New Technologies and Tools for Sustainability
Content Table
This article includes information about specific technologies and tools that are pieces of the larger paradigm shift. Ed Clerico from Alliance Environmental in the U.S. describes openings for reuse of rainwater and wastewater. Marco Schmidt from the Technische Universitat in Berlin, Germany describes a variety of green infrastructure approaches to stormwater management and energy controls in buildings. Prof. Xiaodi Hao of the Beijing University for Civil Engineering and Architecture presents work in China on eco-sanitation technologies and practices.
Water Reuse – New York City and Japan Experience and Future Prospect
Edward A. Clerico Membrane Bioreactor - Closed Loop Configeration
Direct water reuse has been practiced in the United States for many years but only to a very small extent and in highly varied fashions which were the result of specific local conditions and goals. By its nature, the water resource industry in the United States is slow to innovate and deeply encumbered with massive infrastructure that is all configured in a linear manner whereby water flows toward a use, is used and managed in some fashion and then flows away, generally in a downstream direction taking advantage of the simple fact that water flows downhill. On the positive side, there are signs that public awareness and acceptance of water reuse and the overall importance of better water resource management are gaining momentum in certain key sectors which could escalate this transition. This is evident in the green building industry where sustainable infrastructure models are demanded, in developing arid areas where the risk of water resource depletion is becoming very obvious, in pristine rural areas where the discharge of contaminants must be avoided and in urban redevelopment areas where very old and often failing infrastructure cannot support the demands of redevelopment without significant conservation and reuse.
All water gets reused eventually, some sooner than later. When rivers and other surface water bodies serve as the source of water supply and means of wastewater disposal for multiple cities, the timeframe between uses can sometimes be measured in days rather than years as a portion of the upstream disposal becomes the downstream supply. In remote rural areas where population density is very low and water is drawn from a protected underground aquifer it is possible that the most recent possessor of the water that comes from the tap today may have been a dinosaur, but as world population increases and luxurious water use spreads to developing nations, it is more likely that your next glass of water was last used by an upstream neighbor rather than a prehistoric species. In the natural cycle of water use, this reuse characteristic is inadvertent, unavoidable and almost entirely unintentional. On the contrary, intentional water reuse which is the subject of this paper is a relatively modern concept whereby water is used once, becomes contaminated to a certain degree, is then subsequently treated in some fashion to improve the quality and then is used again in a well planned and controlled manner. Although it is possible to treat used water adequately for purposes of drinking, the water use-reuse concept discussed herein is almost exclusively intended for nonpotable purposes.
Direct water reuse has been practiced in the United States for many years but only to a very small extent and in highly varied fashions which were the result of specific local conditions and goals. Regardless of a successful history, many newly conceived water reuse projects are still hailed as pilots or demonstrations intended to build understanding and acceptance by a public which remains skeptical. The water industry and the general population remain very comfortable with the current simple perspective which emerged in Roman times and embraces the notion that water supply should come from pure upstream sources, as though there remain such sources, and contaminated wastewater should be disposed of downstream, as though this would somehow keep everyone safe, including those who live downstream. The booming bottled water industry which portrays images of pristine protected sources as part of product marketing campaigns continues to bolster this public perception.
Public concern about the quality of water is increasing. There is also an awakening to the reality that water supply sources are severely limited in many populated locations and that wastewater contaminants are spreading everywhere posing a risk to all living things. This awakening is fueled somewhat by widely published images and facts from undeveloped nations that illustrate the connection between disease and the lack of adequate water supply and appropriate sanitation. But even though public concern is heightened, there is no perceived connection between these more obvious problems in undeveloped nations and the way in which water and wastewater are managed in developed countries. The linear Roman model of consume, use and dispose still prevails in the minds of most people as the preferred approach.
There is recent evidence however that this ancient perception may soon change. Through the successful application of water reuse in a growing number of both commercial and residential development projects the multiple benefits of water recycling are becoming too obvious to ignore. Unfortunately, a dramatic shift towards water reuse will be significantly complicated by a multiplicity of hurdles which must be overcome. Complications associated with existing regulations, short term economics, massive existing infrastructure needs and the fact that water is mostly a local issue will likely make the transition to water reuse much slower than comparable revolutions in the communications, information and renewable energy industries. Even though there is tremendous potential benefits to be gained, without significant policy changes, the shift to water reuse is only likely to occur in a gradual manner and where short term cost effectiveness can be realized or where local conditions are severe.
By its nature, the water resource industry in the United States is slow to innovate and deeply encumbered with massive infrastructure that is all configured in a linear manner whereby water flows toward a use, is used and managed in some fashion and then flows away, generally in a downstream direction taking advantage of the simple fact that water flows downhill. This linear configuration is not generally conducive to cyclical reuse approaches that require return loops for recapture, treatment and ultimate reuse. Lacking any widespread water supply shortages caused by major droughts or severe contamination, economics will still be the primary driver behind how people choose to manage their water resources. As a result, the current status quo “once used and through” linear model is likely to remain for some time. On the positive side, there are signs that public awareness and acceptance of water reuse and the overall importance of better water resource management are gaining momentum in certain key sectors which could escalate this transition. This is evident in the green building industry where sustainable infrastructure models are demanded, in developing arid areas where the risk of water resource depletion is becoming very obvious, in pristine rural areas where the discharge of contaminants must be avoided and in urban redevelopment areas where very old and often failing infrastructure cannot support the demands of redevelopment without significant conservation and reuse. Through a number of successful projects that are leading examples of water reuse, it is now possible that the interest and activity in this new water reuse model could increase dramatically and things could change more quickly than otherwise expected.
