Building the Foundations for Treating Wastewater as a Resource

Juan M. Lema

Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela

Q.

You have undertaken a lot of research into how water treatment techniques can be improved. What is driving the need for this, and how are organisations responding?

There are two main drivers. The first is to become more efficient, and the second is to increase capacity. So, becoming more efficient in how water plants use energy and becoming more efficient in improving wastewater recovery and water quality. To achieve this, companies are exploring a range of options. Some will retrofit existing water plants by adding new units that improve efficiency in treating wastewater. Others are looking at new, larger anaerobic reactors to increase capacity. There’s also a noticeable focus on new technology to improve the management of water treatment and lower the cost. So different strategies all looking to achieve the same outcomes.

Q.

How is technology improving operational management in the water treatment space?

Operations management is definitely benefitting from improved control systems that focus on technological innovation such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and gathering and analysing big data. It’s an approach that improves visibility and allows management to assess forward-looking metrics on plant capacity or water quality rather than always focussing on lagging trends. So there is a much bigger focus, particularly in the bigger plants, on harnessing technology to gather data at any particular point in the wastewater management cycle so trends and anomalies are spotted allowing managers to plan ahead and improve operational efficiency. As well as helping with plant safety, technology can also be used to link plant controls to weather patterns to make better use of high rainwater volumes that decrease the concentration of pollutants or work at higher capacity during non-peak energy periods to reduce costs. These are all new and exciting ways of using technology to adapt water treatment plants to improve efficiency through the ability to predict patterns.

"I think companies in the water treatment space need to be less conservative and more open to new ideas to improve."

– Juan M. Lema, Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela

Q.

You mentioned safety as a beneficiary of innovation and technology. Can you give examples and how important a role company culture plays?

I think technology that analyses performance is a real bonus for plant safety. It gives greater visibility on whether a pump should be modified or refurbished or whether there are risks to plant capacity. In terms of improving operational safety at the employee level, the company culture plays a significant role. Like many large organisations that provide services to the public, there is a tendency to be more conservative in introducing and communicating innovation that changes the status quo. This can lead to a lack of buy-in from employees, which can be a problem for safety behaviours. Also, when you have companies providing services based on long contracts, as you often do in the water treatment industry, there isn’t a big incentive to change. So it is very much a question of the company’s CEO having a strong strategic vision and demonstrating they believe in safety excellence so that employees are on board. This is important.

Q.

Where can the water treatment industry look for inspiration as it heads towards a more sustainable landscape, and which technologies are likely to succeed?

I think companies in the water treatment space need to be less conservative and more open to new ideas to improve. In Chile, for example, the plant is owned by the municipality but operated privately. This is not unusual, but what makes this different is that the municipality financially incentivises the private company to save energy or become more efficient. This model relies on a CEO with vision and a well-aligned workforce to make it a success. Then there’s the question of market maturity. In Europe, where the growth opportunities are limited, companies need to look to the Far East and Asia, where water treatment is a growth industry. In these regions, the use of technology to achieve efficiency in water treatment is increasingly important, and companies need to be at the top of their game to compete. In terms of the different technologies, we are seeing innovation being applied to large Granular Media Filtration (GMF) bed systems and new membrane technology to improve efficiency. However, the higher operating costs of membrane systems create a market for vertical column filtration, which uses up to 50% less space, giving plant managers the additional capacity they seek. There is also the use of technology that reduces the steps taken to remove nitrates from wastewater which can save a lot of energy and costs to provide the foundations for treating wastewater as a resource. CEOs now need to explore all the options that give them a competitive advantage on a global scale.

Q.

Finally, is a move from water treatment to wastewater recovery part of the sustainable story?

I think treating wastewater as a resource is the future. The more we can extract bi-products of wastewater and use technology to reuse it for other purposes, the more we can develop a sustainable operating model. But a lot more work needs to be done to convince the public that there is a cost to becoming sustainable. Investment in new technology and infrastructure are essential components to achieving a more sustainable business model. As companies look at how to embed Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) into their culture, they not only need to bring the workforce with them, but they also have to demonstrate leadership that can clearly demonstrate the benefits of their strategy to the public. This involves a change of mentality at CEO level to engage more with the public on wastewater treatment issues, so thinking about terminology and how to frame the benefits of investment plans. Importantly, this change of mentality has to start from within the company before achieving success at the public level.

"We need to remember that transitioning to sustainable energy is crucial for the environment and society, so it’s better to try things and learn from our failures than not try at all."

– Juan M. Lema, Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela