options.
The most benefi cial outcomes that can and must
be established will demonstrate the power of
self-sustaining, self-suffi cient, and self-reliant
communities working together to make a
transformational, generational change.
Author’s Note
Marie Roberts De La Parra is the founder and
president of the not-for-profit organization Terra
Green CDC, based in Alameda, California,
US. The author founded the organization with
the aim to provide sustainable green capacity
building opportunities for under-served, low-
wealth, rural and urban communities. Roberts
De La Parra has a Master of Arts degree in
Community Development Policy and Practice
from the University of New Hampshire, US.
Currently, she is pursuing a Doctorate of
Education in Organization and Leadership
at the University of San Francisco, California.
Complete references are available upon request.
Part 2 of this article will focus on programs
and policies that address the increasing need to
develop and improve access to water supply
and sanitation services in underserved,
marginalized communities.
References
1. Beheler, L. K. (2017, August 14). Troubled Water, Native
American tribes fight for clean water and more money. Retrieved
from News 21: https://troubledwater.news21.com
2. Agnel Philip, E. S. (2017, August 14). 63 million Americans
exposed to unsafe drinking water. Retrieved from USA Today:
https://www.usatoday.com
3. Mohamed Abd-El-Mooty, R. K. (2016, November 1). Challenges
of Water Resources in Iraq. Retrieved from Hydrology: Current
Research: https://www.omicsonline.org
4. Sospenzo, A. (2015, November 10). The Challenge of Extending
Water Service to the Underserved. Retrieved from Environmentail
Finance Blog: http://efc.web.unc.edu
5. Munck, G. H. (2009). Fundamentalism. In G. H. Munck,
Globalization and Security (p.145). Santa Barbara, California;
Denver, Colorado; Oxford, England: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Helping your organization develop a preparedness

strategy to lessen the economic, environmental,
and social toll of disasters
For further information please see the Advertiser Contact List on page 50

Emergency Planning,
y
Response, and Recovery
Soft cover. 283 pages
Order No. P130002
Member Price: $99.00
List Price: $125.00

3 EASY WAYS TO ORDER

Online: www.wef.org/ShopWEF
Call: 1.800.666.0206
Email: pubs@wef.org

January / February 2018 World Water

 Customer Service 33

Power of efficiency reaps

benefits in utility operations
When implemented in utility back-office operations, cloud-based, Software as a Service (SaaS)
technologies provide significant benefits to community water systems, including increased
revenue, reduced costs, and more satisfied customers, according to FATHOM CEO Trevor Hill.

The American industrialist Henry of surface and/or groundwater, Back-office supply chain has allowed the automotive industry
Ford, founder of the Ford Motor treating, and delivering potable The operation of individualized to improve production times,
Company, was a master of ingenu- water to more than 291 million back-office systems in the water reduce costs, improve margins, and
ity when it came to understanding people, each with its own networks, sector remains one of the most increase reliability. Automotive
how to create a complex machine systems, and processes – including financially inefficient processes in giants focused on their unique core
rapidly, reliably, and at minimum unique back-office activities such the industry, with many functioning skills: designing, assembling, and
cost. Starting in 1908, the original as customer service, billing, and at the extreme end of the so-called marketing vehicles. This approach
Ford assembly lines ingested raw administrative processes. diseconomies of scale spectrum. is, indeed, a key factor in managing
materials and out popped complet- Part of this approach is structural: In the US water sector, most water excellence in organizations: creating
ed Model T’s. Notwithstanding the water will always remain heavy utilities simply lack the scale the environment that allows staff
process efficiency generated by this and expensive to transport across necessary to be efficient at these to focus on what they are great
innovation, it was also a response large distances, accounting for the processes. While large utilities may at while investing in systems and
to the fact that there were no well- extreme localized nature of the have the resources and transaction services that serve to support them
developed supply chain and services water utility business. Despite this, volume necessary to support in non-core activities.
markets at the time, and the do-it- the concepts currently employed investment in modernized tools to The corollary is that entities
all manufacturing process filled in maximizing manufacturing achieve a measure of efficiency in are rarely experts in everything.
this gap. efficiency can still be leveraged to this area, that scale of operation Certainly, car manufacturers do not
make utility processes significantly is an anomaly in the water sector: make their own central processing
56,000 assembly lines better. Recent revolutions in service 99.5 percent of community water units (CPUs) for circuit cards. They
The automotive industry has business models, combined with systems serve less than 100,000 outsource that activity, holding
evolved materially from that cen- the adoption and conformity to people. At this scale, real efficiency the supplier to specific, clear, and
tralized control model to encompass industry-derived best business is often impossible to achieve. enforceable service levels and
a vast supply chain with a myriad practices and the increasing This situation is exacerbated as quality standards. The combination
of parts and services suppliers and a acceptance of cloud-based services, the financial pressures associated of professional expertise – allowing
massive investment in automation. mean that water utilities can enjoy with declining revenue, increased for specialization in business roles
The original Ford assembly line the benefits of highly functioning costs, and increasing customer – means businesses can focus on
concept, however, is not too far back-office tools that increase expectations place greater pressure their core strategic advantages and
from where the United States (US) revenue, decrease water loss, and on current and future budgets. augment those value propositions
water industry is today. The US delight customers at costs that with the help of key suppliers. The
water utility sector has more than are substantially lower than they Do what you do well result is an even greater offering for
56,000 community water systems pay today by doing these services Evolving from a do-it-all mentality customers – and better business.
operating as do-it-all assembly lines: themselves. to a modernized supply system The core objective for water
taking in raw materials in the form supported by professional services utilities is providing clean, safe,

The True Cost of Billing The Business Case for Modernizing Billing

25.00
Cost of Billing Process – per Connection per Month (USD)

Diseconomies of Scale Spectrum

Business-as-Usual costs (Budgeted)

20.00
Cost of Billing Process

15.00 Cost savings

10.00
FATHOM Billing Services

5.00
Infrastructure Finance Cost

1,000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000

0 1,000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000 Municipality Size (Connections)
Municipality Size (Connections)

Average Cost for Municipalities FATHOM Services

Average Cost for Municipalities Infrastructure Finance Cost

World Water January / February 2018

 ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH
www.wef.org/wer SEPTEMBER 2015

W PUBLISHED BY THE WATER ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION

Ann In
nvaluable Learnin
ng Tool
Early Online Access to
o Research h
Sttreamlined Process Means Mo ore Tiimely Research
Conne ection to
o WEF’s Vast Waterr Univeerse
e
Papers From th he Water Sector’s
s Top Visionaaries

1.800.666.0
0206 / www.wef.o
org/WER
Requestt a FREE TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION
http://ingentacon
nnect.com
m/co
ontent/wef/trial
For further information please see the Advertiser Contact List on page 50
 Customer Service 35

reliable, and cost-efficient water
to their constituents. Meeting
this objective includes providing
the day-to-day communication
and outreach on managing water
volatility, resource sustainability,
infrastructure investment, and cost
containment. It does not mean that
water utilities are expected to be
experts in other specialized services,
such as infrastructure delivery, no
matter how closely they are tied to
the success of the business. In fact,
very few utilities employ dedicated
design engineers, surveyors,
con-struction crews, or own the
associated equipment to deliver
large-scale infrastructure projects.
Utilities outsource that activity to
professional service providers under
specific, clear, and enforceable
service levels and quality standards.
Despite the success in other ser-
vice areas, this concept has not
often been deployed on the softer
side of the utility business: the
back office of meter reading,
billing, customer service, customer
engagement, and other activities.
The primary reason for this
occurrence is the highly fragmented
nature of water utilities, which
has evolved a complex series of
insular systems and unique business
processes that have been historically
Very few utilities
employ dedicated
design engineers,
surveyors,
construction
crews, or own
the associated
equipment to
deliver large-scale
infrastructure
projects.
very difficult to consolidate.
Innovation in business models,
information technology, and
services offerings is changing this
landscape. Software as a Service
(SaaS) deployment methodologies,
cloud-based computational power,
storage, and networking integrated
with knowledge-based systems and
industry best practices are now
available that can drive efficiency
and cost savings – all with specific,
clear, and enforceable service levels
and quality standards.
Partnering for efficiency
Partnering with professionals for
non-core back-office activities can
generate cash from existing budgets
all while improving customer
engagement and satisfaction.
FATHOM, a leader in consolidation
of these back-office functions,
has demonstrated that accessing
professional expertise in the field
of back-office efficiency generates
enough increased revenue while
decreasing costs so as to be virtually
self-financing.
As an example, one of FATHOM’s
recent implementations in the City
of Cedar Hill, Texas, US, resulted
in an annual revenue increase of
US$426,000 per year (a 4.8 percent
increase) by improving the data
accuracy within the billing and
metering systems, ensuring that
all water usage is properly billed,
and reduced non-revenue water.
By adopting FATHOM, Cedar
Hill was also able to reduce meter
reading and billing costs by more
than $390,000 per year.
This combined $800,000 net
benefit could be leveraged at today’s
interest rates into more than $10
million dollars of investment.
Alternatively, it could be used to pay
down existing debt obligations or
be used to defer or completely offset
rate increases for the community,
or any combination thereof. The
investment in FATHOM offers
flexibility to the utility while
providing a guaranteed cost of
service and service level certainty
for 15 years, which delivers stability
in an era of great uncertainty in
utility finances.
Assembly line of the future
There is no doubt that decreasing
revenue, increasing costs, and
resource volatility will define
the operating environment for
water utilities in the future. These
factors will drive increasing
pressure on efficiency and financial
resourcefulness. The consolidation
of services through partners such
as FATHOM brings economies
of scale to the fragmented water
market where it is most effective
– the back office – which finds,
preserves, and augments revenue
while controlling costs. Utilities can
then focus on what they do best:
delivering safe, reliable, and cost-
efficient water.
Author’s Note
Trevor Hill is the chairman and
chief executive officer of FATHOM,
based in Phoenix, Arizona,
United States.

