by Professor Poul Harremoes Environmental engineering has been a discipline dominated by empirical approaches to engineering. Historically speaking, the development of urban drainage structures was very successful on the basis of pure empiricism. Just think of the impressive structures built by the Romans long before the discipline of hydraulics came into being. The fact is that the Romans did not know much about the theories of hydraulics, which were discovered as late as the mid-1800s. However, with the Renaissance came a new era. Astronomy (Galileos) and basic physics (Newton) started the scientific revolution and in the mid-1800s Navier and Stokes developed the application of Newtons laws to hydrodynamics, and later, St. Venant the first basic physics description of the motion of water in open channels. The combination of basic physical understanding of the phenomena involved in the flow of water in pipes and the experience gained by "trial and error", the engineering approach to urban drainage improved the design and performance of the engineering drainage infrastructure. However, due to the mathematical complications of the basic equations, solutions were available only to quite simple cases of practical significance until the introduction of new principles of calculation made possible by computers and their ability to crunch numbers. Now even intricate hydraulic phenomena can be simulated with a reasonable degree of confidence that the simulations are in agreement with performance in practice, if the models are adequately calibrated with sample performance data.
Population growth and increasing industrial development makes the efficient treatment of municipal waste water of vital concern. This book describes the design of various treatment processes which have proved to be most effective, among which are included: skimming tanks with corrugated plates or circular tubes, package treatment units (grit removal - skimming tanks, activated sludge - secondary settling tanks) etc. For each of the processes described, the author gives all the relevant information concerning the design and operation of the equipment. Examples of design calculations are provided, many of them using computer methods. Sketches, diagrams and tables accompany the text and a bibliography and keyword index is provided.The book is addressed to design engineers as well as to the wide range of specialists in fields connected to waste water treatment.
Farming communities in water-scarce regions increasingly practice the use of urban wastewater in agriculture. Untreated urban wastewater is generally considered unacceptable for direct use because of potential health risks. However, in many parts of the world, poor farmers in peri-urban areas use untreated wastewater. This situation is considered likely to continue even in the foreseeable future due to the high investment cost associated with the installation of treatment facilities.
Close to one-half of all Americans live in coastal counties. The resulting flood of wastewater, stormwater, and pollutants discharged into coastal waters is a major concern. This book offers a well-delineated approach to integrated coastal management beginning with wastewater and stormwater control. The committee presents an overview of current management practices and problems. The core of the volume is a detailed model for integrated coastal management, offering basic principles and methods, a direction for moving from general concerns to day-to-day activities, specific steps from goal setting through monitoring performance, and a base of scientific and technical information. Success stories from the Chesapeake and Santa Monica bays are included. The volume discusses potential barriers to integrated coastal management and how they may be overcome and suggests steps for introducing this concept into current programs and legislation. This practical volume will be important to anyone concerned about management of coastal waters: policymakers, resource and municipal managers, environmental professionals, concerned community groups, and researchers, as well as faculty and students in environmental studies.
Pharmaceutical wastewater is now a major concern due to the improper legislation around the globe and the poor implementation of existing laws. This book covers the various aspects of pharmaceutical sources, treatment technologies, and the harmful effect on the natural environment. The book will also highlight the concept of the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) as applied to the treatment and resource recovery systems for pharmaceutical treatment. The different innovative technologies will deal with reducing the energy requirements, the physical space requirements and impacts of treatment plants . Some case studies are included in order to fully understand the practical aspects of the treatment and modelling.
From a river-basin perspective, wastewater irrigation is an important form of water and nutrient reuse; however, there are important water quality, environmental, and public health considerations. This report explores the advantages and risks of urban wastewater reuse for crop production in the water-short Guanajuato river-basin in west-central Mexico, and then by a selective literature review demonstrates how common this practice is worldwide. It also evaluates several alternative water-management scenarios through application of the Interactive River Aquifer Simulation (IRAS) model, developed by Cornell University and Resource Planning Associates.
This volume offers a detailed overview of currently applied and tested wastewater treatment technologies and the integration of advanced processes to remove trace organic contaminants and microorganisms. It discusses the potential of enhanced biological treatment to produce effluent suitable for reuse, new processes for urban wastewater disinfection and the reduction of antibiotic resistant bacteria, as well as the effect of advanced oxidation processes on wastewater microbiome and chemical contaminants. It also presents membrane bioreactors, moving bed bioreactors, light and solar driven technologies, ozonation and immobilised heterogeneous photocatalysis and provides an evaluation of the potential of constructed wetlands integrated with advanced oxidation technologies to produce wastewater safe for reuse. Furthermore, the volume discusses water reuse issues and standards, the status of membrane bioreactors applications, and the treatment of reverse osmosis concentrate for enhanced water recovery during wastewater treatment. Finally, it presents recent developments in potable water reuse and addresses various important issues in this framework, like the proper protection of public health, reliability and monitoring. This volume is of interest to experts, scientists and practitioners from various fields of research, including analytical and environmental chemistry, toxicology and environmental and sanitary engineering, as well as treatment plant operators and policymakers.
