Modeling Energy Recovery in (Distributed) Wastewater Treatment Systems

Abstract

Energy recovery from biogas generated during waste treatment offers an opportunity to leverage a recurring source for public good. Effectively utilizing wastewater helps to achieve sustainable energy goals, addresses emissions challenges, and incentivizes innovative solutions like distributed waste treatment. When implementing energy recovery in distributed systems, there is a need for technological advancements to provide a smooth transition from centralized systems through resolving issues of membrane efficiency and low gas yield from the system on smaller scales. The technology, or otherwise referred to as innovation, needed can be optimally identified through data mining and modeling that seeks to address the challenges of these distributed systems. This article discusses a developing path of innovation within waste treatment and presents preliminary investigations that inform the author’s perspective on the need to leverage data in navigating the challenges (US EPA & CHP, 2012) that accompany distributed waste treatment.