A complete overview of
stormwater fee programs from
inception to implementation
For further information please see the Advertiser Contact List on page 50

U
User-Fee-F
Funded
Stormw
S water Programs
s
S cover. 19
Soft 96 pa
pages | Order No. P130005
Member Price
M e: $6
$60.
0 00
0 | List Price: $75.00
O
Online: www
ww.wefef.org/ShopWEF
o
Call: 1.800.6
C 666.0206

World Water January / February 2018

Reference the Best for
Unparalleled Success.
Operation of Water Resource Recovery Facilities, MOP 11,
JT UIF POF BOE POMZ  EFmOJUJWF SFTPVSDF GPS XBUFS SFTPVSDF
SFDPWFSZQSPGFTTJPOBMT5IJTWBMVBCMFIPXUPHVJEFJTUIFLFZ
UPNBJOUBJOJOHDPNQMJBODF QFSGFDUJOHQSPDFEVSFT GPTUFSJOH
FRVJQNFOUFGmDJFODZBOEQPTJUJPOJOHZPVSGBDJMJUZBTBGBDJMJUZ
PG UIF GVUVSF "EWBODF ZPVS DBSFFS XIJMF ZPV FGGFDUJWFMZ
SFDPWFSWBMVBCMFSFTPVSDFTBOEDBSFGPSZPVSDPNNVOJUZ

Order Today:www.wef.org/MOP11
For further information please see the Advertiser Contact List on page 50

Mobile marketing advances
to benefit utility sector
A report published in December 2017 titled “The State of SMS’’ reveals how the utility sector
is set to benefit from advances in mobile marketing as the number of active mobile phone
users tops 5 billion globally for the first time. Jason Palgrave-Jones of Textlocal outlines
what’s happening in the United Kingdom and the opportunities arising from the trend.
In the United Kingdom (UK), the
number of active mobile phones in
circulation topped 80 million (m)
for the first time in 2017. This rate
of growth and density of mobile
phone ownership is mirrored across
the world, yet despite these findings
only 50 percent of UK organizations
surveyed are currently using short
message services (SMS) as part of
their communication strategies.
However, this precedent is set
to change. Using the UK as a case
study, the utility sector is expected
to see a 47-percent increase in
customers opting to receive text
messages from their preferred
suppliers by the end of 2020,
presenting significant business
opportunities.
Within the UK’s utility sector,
already more than 11.9 m custom-
ers have opted in to receive texts
from suppliers on service updates,
billing notices, or notification of
service issues. This figure is expected
to rise to 17.5 m by 2020, also put-
ting pressure on providers who are
not offering the communication
channel to their customers.
The opportunity is reinforced
by figures from Ofcom, the UK
communications regulating
authority, estimating that a
staggering 93 percent of the UK’s
population now owns a mobile
phone. Despite these findings,
only around half of organizations
surveyed are taking advantage;
however, that figure is expected to
grow to 92 percent by 2018.
The practice of organizations
messaging their customers directly
is steadily increasing and becoming
more mainstream, with some of
the most common reasons being
service updates (67 percent), order
confirmations (64 percent), and
personalized vouchers or offers (49
percent) – a trend that is expected
to grow in the utility sector.
The increasing popularity of SMS
communications is highlighted by
the fact that mobile users open 98
percent of branded or business-
related texts, with 90 percent being
read within 3 minutes of receipt.
The report goes on to explain
that 23.5 m people in the UK will
respond to a business text message
in 2018, with the most popular
uses including marketing offers or
confirmation of delivery schedules.
In total, more than 7 billion texts
will be sent this year alone.
A broader look at the SMS opt-in
audience reveals that consumers are
aware of the opt-in process and that
businesses can only communicate
with them with their permission.
More than 40 percent of users are
only opting to hear from their six
favored organizations, with only 4
percent sharing their details with
more than 10 businesses. Just over
a third (37 percent) were not aware
of how many businesses they had
opted to receive SMS notifications
from.
Rachel Aldighieri, managing
director of the UK’s Direct
Marketing Association, says, “It’s
clear that mobile marketing and
SMS is set to rise as UK consumers
remain intrinsically linked with their
phones. The medium is already
widely used for sending marketing
messages; however, as technologies
grow we expect to see an exponen-
tial rise in its use amongst businesses
and consumers.”
The report concludes with
showing the effectiveness of SMS
compared to mobile advertising
and social media platforms in
terms of performance, with SMS
achieving better responses whether
targeting recipients to download
an app, purchase goods online, or
even encourage them into a store
to make a purchase. In addition,
the results highlight that only 10
percent wanted to use Facebook
as a tool for interacting with
businesses.
In a further development,
organizations are now also able to
gain the most in-depth customer
insights to date through Survey
Logic, a mobile survey technology
that’s delivered directly via SMS.
The system, developed by Textlocal,
The UK utility sector is expected to see a
47-percent increase in customers opting
to receive text messages from their
preferred suppliers by the end of 2020,
presenting significant business
opportunities.
allows businesses to send more
complex surveys that are relevant
to customers and improving user
experience by automatically eradi-
cating any irrelevant questions.
Businesses will not only be able to
gather feedback from an experience
but also be able to provide custom-
ers with a straightforward means
of providing essential information,
such as preferred appointment times
or identifying issues with supply.
The research also suggests that
sending surveys relevant to their
customers via mobile helps build
relationships by emphasizing the
importance of listening to customer
opinions. The system also allows
for data capture fields with fixed
responses, such as single choice
drop-downs, multiple choice lists,
checkboxes, radio buttons, and
star ratings.
To help manage the growth in
mobile and SMS marketing, new
General Data Protection Regu-
lations (GDPR) are set to come
Customer Service 37
into force in Europe in May 2018.
This development will ensure that
businesses looking to engage in
SMS marketing are compliant and
have appropriate platforms and
permissions in place when doing so.
There’s no doubt that mobile
phones are now an intrinsic part
of everyday life, and the research
suggests that the organizations
that can best use a mobile phone’s
unique way of delivering messages
directly to a target’s hand are
those that are most likely to
benefit, whether through improved
marketing, service, or customer
communications.
Author’s Note
Jason Palgrave-Jones is the
managing director of the UK
company Textlocal, which
specializes in SMS marketing and
alerts platform software. A full
version of “The State of SMS”
report can be found by contacting
Textlocal at sales@textlocal.com.
World Water January / February 2018
 Proceedings

WEF Members: Gain complimentary access to Water

Environment Federation® Technical Exhibition and
Conference (WEFTEC®) and Specialty Conference
proceedings prior to 201.
Access thousands of papers written by the industry experts covering

Residuals Odors
Management

and Air
Watershed

and Biosolids Pollutants

Disinfection Collection
Energy

Stormwater Systems
Research and Innovation
Operations and Utility Management
Maintenance

The Proceedings of the Water Environment Federation is an archive of papers

published in the proceedings of the annual Water Environment Federation®
Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC®) and specialty conferences
held since 2000. Proceedings for recent WEF conferences are available for
purchase at www.wef.org/ShopWEF.

www.wef.org/proceedings
Not a WEF member? Visit www.wef.org/members to join.