The books provides a timely analysis in support of a paradigm shift in the field of wastewater management, from ‘treatment for disposal’ to ‘treatment for reuse’ by offering a variety of value propositions for water, nutrient and energy recovery which can support cost savings, cost recovery, and profits, in a sector that traditionally relies on public funding. The book provides new insights into the economics of wastewater use, applicable to developed and developing countries striving to transform wastewater from an unpleasant liability to a valuable asset and recasting urbanization from a daunting challenge into a resource recovery opportunity. “It requires business thinking to transform septage and sewage into valuable products. A must read for water scholars, policy makers, practitioners, and entrepreneurs". Guy Hutton, Senior Economist, Water and Sanitation Program, Water Global Practice, World Bank “This book provides compelling evidence and real solutions for the new ‘resource from waste’ approach that is transforming sanitation, boosting livelihoods, and strengthening urban resilience”. Christopher Scott, Professor and Distinguished Scholar, University of Arizona “This book shows how innovative business thinking and partnerships around resource recovery and reuse fit well within an inclusive green economy and climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies”. Akiça Bahri, Coordinator of the African Water Facility, Tunisia, and award-winning researcher
The United Nations World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) is hosted and led by UNESCO. WWAP brings together the work of 31 UN-Water Members and 38 Partners to publish The United Nations World Water Development Report, (WWDR) series. The annual World Water Development Reports focus on strategic water issues. UN-Water Members and Partners, all experts in their respective fields, contribute the latest findings on a specific theme. The 2017 edition of the World Water Development Report focuses on 'Wastewater' and seeks to inform decision-makers, inside and outside the water community, about the importance of managing wastewater as an undervalued and sustainable source of water, energy, nutrients and other recoverable by-products, rather than something to be disposed of or a nuisance to be ignored. The report's title - Wastewater: The Untapped Resource - reflects the critical role that wastewater is poised to play in the context of a circular economy, whereby economic development is balanced with the protection of natural resources and environmental sustainability, and where a cleaner and more sustainable economy has a positive effect on the water quality. Improved wastewater management is not only critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal on clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), but also to other goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Municipal Wastewater Management in Developing Countries discusses various approaches to municipal wastewater management in order to protect both public health and the environment, with the major focus being on waterborne diseases. Developing countries can be divided into two main categories, i.e. countries in transition with higher growth rates where industrialisation and urbanisation are taking place rapidly, and countries with slower growth rates. It is important, therefore, that approaches should be tailor-made and site-specific. In general, the major trends of water pollution control have significantly contributed to the development of ?conventional sanitation? approaches in terms of legal and financial frameworks, as well as technological enhancement. Despite advances in the science, engineering and legal frameworks, 95 per cent of the wastewater in the world is released into the environment without treatment. Only five per cent of global wastewater is properly treated using the ?standard? sanitation facilities, mainly in developed countries. As a result, the majority of the world?s population is still exposed to waterborne diseases, and the quality of water resources has been rapidly degraded, particularly in poor developing countries. The challenge now is to provide the world?s population, especially the poor, with adequate water and sanitation facilities. Despite billions of dollars of investment spent every year, billions of poor people are still suffering and dying because of poor sanitation. At the beginning of this century, about 1.1 billion people lived without access to clean water (compared to about the same number in 1990), 2.4 billion without appropriate sanitation (compared to 2.3 billion in 1990) and four billion without sound wastewater disposal. The future scenario, that water resources will be further depleted by a growing world population, will be coupled with environmental degradation due to poor pollution control, particularly in most of the developing countries. In order to address the issue of water and wastewater management in developing countries it is necessary to take into consideration the segments of the society itself, particularly the types of housing areas. The segments will indicate the level of socio-economic, mentality and knowledge, which is important for any planned changes in their life style and social engineering. It is also important to segregate the funding framework of any proposed projects. High-income urban communities, for instance, are generally willing to pay for sewerage services and higher water supply tariffs, therefore a designated system can be accordingly provided. Over the past 10 years, serious criticism has been given to the ?conventional sanitation? approach, consequently many definitions, concepts and characteristics have been proposed on ?sustainable sanitation?. Sustainable sanitation is a relevant concept in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 of providing water supply and adequate sanitation for developing countries. Sustainable sanitation is flexible in approach any community ? poor or rich, urban or rural, water-rich or water-poor country ? and requires lower investment costs compared to conventional sanitation approaches. It is also important to note that the framework of sustainable sanitation is much easier to adopt in developing countries where water supply and sanitation infrastructures are still in the developing stages. In some developing countries, no public facilities are available therefore it is an ideal condition to start a new infrastructure with a new framework. This comprehensive reference, prepared by leading international authorities, will provide an invaluable reference for all those concerned with the management of sanitation services in developing countries worldwide.
