How to use IoT to reduce the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment?

The systems we currently use to treat wastewater are energy intensive, using approximately 1.75 million gigawatt hours globally each year—more than the combined electricity consumption of all U.S. homes.

　And this number will only grow. According to the latest estimates, more than 80% of the world’s wastewater is untreated, but this number is shrinking – the global wastewater market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.41% through 2030.

The problem is that water treatment operators have only recently had access to the latest technologies that can be used to improve outcomes. This includes the Internet of Things (IoT): IoT technology plays a vital role in optimizing how we treat wastewater and reducing energy demand across the industry.

Today, more and more companies are studying the greenhouse gas emissions of wastewater treatment, including its carbon footprint, and why and where they need to improve operational efficiency. It also explores how the latest IoT technology can help operators collect high-quality data about their systems and help them identify opportunities to improve efficiency.

　What is the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment?

Wastewater treatment is rarely reported in the mass media. When calculated as a fraction of total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, it looks small – only 1.3%. However, this is misleading because this figure only takes into account direct production of greenhouse gases - organic matter in wastewater is a small but significant source of methane and nitrous oxide, both of which are very powerful greenhouse gases gas.

Calculations like this take into account how energy use is distributed among industries. Wastewater treatment indirectly creates a large carbon footprint due to its energy requirements.

Most wastewater treatment methods aim to remove organic matter from the water and then treat the resultingof sludge to prevent harmful amounts of carbon, nitrogen and phosphates from entering the local environment. There are multiple ways to do this, resulting in differences in how much energy they require and the greenhouse gas emissions they produce.

　Wastewater treatment requires greater operational efficiency

One of the most important issues in reducing the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment is the need More data.

This is a global problem - the United Nations was only able to collect data from 42 countries in its latest report, and industrial wastewater data was only available for 18 countries.

A lack of data is also an issue at a national level – for example:

The UK Environment Agency states that “… municipal wastewater treatment processes are poorly monitored; Compared to other industries, better process monitoring will help identify quick wins..."

In a report on greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment in China, the authors pointed out issues related to how greenhouse gas emissions are calculated. There are few differences when evaluating different wastewater treatment technologies.

In addition, the carbon dioxide emissions of biological treatment were not taken into account, and there is a lack of data on downstream water quality or possible greenhouse gas emissions.

A lack of data and poor data quality hampers efforts to improve operational efficiency. Better monitoring of the energy use of wastewater treatment, as well as the carbon and greenhouse gas emissions of the treatment process, is needed to effectively address this issue.

Taking the UK as an example, it is estimated that optimization could easily reduce the country’s annual wastewater treatment CO2 emissions by tens of thousands of tonnes, but many solutions rely on better data and capital A combination of investments.

　How IoT can help us create more efficient wastewater management

　The Internet of Things (IoT) has been proven to be a wastewater A valuable development for treatment and overall water management systems. Smart water meters are a tool we may already be familiar with. They are becoming increasingly popular, with various regions strongly encouraging their adoption.

The use of IoT technology goes far beyond this. For example, in 202In mid-2020, Scotland’s public water supplier, Scottish Water, announced a £100 million investment in IoT technology to improve its wastewater treatment infrastructure.

Scottish Water found better wastewater monitoring was needed to "predict and prevent wastewater issues before they impact customers and the environment". Their goal is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 by improving operational efficiency.

In working to achieve this goal, they learned they had “…little access to real-time data on treatment quality or the condition and performance of critical assets.”< br />

The collection and analysis of sensor data from IoT systems, such as the one being implemented by Scottish Water, has several major advantages:

It can be used to predict needs Maintenance location and providing early warning of any problems, thereby reducing the likelihood of major leaks and blockages in wastewater infrastructure.

IoT sensors can monitor chemical levels in wastewater, including carbon dioxide, nitrogen and methane.

Some sensors can also monitor water aeration, a key aspect of certain wastewater treatment processes.

IoT systems can monitor and evaluate flow levels, allowing you to analyze and optimize water entering and exiting your wastewater treatment facility, supporting optimization of energy use throughout the treatment process.

IoT technology has huge potential for the wastewater treatment industry: protecting and extending the service life of water infrastructure, optimizing wastewater treatment processes, reducing overall energy demand, reducing its carbon (and overall greenhouse gases ) emissions footprint.