For further information please see the Advertiser Contact List on page 50

Diamond electro-oxidation for
treatment of spent caustic
Boron-doped diamond electrodes designed into Siemens Water Solutions’ modular
Zimpro® Electro-oxidation (ZEO) treatment system helps produce a clean brine stream
that can be discharged or reused. Hossein Zarrin and Tim Mollart of Element Six explain
how the newly commercialized oxidation process has created new opportunities for
difficult-to-treat industrial wastewaters.
Most wastewaters that are more difficult to
treat are often high in chemical oxygen demand
(COD) and low in biodegradability. These
wastewaters, which are most often produced
by the petrochemical, fine chemical, refining,
and pharmaceutical industries, are also often
refractory, high in total dissolved solids (salts),
or are potentially toxic to biological processes.
Containing high COD values of greater than
10,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L), they may
additionally be highly odorous, present hazards
to operators, or produce foaming. The proble-
matic components in the wastewater can be
complex organics, halogenated organics,
reduced sulfur species, and/or nitrogen-
containing compounds.
Difficult to treat wastewaters are most often
addressed by using some form of advanced
oxidation process such as ozone, peroxide, or
hypochlorite. While it may be cost effective
to treat small batches of wastewater in this
way, it is often not economically attractive for
continuous production processes due to the cost
of purchasing the advanced oxidant and the
excess oxidant required to achieve treatment
objectives. Concerns also surround the storage
and safe use of high-strength advanced oxidants
at a facility.
A newly commercialized oxidation process
developed by Siemens Water Solutions,
Zimpro® Electro-oxidation (ZEO) uses
electricity to produce the advanced oxidant
known as a hydroxyl radical. Hydroxyl radicals
have a very high oxidation potential but are
extremely short lived. Consequently, hydroxyl
radicals must be generated at the point of use.
By using an electrochemical reactor with boron-
doped diamond (BDD) electrodes, hydroxyl
radicals are safely generated directly in the
wastewater. These radicals perform oxidation
and mineralize recalcitrant organic and
inorganic contaminants in wastewater streams.
Electro-oxidation using BDD electrodes can
significantly reduce the COD by completely
mineralizing the organics in the brine waste-
water to carbon dioxide, producing a clean
brine stream that can be discharged or reused.
Electro-oxidation processes have been largely
unavailable and ineffective due to a lack of
commercially feasible electrode material
capable of withstanding the harsh environment
of spent caustic electrochemical oxidation.
Industrial Wastewater Treatment 39
Boron-doped diamond
electrodes
Diamond is a
semiconductor that
can be doped with
boron when grown
synthetically via
chemical vapor
deposition (CVD)
to exhibit metal-like
electrical conductivity.
BDD is able to generate
hydroxyl radicals by
oxidizing hydroxyl ions
generated by water electrolysis;
however, BDD itself resists being
oxidized by hydroxyl radicals. While
synthetic CVD diamond can come in many can be optimized over a wide range. The
different forms, its application in water treatment first important characteristic is high electrical
has been held back by the lack of robustness conductivity, which requires roughly 1 in 500
of the first generation of thin film diamond carbon atoms to be substituted with boron (an
electrodes on refractory metal substrates that extremely high doping level) while maintaining
attempt to mimic the format of conventional the crystalline properties of diamond and
mixed metal oxide anodes used in the chlor- minimizing the amount of non-diamond carbon
alkali industries. As a result of their 10 to 20 that this doping process can introduce into the
μm thickness, their electrochemical properties diamond. After the boron doping level, the non-
result in lower overall electrical efficiency and diamond carbon contained in the electrode is the
their comparatively short lifetime compared to next most important characteristic since graphite-
high cost results in an uncompetitive operating like carbon is much more electrochemically
expense and cost of ownership. reactive and has a much higher conductivity;
Element Six manufactures CVD free- therefore, even in small volume fractions, it can
standing boron-doped diamond that enables the have a profound effect on the electrochemical
electrochemical properties of the diamond to be properties of BDD.
optimized for advanced oxidation applications Thin film BDD contains a higher volume of
since the fundamental electrochemical properties non-diamond carbon, predominantly found
of BDD relate to material characteristics that at the grain boundaries of this polycrystalline
Spent caustic is produced
during the production of
ethylene, LPG, gasoline,
diesel, kerosene, and
natural gas.
Above: Figure 1. A comparison of BDD diamond
morphology: free-standing solid diamond (left)
versus thin film coated diamond (right)
Top: Figure 2. A configuration comprised of a two-
component free-standing BDD multi-electrode
cassette, with a combined electrode area of 0.36 m2,
is capable of generating advanced oxidation
processes on a scale that is relevant to industrial
applications.
World Water January / February 2018
You’re on the
cutting-edge.
Don’t settle for a
buyer’s guide
that isn’t.

Built and operated by WEF, the

new Buyer’s Guide provides a
comprehensive, interactive platform
designed to engage decision-makers.
Build a content-driven profile for
industry professionals to connect with
your products and services.
Key Features:
• Stream product and brand videos directly
from your buyer’s guide profile.
• Customize your profile with branded
display graphics.
• Maximize SEO with blog or press feed tools.
• Share your social media channels and
recent posts on your profile.
• Access analytics to measure your success.

Interested?
Contact: Jenny Grigsby
703.684.2451 | jgrigsby@wef.org

For further information please see the Advertiser Contact List on page 50

material, as the grains are a factor of 10 to 20
times smaller. This much higher phase of purity
results in a more efficient processing electrode
for generation of the hydroxyl radicals as it
lowers the amount of charge wasted in excess
oxygen generation. However, in addition to its
high efficiency and smaller size, the advantage
of free-standing diamond is that by eliminating
the conductive metal carrier substrates, these
electrodes are far more robust, can operate at
higher current densities, have a longer field life,
and can be used to treat much more corrosive
effluents.
Electrochemical processing using
diamond electrodes
The growth technology used to grow free-
standing diamond is limited in the area that
can be deposited, typically less than 180 cm2
in area. Typical electrochemical processing
reactors are optimized around much larger < 1
m2 mixed metal oxide electrodes. To overcome
this area limitation a unique configuration
has been developed to exploit these small area
electrodes at much higher current densities using
a stacking process, where a series of these disks
are made into a cassette of closely spaced, 2- to
5-mm bipolar cells with the surface of one face
functioning as the anode and the other face as
the cathode of the next cell.
These bipolar electrode cassettes are then
packed into a cell with two end electrodes
providing the dry electrical contacts that feed
power and drive the electrochemical process.
DiamoxTM has been designed to operate at high
current densities of up to 30,000 amperes and is
capable of oxidizing up to 2 kilograms (kg) per
hour of COD from highly contaminated effluents.
Electrochemical process of industrial
effluents
An example of a difficult-to-treat wastewater,
spent caustic is a waste product generated by
Table 1. Typical composition of a spent caustic
effluent stream
Compound Concentration (percent)
NaOH 1-5 weight (wt)
Carbonates 1-5 wt
Sulfides 0.5-5 wt
Mercaptans 0.1-1 wt
Phenols 0-3 wt
Naphthenics 0-5 wt
COD 10-250 grams per liter (g/L)
A treatability study for
the treatment of various
spent caustic from the
petroleum refining
industry was performed
using the ZEO process
pilot plant.
Industrial Wastewater Treatment 41
These bipolar electrode
cassettes are then
packed into a cell with
two end electrodes
providing the dry
electrical contacts that
feed power and drive
the electrochemical
process.
Table 2. Treatment Objective
Compound Target concentration
Sulfides <1 mg/L
Mercaptans <1 mg/L
Thiosulfate <100 mg/L
Phenol <100 mg/L
COD Reduction > 50 percent
Figure 3 DiamoxTM – Designed to exploit free- directly from the water in solution. Highly
standing BDD electrodes in a bipolar cell configu- reactive and very short-lived, the hydroxyl
ration, it delivers up to 2 kilograms per hour of radicals mineralize dissolved organic pollutants
oxidation capacity into a compact package that
can be implemented into electrochemical water in water.
treatment plants. A ZEO process pilot plant was commissioned
at the Siemens Energy Inc. facility in Rothschild,
Wisconsin, United States (US), in order to
chemical and petroleum sweetening processes in conduct a treatability study on spent caustic
petroleum refineries and ethylene plants. Spent samples. The system is a compact footprint
caustic is produced during the production of self-contained skid base, designed to operate
ethylene, LPG, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and within the test facility. It includes the Diamox
natural gas. Spent caustics are difficult to treat reactor, power supply, control system, and all
because they have limited biodegradability, a high necessary components to safely operate the
COD content of 10,000 to 250,000 mg/L, and a electro-oxidation processes. The system has now
noxious odor. Additionally, they cause foaming been in operation for more than 2 years and has
and are generally at a pH greater than 12. been used to treat many different types of spent
Diamox has been designed into Zimpro® caustic and wastewater solutions.
Electro-oxidation (ZEO), a modular pilot plant A treatability study for the treatment of
wastewater treatment system developed by various spent caustic from the petroleum
Siemens Water Solutions to evaluate technology refining industry was performed using the ZEO
capabilities and processing customer samples. process pilot plant. The treatment objectives for
ZEO is simple to implement into industrial the treatability study are presented in Table 2.
wastewater treatment systems, incorporating The initial treatability study was performed
the latest BDD electrode technology and using
DC power to generate hydroxyl radicals (.OH) Continued on page 48
Figure 4. Zimpro® Electro-oxidation Simplified Flow Diagram. Provided by Siemens
Electro-oxidation
reactor
Filter Cooler
Tank Pump Power Supply
World Water January / February 2018
Presenting new technologies and
applications to benefit each element
of a complete automation design
Automation of Water
A
R
Resource Recovery
F
Facilities
S cover. 663 pages
Soft
Order No. P130003
O
Member Price: $124.00
M
List Price: $155.00
L

