Network for the sustainable use of energy in water and wastewater treatment

Completed

Renewable Energy Sources(Wind Energy)
Energy Efficiency(Industry)
Renewable Energy Sources(Bio-Energy, Production of other biomass-derived fuels (incl. Production from wastes))
Renewable Energy Sources(Solar Energy)

Basic and strategic applied research

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

Not Cross-cutting
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy

Dr E Cartmell
School of Applied Sciences
Cranfield University

Standard

EPSRC

01 November 2006

31 October 2009

36 months

£91,652

Civil eng. & built environment

East of England

Systems -- Process Environment and Sustainability

Dr E Cartmell, School of Applied Sciences, Cranfield University

Dr H Yeung, School of Engineering, Cranfield University

Project Contact, Imperial College London
Project Contact, University of Glamorgan
Project Contact, Newcastle University
Project Contact, Barnet & Southgate College
Project Contact, Thames Water Utilities Plc
Project Contact, University of Strathclyde
Project Contact, Anglian Water
Project Contact, Severn Trent Water
Project Contact, United Utilities PLC
Project Contact, Yorkshire Water
Project Contact, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
Project Contact, Northumbrian Water Ltd
Project Contact, University of Edinburgh
Project Contact, Environmental Agency
Project Contact, Conservatoire for Dance and Drama
Project Contact, University Centre Somerset
Project Contact, University of Chichester
Project Contact, York St John University
Project Contact, Lakes College West Cumbria
Project Contact, DEFRA
Project Contact, University of East Anglia
Project Contact, University of Nottingham
Project Contact, University of Warwick

The water that you drink and use to flush the toilet all needs to be treated to provide everyone with safe drinking water and to protect the environment. However, this treatment uses a large amount of energy (8,000 GWh) each year. This is equivalent to you running about 100 million tumble driers non-stop for a year.The energy that is used for water and wastewater treatment comes from non-renewable fossil fuel energy resources such as coal, oil and gas. Furthermore, when they are used they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which contributes to global warming. Therefore, if the amount of energy that is used to treat your drinking water can be reduced then less non-renewable energy resources will be used up and less carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere.In our proposal we intend to establish a network of people to develop research ideas to reduce energy use in water and wastewater treament. Some of the projects we will be looking at will include developing new treatment processes which use less energy. We will also examine increasing the production of more biogas. Biogas is produced during wastewater treatment and can be used to supply energy instead of using fossil fuels. We also intend to develop a web site and stage a number of meetings in the UK so that good ideas regarding energy use can be passed to others.The people that are going to be in the network include all the major water companies like Thames, Severn Trent, Yorkshire, Northumbrian, Anglian and United Utilities, government orgnisations like the Environment Agency and other Universities namely Imperial College, Strathcylde, Birmingham, Warwick and Edinburgh. They all have particular expertise in either water or wastewater treatment processes or in energy conservation and renewable energy

01/01/07