Sunday, October 11, 2009

Potential for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems

This past Friday I toured the Blacksburg VPI Sanitation Authority. It was very interesting to actually see how the wastewater is treated before returning to the New River.

As of now, Blacksburg's water is pumped through various pipes to the main sewage pipe, located beneath the Drillfield, and then by gravity is transported to the plant where water is treated. Water goes through primary and secondary treatment. The secondary treatment uses microorganisms to further cleanse the water through processes including nitrification/ denitrification. Activated sludge is then separated from the water and the clear liquid is sent to the chlorine tanks before being discharged into the New River. While other plants choose to rid of their sludge by re-applying it to land for purposes such as fertilzation, the Blacksburg VPI Sanitation Authority chooses to incinerate their sludge.

The tour was the beginning of my new project where I will be looking at the differences in energy use between centralized waste water treatment versus decentralized waste water treatment and applying it to a local neighborhood/area. New developments, especially ones that are isolated from the city or area where a centralized system is applied, have potential to use decentralized systems.

If an isolated neighborhood uses a decentralized system, how much energy can be saved? If wastewater can be treated on site and be recycled/reused in the vicinity rather than traveling to a facility to be treated and placed back into a water source...how much energy will be saved and is it a significant amount?

The local area I will be looking at is Tom's Creek Village, which serves as a good area because its relatively isolated.




Monday, October 5, 2009

Wave goodbye to energy problems?

Could wave and tidal energy be efficient means of generating electricity? Could this coastal resource then power the extremely energy intensive desalination process? My research project this semester is exploring the current literature on these new technologies and applying this information to the potential for use in desalination. Since my project this summer, coastal watersheds have become more and more interesting. Saltwater intrusion is already causing many coastal areas (including Virginia) to turn to desalination as a means for providing fresh water to the growing populations. While renewable energy technologies continue to advance and become more efficient, ideas such as wave and tidal energy have not been explored in terms of environmental impact and sustainability. I will post more information as I collect it but I am extremely eager to determine if these new energies could provide enough electricity for the inevitable increase in desalination water treatment plants.