3 EASY WAYS TO ORDER Online: www.wef.org/ShopWEF Call: 1.800.666.0206 Email: pubs@wef.org

For further information please see the Advertiser Contact List on page 50

Helping your organization develop a preparedness

strategy to lessen the economic, environmental,
and social toll of disasters

Emergency Planning,
y
Response, and Recovery
Soft cover. 283 pages
Order No. P130002
Member Price: $99.00
List Price: $125.00

3 EASY WAYS TO ORDER

Online: www.wef.org/ShopWEF
Call: 1.800.666.0206
Email: pubs@wef.org

For further information please see the Advertiser Contact List on page 50

WEF Pavilion hosts exhibitors
at ASIAWATER 2018
The WEF International Pavilion Program will host 8 water technology companies at
ASIAWATER 2018, which will be held on April 10-12 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Active Water Solutions (AWS)
specializes in wastewater treatment
and reuse solutions. AWS manufac-
tures transportable, self-contained
wastewater treatment plants that
can support the development of
small communities and subdivi-
sions, allow existing facilities to
easily increase treatment capacity,
replace aging systems, provide im-
mediate relief in disaster areas, and
help under-developed countries
expand sanitation infrastructure
and develop clean water resources.
AWS provides wastewater treat-
ment solutions that are simple
in design, easy to operate, and
practical in a wide variety of
environments. To lower energy
requirements, the AWS plant uses
gravity to treat the wastewater
influent. The company created
completely self-contained units in
order to ensure maximum porta-
bility. To minimize setup time,
AWS designed prefabricated units
to quickly integrate into an existing
wastewater treatment system or
to become its own wastewater
treatment system using the com-
pany’s user-friendly installation
process.
AWS technology applications
include residential developments,
capacity replacement/addition for
existing water resource recovery
facilities, hotels, resorts, work
camps, disaster relief, and military
deployments. Multiple units can be
installed for higher capacities, or
the technology can be retrofitted
into existing concrete activated
sludge facilities.
Visit AWS at Booth A104
Bio-Microbics is a leader of ad-
vanced wastewater, water, gray-
water, and stormwater treatment
systems for single-family residential,
small-to-large commercial proper-
ties and municipalities, and marine
applications. Designed for new and
existing residential developments
to high-strength commercial capa-
bilities, these energy-efficient Fixed
Integrated Treatment Technologies
(FITT®) use a robust, biological,
aerobic treatment process.
At the forefront of sustainable,
clean technology, Bio-Microbics
systems meet the highest worldwide
performance, nutrient reduction
for nitrogen (TKN), and safety
standards with decades of real-
world operating history and
more than 60,000 installations
in more than 70 countries. Its
FAST® (RetroFAST®, RetroFITT®,
MicroFAST®, MicroFITT®,
NitriFAST®, HighStrengthFAST®,
MarineFAST®, MyFAST®,
and MacroFITT®), STAAR™
trickling filter, RollsAIR® extended
aeration, and BioBarrier® MBR
and HSMBR® systems alleviate
concerns of poorly controlled
wastewater discharges into nearby
bodies of water that contaminate
the ecosystem and help to protect
the public health. Also available
are biodegradable cleaners
and maintenance products and
stormwater, graywater, disinfection,
and water treatment systems.
Bio-Microbics was recognized
last year with two awards: the
2017 North American Integrated
Water Treatment Technology
Leadership Award and a 2017 Top
10 Green Building Product of the
Year. Bio-Microbics wastewater
treatment solutions are pre-
engineered, pre-packaged, scalable,
and efficient to significantly lower
WEF International Pavilion 43
the cost of pretreatment and waste
management while offering better
onsite sanitation. The company is
headquartered in Shawnee, Kansas,
United States.
Visit Bio-Microbics at Booth A112
For more than sixty years, Blue-
White® Industries, located in
Huntington Beach, California,
United States, has been a leading
manufacturer of precision chemi-
cal metering pumps and flow
instruments (Flowmeters), used in
applications designed to purify
both water and wastewater.
Product lines include peristaltic
and diaphragm-type chemical
metering pumps, variable area
flowmeters, ultrasonic flowmeters,
digital paddlewheel flowmeters,
and chemical metering systems.
Basic mechanical metering pumps
as well as metering pumps that
include sophisticated features and
electronics are offered.
CHEM-FEED® mechanical
metering pumps are accurate,
efficient, and simple to operate.
They include Blue-White’s exclusive
heavy-duty cartridge valve pump
head with valves constructed of
tough PVDF plastic. The double
ball valve pump head design ensures
enhanced priming capabilities, and
it is exceptional for purging air
and gas.
The Flex-Pro® Model A2
peristaltic pump features a
complement of quality electronic
components that are easy to access
and simple to use. The color-
coded overlay clearly identifies
terminals such as input, output, and
power supply. Plus, connectors are
watertight. Additional premium
features include Blue-White’s
exclusive Flex-A-Prene® Multi-
Tubes, which are engineered and
designed to provide precision
metering of chemical into critical
water treatment systems. The
pump tubes are specially designed
to provide optimum performance
while operating at much higher
pressures than conventional single
tube designs. Additionally, they
provide up to four times greater
tube life than conventional pump
tubes.
Blue-White serves customers
worldwide through its global
network of factory authorized
representatives and distributors.
Visit Blue-White at Booth A111
The French company Dynamita
has developed Sumo©, a full-
featured dynamic wastewater
process simulator software package
that is used worldwide in Europe,
North America, Australia, and Asia
by design engineers, municipalities,
and plant personnel.
The software can predict the
effluent quality that will result
based on information entered such
as influent measurements and plant
configuration, even daily peaks or
during storms. The user can also
try many operational or control
scenarios in a short time. Sumo
can handle treatment plants of
unlimited complexity, biological
oxygen demand, nitrogen and
phosphorus removal, digestion,
sidestream treatment, integrated
fixed film activated sludge system
(IFAS), membrane bioreactor
(MBBR), sequential batch reactors
(SBRs), trickling filters, granular
sludge, primary and final settling,
thickeners, centrifuges, and all
process units typically used in
municipal and industrial treatment
plants. It comes with many real-life
World Water January / February 2018
Let WEF help you pass
the exam with these
new study guides
WEF/ABC/C2EP
Also available in online format for
Collection Systems Operators’ Class I-IV certification through
Guide to Preparing for the the WEF Knowledge Center
Certification Examination Use the book to study on the go, and
Soft cover. 94 pages | Order No. E140001 then when you get home, take an online
Member Price: $50.00 | List Price: $70.00 practice quiz (complete
with a timer). Explore the
WEF/ABC/C2EP interactive quizzes, which
Wastewater Operators’ Guide offer immediate feedback
after each answer is chosen..
to Preparing for the Certification
Save 50% off the online course
Examination when you purchase with the book
Soft cover. 103 pages | Order No. E140002
Member Price: $50.00 | List Price: $70.00

Check out these additional study resources from WEF

Wastewater Collection System WEF/ABC
Operator Certification Studybook Wastewater Laboratory Analysts’
Soft cover. 187 pages | Order No. E20012 Guide to Preparing for the
Member Price: $38.00 | List Price: $49.00 Certification Examination
Soft cover. 294 pages | Order No. E00017
WEF/ABC Member Price: $38.00 | List Price: $49.00
Biosolids Land Appliers Guide to
Preparing for the Certification
Examination To Order
Soft cover. 53 pages | Order No. E110076 Online: www.wef.org/ShopWEF
Call: 1.800.666.0206
Member Price: $38.00 | List Price: $49.00

For further information please see the Advertiser Contact List on page 50

examples and a detailed manual to
help the introduction of advanced
modeling for new users. Training
courses are also offered.
Sumo’s key advantages include
open process source code, fast
simulation times, extensive model
set, and affordable pricing.
Sumo speaks English, French,
Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and
Japanese; more languages are
added continuously. Dynamita
and its representatives are present
in France, Canada, Austria,
Hungary, South Korea, Japan, and
China. The company is looking
for motivated process engineers to
work with in other jurisdictions
as part of its global network.
Visit Dynamita at Booth A109
EKOTON Industrial Group, a
leading manufacturer of equip-
ment for wastewater treatment,
produces more than 35 different
types of equipment for mechani-
cal treatment, biological treatment,
and sludge dewatering in its three
main facilities in Poland, Ukraine,
and Russia. The company employs
more than 300 highly qualified spe-
cialists and operates in more than
30 countries.
EKOTON Industrial Group
produces a variety of equipment
including screens and fine screens;
grinder screens and waste grinders;
screw conveyors and screw com-
pacting presses; tangential grit
chambers and rectangular scrapers;
complex for mechanical waste-
water treatment M-Combi (fine
screen with aerated grit chamber);
equipment for clarifiers (including
sludge scrapers for radial and
rectangular clarifiers, sludge suction
scrapers for radial and rectangular
clarifiers, clarifier trays, weirs,
semisubmersibles, boards, central
cups, and davits); penstocks;
aeration systems (pipe air diffusers);
equipment for mechanical sludge
dewatering (including belt filter
presses, chamber membrane filter
presses, sludge thickeners, and multi-
disk screw presses); DAF-units
and physicochemical treatment
complexes; and fully-automatic
flocculant solution preparation
systems (SMART Mix).
Visit EKOTON at Booth A103
For more than 60 years, Hayward
Flow Control, a division of
Hayward Industries, Inc., has
been manufacturing industrial
thermoplastics (PVC, CPVC,
GF-PP, PP, and PVDF), valves,
strainers, filters, pumps, and other
flow control products for water
and waste treatment systems. The
company’s thermoplastic flow
control products and solutions
have been installed by thousands
of customers worldwide into water
and waste treatment systems in
which the corrosion resistance
and strictest chemical balance
are required to keep up with the
growing demands of progressive
treatment technologies.
Hayward Flow Control under-
stands the precise requirements for
water and waste treatment systems
and is committed to offering advan-
tageous fluid handling products for
customer applications that will keep
treatment systems working well for
many years. Hayward solutions are
designed for a variety of water treat-
ment operations – from drinking
and wastewater treatment to indus-
trial water treatment.
Its products are suited for the
vast range of requirements for
specific applications including, but
not restricted to, chemical dosing
and dilution, reverse osmosis,
desalination, membrane systems,
neutralization process, media
filtration, and chemical transfer
and handling.
All Hayward Flow Control
products carry a global 2-year
warranty as well as NSF 61-G
Listings for key product lines for
use in water treatment. As an ISO
9001:2008-certified company,
Hayward Flow Control strives
for the highest quality product
possible for use in a wide range of
demanding applications.
Visit Hayward at Booth A108
Parkson is a leading supplier of
equipment and solutions for potable
water, process water, and industrial
and municipal wastewater applica-
tions. The company designs, engi-
neers, and assembles products that
provide customers with advanced
screening, biological, filtration, and
biosolids management solutions.
A pioneer in inclined plate clarifi-
cation (Lamella®) and continuous
WEF International Pavilion 45
backwash sand filtration, Parkson
has since reinvented the backwash
filter to combine benefits of conven-
tional gravity filtration and con-
tinuous backwashing filtration
into a hybrid filtration process
(DynaSand® EcoWash®).
Its suite of biological treatment
technology includes EcoCycle
SBR™, which combines the relia-
bility of batch processing with the
flexibility of time-based process
sequencing. Additionally, the
Biolac® system uses an innovative
long sludge age process to provide
complete nitrification in a cost-
effective solution.
Parkson also provides environ-
mentally friendly technology
with THERMO-SYSTEM® solar
sludge drying, using solar energy
to provide 95 percent of the energy
required for drying. THERMO-
SYSTEM is in operation at the
world’s largest solar biosolids
drying installation in Dubai,
United Arab Emirates. resistant rubber, the Series 700
Finally, Parkson is well known check valves are also available with
for offering a wide range of screen- NSF 61-certified elastomers. They
ing options, including a line of in- are also a zero maintenance valve
channel screens to suit any need – with a simple design that allows
from the established Aqua Guard® effluent to force the two opposing
to the new Aqua Caiman® articu- rubber lips apart to permit flow yet
lating rake and Aqua Rhino™ close quickly to prevent the return
escalating screens. of effluent or slurries. The ProFlex
Parkson’s highly trained field 700 valves continue to provide
service team is capable of retro- full port flow while remaining 100
fitting and rebuilding equipment, percent bubble tight on return flow/
and its aftermarket inside sales back pressure.
team is focused on supplying high- Proco Products’ newest Inline
quality replacement parts. Founded valve, the 790 Series valve, has the
in 1960 and headquartered in the industry’s lowest head pressure to
US state of Florida, the company open while still ensuring a virtually
has been owned by Axel Johnson full port design.
Inc. since 1967 and is committed to
providing clean water for the world. Visit Proco Products at Booth A102
Additional offices are located in the
US states of Illinois, Kansas, and
Colorado as well as in the United
Arab Emirates.
Visit Parkson at Booth A101
Water Environment Federation
(WEF) is a not-for-profit techni-
cal and educational organization of
34,000 individual members and 75
affiliated member associations rep-
resenting water quality profession-
Proco Products, Inc. is the als around the world.
world’s largest and most respect- Since 1928, WEF and its mem-
ed supplier of expansion joints and bers have protected public health
rubber duckbill check valves. Its lat- and the environment. As a global
est contribution to the industry is water sector leader, WEF is dedicat-
the Series 700 ProFlex® check valve. ed to its mission to connect water
Benefits of the ProFlex valve include professionals, enrich the expertise
greatly reduced operational costs, of water professionals, increase the
prevention of animals or insects awareness of the impact and value
from lodging or disturbing the flow of water, and provide a platform
of liquids from outfall pipes, and for water sector innovation. WEF
easy opening, which prevents flood- is headquartered in Alexandria,
ing commonly associated with Virginia, near Washington, DC,
defective swing types. United States.
Manufactured completely with
top-quality fungicide and barnacle- Visit WEF at Booth A106
World Water January / February 2018
46 Technology Update
Advanced valve automation ensures
water storage scheme
AUMA technology is helping to
ensure a reliable supply of drinking
water for Sabah Al Ahmad Sea
City, Kuwait. The electric actuator
manufacturer has supplied 42
actuators of the SA and SAR
type range with AC controls and
gearboxes in addition to four SIMA
master station control systems to
a large water storage project in
the city.
The contract is noteworthy for
its use of optical fiber communi-
cations and AUMA’s SIMA master
stations to monitor and control the
actuators in parallel with the plant’s
distributed control system (DCS).
Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City is a
new settlement being built in the
south of Kuwait, close to the border
with Saudi Arabia. Constructed on
what was formerly a salt marsh,
the project features a network of
tidal gates and inlets that bring
the waters of the Persian Gulf 9
kilometers (km) inland.
Fresh water from desalination
plants arrives in the city via pipeline.
To provide drinking water for a
January / February 2018 World Water
projected 250,000 residents, the
water is then stored in 17 water
towers before being distributed to
customers. The giant water towers
create a striking landmark in the
flat landscape of Sabah Al Ahmad
Sea City.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity
and Water (MEW) was looking
for a solution that provides utmost
reliability in the water supply. As a
result, it decided to install electric
actuators from AUMA in combin-
ation with SIMA master stations.
AUMA has supplied more than
1,000 actuators to MEW for
various water projects over the
last 5 years.
SIMA master stations provide
redundancy
SIMA master stations are generally
used to create autonomous net-
works of actuators, simplifying
commissioning and diagnostics,
and reducing the links to plant-
level control systems. In this specific
project, they are used as a backup
control system for the plant’s DCS.
In normal operation, the
actuators are directly controlled by
the DCS in the plant’s control room.
If there is a failure of the DCS, how-
ever, a fiber optic switch allows
the SIMA master stations to take
over control of the actuators, thus
ensuring an uninterrupted drinking
water supply to the inhabitants
of Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City.
Optical fiber ring networks
The actuator controls communicate
using the Profibus DP protocol
running over four optical fiber
rings. Each ring also connects to the
DCS and one of the SIMA master
stations via a pair of special fiber
optic switches. Either the DCS or
the SIMA master station is active
at any one time; without a control
signal, or in the event of a power
failure, the switch linked to the
other control device simply provides
a straight-through path for the
optical signal.
This arrangement is a simple
and reliable way to swap control
duties between the DCS and the
Sabah Al Ahmad
Sea City is a new
settlement being
built in the south
of Kuwait.
Left: The giant water towers create
a striking landmark in the flat
landscape of Sabah Al Ahmad Sea
City in southern Kuwait. AUMA
technology is helping to ensure a
reliable supply of drinking water for
a projected 250,000 residents.
Above: The AUMA SA and SAR electric
valve actuators installed at Sabah Al
Ahmad Sea City feature AC controls
with integral fiber optic interfaces to
carry Profibus DP signals with high
reliability. Photos by AUMA
SIMA master stations. Neither the
actuators nor the DCS Profibus
interface need to be modified, and
the extra equipment is limited to just
the two fiber optic switches
and their power supplies.
Optical fiber cables provide
enhanced data transmission security,
especially over long distances, due
to their very low attenuation of light.
Installation proved to be hassle-
free since the fiber optic module
that converts actuator-internal
electrical signals into optical signals
is integrated directly within the
actuator controls. The availability
of the Profibus DP ring is monitored
continuously, and any interruptions
on the optical fibers are signaled
immediately, thus further enhancing
communication security.
Turnkey system from AUMA
Each pair of SIMA master stations
has a cabinet designed and built
specifically for this project. AUMA
also supplied the optical fiber hard-
ware (fiber optic interfaces, splice
boxes, optical bypasses, switches,
patch cables, and Profibus couplers).
Commissioning provided a
good workout for AUMA’s service
engineers, reports Joel Lusing of
AUMA Middle East. Most of the
actuators are installed either in
underground chambers or on top
of the water towers. During the
physical part of the commissioning
process, the service engineers needed
to climb down into each of the
chambers and climb up each of
the towers.

