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Analysis of the Water–Energy Nexus of Treated Wastewater Reuse at a Municipal Scale
oleh: Cristina Santos, Francisco Taveira-Pinto, David Pereira, Cristina Matos
Format: | Article |
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Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2021-07-01 |
Deskripsi
Treated wastewater has the potential to be a feasible alternative to supply non-potable uses and avoid water scarcity in urban areas, but it is important to understand and compare the associated energy consumption and CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. This study presents a comparative analysis of the water–energy nexus associated with the traditional water supply and to the alternative reuse of treated wastewater, both for non-potable purposes. A case study of a Portuguese municipality was considered, regarding golf course irrigation and municipal gardens irrigation. A balance between production and demand was established, and the energy consumption and CO<sub>2</sub> emissions were calculated considering the supply with drinking water and with treated wastewater. Three scenarios were defined to analyze the water–energy nexus for different configurations of the potential end-uses: (1) golf course supply, (2) municipal irrigation supply and (3) simultaneous supply to the golf course and to municipal irrigation. A quality analysis was also carried out by comparing the records from discharged wastewater quality parameters with the limits presented in the legislation for each proposed non-potable use. The results show that all scenarios present significant annual savings from using treated wastewater instead of drinking water from the public network, especially scenarios 1 and 3, that consider the golf course irrigation (water costs decrease by about 60,000.00 EUR/year). Regarding the water–energy nexus, this study reveals that treated wastewater spends less energy on its production and supply and produces fewer CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. The energy savings can reach an average value of about kWh/year, with 5300 fewer kg of CO<sub>2</sub> emitted in the best scenario.