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Analysis of Specific Energy Consumption of Wastewater Treatment Plants in the North of Portugal

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Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Water Energy Food and Sustainability (ICoWEFS 2021) (ICoWEFS 2021)

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Abstract

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are becoming more energy intensive due to a growing urban population, an increment in the contaminant load to be treated, and a stringent regulatory and environmental protection standard for effluent quality and water reuse. As the energy demand in the water sector will continue to grow in the forthcoming decades, benchmark the energy performance of WWTPs is essential to improve their energy efficiency. Typically, the specific energy consumption of WWTPs is expressed through two common key performance indicators (KPIs): energy consumption per cubic meter of treated wastewater (kWh/m3) and per unit of chemical oxygen demand removed (kWh/kg COD rem). The first KPI (kWh/m3) is the most applied due to its reliability and accuracy as the volume of wastewater is measured continuously whereas, for example, COD concentrations are determined discontinuously. In this paper, these KPIs are used to compare the specific energy consumption of fifteen WWTPs located in the north of Portugal; these values are also compared against similar facilities and types of treatment found in literature. Despite the use of specific energy consumption indicators allows a simplified, yet quick, assessment of energy performance of WWTPs, the results show that is possible to identify some worse performances. In addition, results show that the joint utilization of several KPIs allows more complete and reliable conclusions.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Sistema de Gestão dos Consumos Intensivos de Energia (SGCIE) stipulates an obligation to carry out energy audits, with viable measures implemented through rationalization plans, on facilities with an annual consumption of 500 toe or more in the year preceding the analysis.

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Acknowledgements

The presented work is framed under the Energy for Sustainability Initiative of the University of Coimbra (UC).

Funding

Bruno J. Cardoso acknowledges the support provided by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under Doctoral grant PD/BD/142812/2018.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. ADAI, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Coimbra, Rua Luís Reis Santos, Pólo II, 3030-788, Coimbra, Portugal

    Bruno J. Cardoso, Eugénio Rodrigues & Adélio R. Gaspar

  2. INESC Coimbra, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Coimbra, Rua Sílvio Lima, Pólo II, 3030-290, Coimbra, Portugal

    Álvaro Gomes

Authors
  1. Bruno J. Cardoso
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  2. Eugénio Rodrigues
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  3. Adélio R. Gaspar
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  4. Álvaro Gomes
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bruno J. Cardoso .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal

    João Rafael da Costa Sanches Galvão

  2. School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Portalegre, Portugal

    Paulo Sérgio Duque de Brito

  3. School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal

    Filipe dos Santos Neves

  4. School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal

    Flávio Gabriel da Silva Craveiro

  5. School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal

    Henrique de Amorim Almeida

  6. School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal

    Joel Oliveira Correia Vasco

  7. School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal

    Luís Miguel Pires Neves

  8. School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal

    Ricardo de Jesus Gomes

  9. School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal

    Sandra de Jesus Martins Mourato

  10. School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal

    Vânia Sofia Santos Ribeiro

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Cardoso, B.J., Rodrigues, E., Gaspar, A.R., Gomes, Á. (2021). Analysis of Specific Energy Consumption of Wastewater Treatment Plants in the North of Portugal. In: da Costa Sanches Galvão, J.R., et al. Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Water Energy Food and Sustainability (ICoWEFS 2021). ICoWEFS 2021. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75315-3_41

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