Sludge blanket
level detector
reduces energy use
Available from Markland Specialty
Engineering Ltd., the Automatic
Sludge Blanket Level Detector
measures, monitors, and controls
solid-liquid interface levels in
clarifiers and sedimentation basins,
which include lamellas, DAF units,
and decanting tanks. It also auto-
mates silt, sludge, and biosolids
removal. The detector allows users
to program de-sludge pumps to
operate when necessary, helping to
prevent carryover, optimize feed
density for enhanced de-watering
performance, and improve outflow
for reuse. The company says the
detector helps reduce energy usage,
wear-and-tear on pumps, and
downtime for maintenance. Slim
profile and use of LEDs are ideal for
obstructed or constricted areas. No
calibration is required. Markland
Specialty Engineering Ltd. is based
in Georgetown, Ontario, Canada.
Vertiflo industrial
horizontal end
suction pump
The Vertiflo 1400 Horizontal End
Suction Pump enables easy inspec-
tion and service maintenance and
is designed for process, pollution
control, spray systems, deionized
water, wastewater, corrosive liquids,
and chemicals. The frame has a
back pullout feature that allows for
maintenance without disturbing the
piping to the pump.
The rugged, heavy-duty cast iron
frame design incorporates integrally
cast support and ribbed mounting
feet, which assure a solid, depend-
able pump installation and opera-
tion. One frame fits all pump sizes.
The pump has external impeller
adjustment, and the semi-open
impeller design accommodates
passage of solids or fines. All
impellers have balance holes near
the hub, which reduce thrust load
and pressure in the packing or
seal area. Wiping vanes reduce
axial loading and prevent dirt
from entering the sealing area.
Packing or various mechanical
seal arrangements are available
as standard options. The pump is
offered in a variety of materials:
cast iron, 316 stainless steel-
fitted, all 316 stainless steel, or
CD4MCu, a duplex stainless
steel. Requirements for pumping
clear and corrosive liquids can be
satisfied with capacities ranging
up to approximately 13,600 liters
per minute, heads of 84 meters,
and temperatures of 121 degrees
Celsius. Vertiflo Pump Company
is based in Cincinnati, Ohio,
United States.
SUEZ upgrades
InSight* Asset
Performance
Management
System
SUEZ Water Technologies &
Solutions upgraded its InSight*
asset performance management
(APM) system to bring the next
generation of its advanced digital
solutions to water treatment
professionals. InSight’s secure,
cloud-based interface uses data and
analytics to ensure assets operate
at higher levels of reliability,
efficiency, and output.
Incorporating modern digital
design trends and best practices,
SUEZ claims the latest InSight
release offers users greater visibility
and transparency into the opera-
tions they manage – whether at an
enterprise, facility, or even asset
level. Improved visualizations –
including a new geomap feature
– and simplified navigations aim
to make InSight easier to use,
while expanded reporting and file
management features enable sharing
and analysis of key data points at all
levels of an organization.
“As one of our core digital
solutions, it’s crucial that InSight
continues to evolve to meet the
dynamic needs of our customers
and the water industry as a
whole. Offering faster and more
comprehensive access to data and
reporting, the latest InSight upgrade
helps users to make better business
decisions, eliminate unplanned
downtime, and lower operating
costs,” says Ralph Exton, chief
marketing officer, SUEZ Water
Technologies & Solutions.
The new enhancements to InSight
include four main capabilities:
• Geomap and asset fleet view: New
dashboards provide enhanced
views of all the assets managed
and key performance indicators
across multiple plants.
• Modernized user interface and
navigation: New data-oriented
views provide easy access to the
information used on a daily basis.
• Multi-site reporting: InSight’s
expanded multi-site reporting
capability provides a new level of
visibility and transparency to an
organization.
• Enhanced file management: Users
are offered additional structure
and flexibility within the file
management feature of InSight.
New ground
microphone finds
water leaks
The DXmic, a new ground
microphone launched by HWM
enables accurate location of leaks
onsite. The color touchscreen is easy
to operate and has multiple signal,
memory, and frequency displays.
Digital features, such as auto-
filtering and frequency analysis,
allow the microphone to be used in
the most challenging environments.
The DXmic is compatible with
HWM’s Xmic sensors, giving an
upgrade path for existing HWM
ground microphone users. The
unit is supplied in a robust carry
case, which can also be used as a
charging station for the system.
Battery life ranges from 15 to 25
hours.
Aside from hassle-free headphone
use, the ground microphone’s
wireless capability also simplifies the
transfer of audio or configuration
data to PC. The DXmic is available
in a Pro version, allowing the user
to record and transfer audio files
via the dedicated app. HWM is
headquartered in Cwmbran,
Wales, United Kingdom.
Biogas mixing
pump sets new
standards
Higher gas yield and efficient use
of substrates are the advantages
offered to biogas plant operators
using NETZSCH’s NEMO®
B.Max® mixing pump. As the
Technology Update 47
core element of a biogas plant,
substrate feeding is decisive in
terms of achieving a biologically
stable methane production process.
The NEMO B.Max mixing pump
is setting new standards with its
maximum homogenization and
continuous pressure-stable, smooth,
and low-pulsation conveyance of
biosubstrates.
The NEMO B.Max progressing
cavity pump is the feeding tech-
nology, which is tailored to biogas
applications. Solids from the dosing
unit are mixed with recirculated
substances in the mixing pump. The
homogeneous mixture with a dry
matter content of up to 25 percent
is then conveyed to the fermenter.
The NEMO B.Max provides two-
fold assurance of optimum product
feed into the conveying chamber:
its pump housing is fitted with
a large, rectangular feed hopper
and removable, conically shaped
compression chamber as well as
a coupling rod with patented,
horizontally positioned conveying
screw. This configuration conveys
quantities of up to 75 cubic meters
per hour (m3/h) at pressures of up
to 48 bar.
Solids from the
dosing unit are mixed
with recirculated
substances in the
mixing pump.
Ideal feeding and mixing of the
substrates into the biomass are
ensured by the spiral lobes of the
mixing and screw conveyor, which
have been strengthened and offset
to not only prevent bridging but
also lead to optimal mixing of the
liquid phase and dry substrate in
the hopper chamber. At the same
time, the feed tube, installed on the
hopper housing contra to the flow
direction of the pump, also ensures
improved substrate mixing to result
in a higher gas yield as well.
NETZSCH designers have
achieved compact dimensioning,
low overall weight, and constant
shaft height, irrespective of the
design and size of the drive, by
flanging the drive directly to the
pump’s lantern. The system can be
flexibly adjusted to the dosage unit
in each case through the various
hopper lengths on offer. Numerous
inspection openings in the hopper
and compression chamber of the
NEMO B.Max make it easier for
operators to carry out inspection
and maintenance. If the pipework
gets clogged, the NETZSCH mixing
pump flushes out blockage with a
pressure of up to 12 bar.
World Water January / February 2018
48 Industrial Wastewater Treatment

Endress+Hauser Space Station

introduces Field project to test
Xpert SMT70 advanced dis-
tablet PC infection system
Endress+Hauser’s rugged Field AquiSense Technologies
Xpert SMT70 tablet PC helps (Europe) Ltd is participating
commissioning and maintenance in the 3-year European-funded
staff to manage field instruments Biocontamination Integrated
and document work progress. Control for Wet Systems for Space
The tablet comes preinstalled with Exploration (BIOWYSE) project
DeviceCare device configuration that addresses biocontamination
Continued from page 41 Conclusion software and a device library so issues on the International
Progress in the optimization of that it is ready to go, right out of Space Station (ISS). The project
using a sulfidic spent caustic from diamond electrodes for industri- the box. incorporates an advanced UV-C
a refinery process. The majority al effluent processing has enabled The Field Xpert SMT70 supports LED water disinfection system
of COD for the sulfidic spent new options for advanced oxida- HART, PROFIBUS DP/PA, engineered by AquiSense.
caustic was due to reduced sulfur tion water treatment technology. FOUNDATION Fieldbus, Modbus, AquiSense is part of a seven-
compounds. Following treatment, Compact bipolar electrochemi- CDI, and Endress+Hauser service company consortium that has
the sulfur compounds were reduced cal cells can be incorporated into interfaces. It can connect to field made significant progress on
to non-detectable concentrations, compact footprint processes that instrumentation devices directly developing a potable water
and the COD of the spent caustic do not require the purchasing, via a USB or Bluetooth wireless handling system for the use in
was reduced by greater than 95 handling, and storage of strongly modem, or via a gateway, remote future manned space missions. The
percent. oxidizing chemicals. I/O, or multiplexer to a bus system. intent of the project is to develop
A treatability study was also per- Development and testing of The Field Xpert device library an integrated chemical-free system
formed using two different mixed the ZEO pilot-scale systems has has more than 2,700 pre-installed to control and monitor biomass
spent caustics (sulfidic, cresylic and demonstrated that electrochemical device and communication drivers, growth in potable water systems
naphthenic) from a refinery process. advanced oxidation processes with allowing it to work with many aboard the ISS. Two years into
The majority of COD for the sulfid- BDD electrodes are a practical, different instruments from a wide the project, the consortium has
ic spent caustic was due to organic cost effective, and environmentally variety of vendors. The drivers developed the main components
compounds. The spent caustic mix friendly method for the removal can be used to communicate with of the system, which includes a
also contained lower concentra- of chemicals in spent caustic virtually all HART and FOUND- number of advanced technologies.
tions of reduced sulfur compounds wastewater containing sulfides ATION Fieldbus devices, and AquiSense’s patent-protected
including sulfides and mercaptans. and mercaptans as well as organic additional device drivers (DTMs) UV-C LED Decontamination
Following treatment, the complex species such as the sodium salts can be installed if required. Generic Module inactivates bacteria using
organic compounds such as pheno- of naphthenic and cresylic acids. HART DTM and PROFIBUS ultraviolet light. The next stage of
lics and naphthenic acids were bro- These dissolved recalcitrant profile DTMs also enable commu- the project is to begin integration
ken down, resulting in a significant species are treated either by full nication with field devices using testing in March 2018, followed
reduction of COD. Additionally, the oxidation to carbon dioxide or these protocols. by laboratory and field-testing
sulfur compounds were reduced to by breaking them down into The Field Xpert SMT70, there- through to the end of the year.
non-detectable concentrations. compounds that are more readily fore, works with virtually every “We are grateful for the oppor-
ZEO electro-oxidation processes biodegradable in conventional modern field instrument with one- tunity to participate in BIOWYSE,
eliminate safety concerns related treatment processes and do not click connectivity. To connect the as this represents a significant
to H2S release and noxious odors result in any hazardous residue. Field Xpert SMT70 to a HART milestone in the history of UV
while also reducing COD load for flowmeter, for example, the disinfection,” says AquiSense’s
downstream sent to wastewater Authors’ Note operator clicks on the app, which CTO, Jennifer Pagan.
treatment plants. ZEO is also Element Six’ Head of Water then prompts the user to select “Historically, UV systems
provided in a modular package Business, Hossein Zarrin and Automatic Connection. The app would not have been considered
that can be used to treat difficult Applications Engineer Tim connects to the instrument, and for space applications due to
wastewaters on site without using Mollart are based in Didcot at the the tablet is ready to perform the fragility and reliability of
or storing highly reactive advanced Element Six Global Innovation diagnostics, configurations, or conventional UV systems that
oxidants. Centre. commissioning with the built-in utilize lamps containing mercury.
device configuration software. The The development of UV-C LED-
Figure 5. The evolution of the ZEO electrochemical treatment process with time tablet also supports Endress+Hauser based systems has spurred the
Heartbeat Technology and Field- development of an entirely new
30 Care instrument diagnostic and generation of UV technologies
COD starts at 66,300 mg/l at hour 0
monitoring functions. that are better suited for space
25 exploration and other challenging
Concentration (x 1,000 mg/L)

environments.”
20 The UV-C LED disinfection
system used for the BIOWYSE
15 project is based on the core
platform used in AquiSense’s
10
PearlAqua™ product, which
is the world’s first UV-C LED
5
disinfection system and is backed
0 by several patents, awards, and
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Elapsed time (hours)
certifications. Applications being
used today include those in
Chemical Oxygen Demand Sulfide Phenolics industrial, commercial, medical,
Organic Carbon (Calculated) Mercaptans Naphthenic Acids and residential markets.

January / February 2018 World Water


Events 2018
March
10-14 Lac Beauport, Québec,
Canada
IWA/WEF WRRmod, 6th Water
Resource Recovery Modelling
Seminar
www.wef.org
12-16 West Palm Beach, Florida,
USA
2018 Membrane Technology
Conference & Exposition
Organized by American Water
Works Association and American
Membrane Technology Association
in partnership with Water
Environment Federation and
WateReuse Association
www.awwa.org
13-14 London, England, UK
9th Global Leakage Summit 2018
Organized by London Business
Conferences
www.global-leakage-summit.com
18-23 Brasilia, Brazil
8th World Water Forum
www.worldwaterforum8.org
25-27 Monterey, California, USA
2018 WateReuse California
Annual Conference, organized by
WateReuse Association
www.watereuse.org
Clean energy
award to advance
online THM-
Precursor analyzer
Partnering to develop a robust
online raw-water trihalomethanes
(THMs)-precursor analyzer, the
US company Aqua Metrology
Systems (AMS) and University of
Massachusetts Amherst (UMass
Amherst) received a commitment
from Massachusetts Clean Energy
Center (MassCEC) through its
AmplifyMass program to cost share
in the development and assessment
of this new online analyzer.
AMS manufactures online
analytical instrumentation for the
detection of water contaminants,
specifically disinfection byproducts
and trace metals.
MassCEC is a state economic
development agency that aims
to accelerate the success of clean
energy technologies, companies,
April
2-3 Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Global Infrastructure Congress:
Stormwater and Wastewater
Infrastructure & Resilience Forum
Organized by IQPC Middle East
www.globalinfrastructure
congress.com
8-11 Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
Collection Systems 2018 Specialty
Conference, organized by Water
Environment Federation
www.wef.org
10-12 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2018 ASIAWATER Exhibition held in
conjunction with 10th ASIAWATER
Seminars
Includes WEF International Pavilion
www.asiawater.org
May
3-5 Shanghai, China
IE expo Trade Fair for Environmental
Technology Solutions: Water, Waste,
Air, and Soil
www.ie-expo.com
8-10 May Brisbane, Australia
OZWATER ’18, Australia’s
International Water Conference &
Exhibition, organized by Australian
Water Association
Includes WEF International Pavilion
www.ozwater.org
and projects while creating high-
quality jobs and long-term eco-
nomic growth for the people of
Massachusetts.
The high frequency of reliable
and accurate data provided by this
novel instrument will enable water
utilities to adjust their treatment
processes accordingly to minimize
the production of these harmful
carcinogens. For some, it will even
reduce the costs of producing water
that satisfies THM regulations.
Real-time drinking water quality
data is essential to human health,
especially in the control of regulated
carcinogenic THMs that result from
the disinfection of raw or treated
water by chlorine. A reliable and
rapid method for predicting the
potential formation of THMs from
raw, not-yet chlorinated water has
not existed and is a pressing need
this technology works to address.
“We are pleased to support
UMass Amherst and Aqua
Metrology Systems in their effort
to streamline the drinking water
May
14-18 Munich, Germany
IFAT 2018, Trade Fair for Water,
Sewage, Waste and Raw Materials
Management. Includes WEF
International Pavilion
www.ifat.de
15-18 Munich, Germany
6th Joint Conference on Resilience
of the Water Sector, organized
by European Water Association,
Japan Sewage Works Association,
and Water Environment Federation
in cooperation with IFAT, Messe
München
www.resilience-conference2018.com
15-18 Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Residuals and Biosolids Conference
2018, organized by Water
Environment Federation
www.wef.org
27-31 Nanjing, China
15th IWA Leading Edge Conference
on Water and Wastewater Tech-
nologies, organized by International
Water Association and Nanjing
University
www.iwa-let.org
31 – 2 June Shanghai, China
Aquatech China, International
Exhibition for Process, Drinking Water
and Wastewater in Asia
www.aquatechtrade.com
treatment process while saving
money and resources for water
treatment plants,” says MassCEC
CEO Stephen Pike. “In addition
to aiding the production of safe
drinking water, this will also
have significant benefits for
AMS’ manufacturing partner,
Dakota Systems, based in Lowell,
and UMass Amherst’s national
leadership in drinking water
research, water analysis, and
treatment.”
AMS and UMass Amherst have
undertaken a long-term study
of a prototype online THM-FP
instrument that combines sample
chlorination with thermally
accelerated formation of THMs
and subsequent rapid THM
determination. Results from this
THM precursor analyzer are
being compared to precursor
concentrations, characteristics, and
levels determined by conventional
laboratory methods that take an
average of three to five days to
return data on resulting THM
Events 49
June
6-8 Grange-over-Sands,
England, UK
Protections 2018, 3rd International
Conference on Protection Against
Overtopping. Held in Lake District
National Park
Organized by HR Wallingford
www.protections2018.org
June 18-21 Raleigh, North
Carolina, USA
WEF Specialty Conference on
Nutrient Removal and Recovery
Organized by Water Environment
Federation
www.wef.org
20-22 Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada
9th Annual Canadian Water
Summit, “Knowledge to Practice:
Applying Science, Policy, and
Research to the Blue Economy”
www.watersummit.ca
July
8-12 Singapore
Singapore International Water Week
2018, organized by Ministry of the
Environment & Water Resources,
National Water Agency (PUB).
Includes Water Leaders Summit,
Water Expo, Industrial Water
Solutions Forum
www.siww.com.sg
levels. Additionally, results are
being compared with the online
determination of other water quality
parameters, such as measurements
of total organic carbon (TOC) and
spectral analyses.
THM formation is dependent on
water quality, treatment operations,
and network activity. As such,
the quantity and quality of THM
precursors in water sources will
affect disinfection by-product
(DBP) levels. David Reckhow, a
professor of civil and environmental
engineering at UMass Amherst,
believes that developing a better
understanding of DBPs and their
precursors is a major thrust of
drinking water research. “Naturally
occurring trace organic constituents
in water react with chlorine to
produce a wide array of carcinogenic
DBPs, including the THMs,” he
says. “There are approximately 700
known DBPs, and this work will
help us to advise on methods for
monitoring precursors to THMs
and other DBPs.
World Water January / February 2018
50 Advertisers Contact List

Company Page Tel Email Web

AdEdge Technologies IFC +1 6787306506 rjcavagnaro@adedgetech.com www.adedgetech.com

Auma 9 +49 76318091264 michael.herbstritt@auma.com www.auma.com

Blue-White Industries BC +1 7148938529 sales@blue-white.com www.blue-white.com

BlueTech Research 3 +353 212409133 sarah.condon@bluetechresearch.com www.bluetechresearch.com

Proco Products 4 +1 2099436088 calh@procoproducts.com www.procoproducts.com

Tank Connection 29 +1 6204233010 ggebelin@tankconnection.com www.tankconnection.com

UBM 16 +63 25517564 waterpjilippines@ubm.com www.waterphilippinesexpo.com

Vesco Plastics Sales 48 +27 116161111 www.vesconite.com

WEF 32, 34, 35, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, IBC +1 7036842458 lsukkariyyah@wef.org www.wef.org

Please deliver to (block capitals)

Name (Mr, Mrs, Miss, etc)
Job title
Organisation
Address

Delivering the latest news and keeping you up-to- Post /zipcode Country

date with events, as and when they happen, in the Tel. No. (inc. code)

international water sector. Fax No. (inc. code)

E-mail
Every issue brings you – Volume 41 / Issue 1
January / February 2018 The information and details you provide will be held on our database and used to contact
Utility of the Future
New paradigm, new revenue. Page 10
you about your application and other relevant WEF products, services and exhibitions.
Resource Recovery

 News about the issues, trends

Algae biofuel industry update. Page 14

Urban Water Reclamation

Changing public perception. Page 24

and international developments

Pacific Island Nations
Preparing for sea level rise. Page 28
Payment details (Please tick one box)
in the water industry
I enclose a cheque made payable to WEF Publishing UK Ltd
or please invoice my company for £ Order No.
 Information on business
contracts, mergers, acquisitions, I wish to pay by credit card no.
funding and company news

 Special reports with in-depth VISA/BARCLAYCARD MASTERCARD AMEX

case studies, new technologies Strategic Directions Report: Expiry date
and innovations. Achieving sustainable water systems
Cardholder’s name
Signature Date
Tick here if you do not wish to receive direct marketing from other
reputable companies
Don’t miss out – order your copy now!
Portland Customer Services, Portland Press Ltd, Commerce Way, Colchester CO2 8HP UK
One years subscription to UK and Rest of the World £150.00 T: +44 (0)1206 796351 F: +44 (0)1206 799331 E: sales@portland-services.com

January / February 2018 World Water

The most up-to-date and relevant information on

Desalination
from WEF Press
Desalination WEF Members
Engineering: Buy One, Get One
Operation and Order No. W140001CMEM
Maintenance Members-only: $120.00
The definitive guide Join today!
to desalination
www.wef.org/members
plant operation and
maintenance
Hard cover, 307 pages
Order No. W140001
Member Price: $99.00
List Price: $140.00

Desalination
Engineering:
Planning and
Design
An in-depth
guide to reverse
osmosis desalination 3 Easy Ways to Order
Hard cover, 688 pages
Order No. W130001
www.wef.org/ShopWEF
Member Price: $120.00 pubs@wef.org
List Price: $162.00 1.800.666.0206
 Is Now
ISO 9001:2015
Certified

PRECISION
P
CHEMICAL
CHEMI METERING
QUA
QUALITY & PERFORMANCE

Flex-Pro A2 ®

PERISTALTIC
METERING
M PUMP
PROVEN PERFORMANCE IN THE
TOUGHEST APPLICATIONS
Flex-P
Pro® Peristaltic Mete ering Pumps can handle the
often aggressive and high h viscosity fluids used for the
treatm
ment of both Water an nd Waste Water, including
Peracetic Acid. A wide rang ge of feed capabilities and
materrials options are availaable.
• One e button Prime.
• Multiple Signal Input & Ouutput (4-20Ma, etc.)
• Two o CNC precision mach hined squeeze rollers and
two
o alignment rollers prrovide optimum squeeze for
unp
paralleled accuracy.
• Buillt-in Patented Tubee Failure Detection.
• Excclusive Multi-Tube technology
t gives extended
tube
e life.

Multi-Tube Technology
Mul
HEAVY-DUTY PER
HEAVY PERISTALTIC
RISTALTIC PUMP TUBING: Multi-Tube
is a multichaanne el pump tube assembly
IP
P66 designed excllusively for Proseries-M®
Peristalt ic Meetering Pumps. Multi-
NE
EMA
A44X
X Tubes are engineered
e for optimum
WAS
AS
SH DOW
OW
OWN
perfo
orman nce, including up to four
times lon nger service life than
other p pump tube assemblies.

Chem-Pro C2 ®

DIAPHRAGM METERING PUMP

PRECISE CHEMICAL METERING
AND SUPERIOR SERVICE

Metering Pumps provide sup perio

or
chemical resistance and pre ecision
chemical metering capabilitties.
The C2 is designed to proviide
excellent service in a wide range
of applications.
• Smooth full diaphragm stroroke
every time and precise
chemical output.
• Remote start and stop function
on.
• Advanced electronics and the
firmware can be updated. IP
P66
• Equipped with Blue-White’s
exclusive DiaFlex® Diaphragm. NE
E MA A44X
X
WAS
ASH
AS H DOW
DOW
OWN
• Maximum Feed : 21 GPH (78 LP PH);
Maximum Pressure: 175 PSI (10.3 bar)).

PRECISION CHEMICAL METERING FOR OVER 60 YEARS

www.blue-white.com • 00+1+714-893-8529
5300 Business Dr., Huntington Beach, CA 92649 USA • sales@blue-white.com