A New Water Paradigm For Urban Areas
Marco Schmidt
Global change in land use is characterized by daily deforestation rates of 350 km² and a desertification process of 300 km² daily. These developments are closely linked due to the impact on the water cycle. The global change in land use causes a huge impact on the hydrology by reduction in evaporation. Consequences are reduced precipitation rates and a release of heat. Only water that has evaporated will cause rainfall, therefore a reduction in evaporation leads to a further reduction in precipitation. Contrary to the public opinion local precipitation rates are dominated by the small water cycle on of evaporation on land. This is a regional process. Evaporation of water is the largest hydrologic process on earth and also the most important component of energy conversion. land (Kravčík et al. 2007). Small water cycle means precipitation generated out
Practice of Ecological Sanitation in Beijing: a demonstration project
F.-G. Qiu, D.-Y. Zhang, J.-Q. Li, W. Che and X.-D. Hao
The concept of ecological sanitation (ECOSAN) is practiced in a deserted river-side area of 2 ha, which includes urine separation and utilization, biogas production from faeces, animal wastes and biomass, rainwater harvesting, ecological lake, wetland, etc., Within the practiced area, water cycle, nutrient cycle and energy cycle are simultaneously formed. In this way, a zero discharge of pollutants is realized. Such an ECOSAN concept is very close to the conventional farming and life style in China, and so the demonstration project is intended as a model for the future of villages in China. The article describes the details of the demonstration project.
For a couple of decades, an urbanized level in China has risen to 45.7%, and a total urban population has reached to 607 millions at the end of 2008 (Niu and Pan, 2009). Even in left-over villages, the life of farmers has been totally changed towards a modern style. For examples, farmers’ houses have been using flush-toilets; black water is discharged aimlessly; animal wastes are hardly been used as fertilizers; electricity has been even applied for cooking.
This trend towards the so-called modern life style has actually deviated from a conventional ecological life style persisting for thousands of years in China, which is definitely not a sustainable way. In this way, resources and energy will be quickly consumed, which will result in deterioration of ecological environment, shortage of freshwater and nutrient, and energy crisis. In practice, this situation has appeared in many areas of China.
Under the circumstance, exploring and demonstrating a future development pattern for villages and even towns has become important and urgent. Nowadays, the future of cities and villages towards sustainability is being emphasized and planned globally; some countries and/or organizations have developed some alternative technologies to achieve the closed loop recycling of water resources, energy, and nutrient in rural and urban communities. Among them, the concept of ecological sanitation (ECOSAN) with urine separation, rainwater harvesting and biogas production has been gradually practiced in some European countries such as Germany and Sweden. (Berndtsson, 2006; Langergraber and Muellegger, 2005). In fact, the conventional farming and life pattern in China is very close to ECOSAN to a large extent. Clearly, changing the conventional pattern towards ECOSAN should be realizable and relatively simple. To convince people (especially for farmers), however, a practical demonstration project of ECOSAN has to be set up, as there is a conventional saying in China: hearing for a hundred times is inferior to seeing it one time.
Although the concept of ECOSAN has been accepted academically and even practiced partially in some areas in China, urine separation toilet is only a main concern in practice, and not a real ECOSAN project has been accomplished yet. With this article, a demonstration project of ECOSAN is introduced, which is located in the suburban area of Beijing and is being constructed under the supervision of Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture (BUCEA) and with the financial support of the Beijing municipal government.
The constructed ECOSAN project is practiced on a deserted riverside with an area of 2 hectares. Besides the concept of ECOSAN, green buildings with energy saving are also reconstructed together.
For a couple of decades, an urbanized level in China has risen to 45.7%, and a total urban population has reached to 607 millions at the end of 2008 (Niu and Pan, 2009). Even in left-over villages, the life of farmers has been totally changed towards a modern style. For examples, farmers’ houses have been using flush-toilets; black water is discharged aimlessly; animal wastes are hardly been used as fertilizers; electricity has been even applied for cooking.
This trend towards the so-called modern life style has actually deviated from a conventional ecological life style persisting for thousands of years in China, which is definitely not a sustainable way. In this way, resources and energy will be quickly consumed, which will result in deterioration of ecological environment, shortage of freshwater and nutrient, and energy crisis. In practice, this situation has appeared in many areas of China.
Under the circumstance, exploring and demonstrating a future development pattern for villages and even towns has become important and urgent. Nowadays, the future of cities and villages towards sustainability is being emphasized and planned globally; some countries and/or organizations have developed some alternative technologies to achieve the closed loop recycling of water resources, energy, and nutrient in rural and urban communities. Among them, the concept of ecological sanitation (ECOSAN) with urine separation, rainwater harvesting and biogas production has been gradually practiced in some European countries such as Germany and Sweden. (Berndtsson, 2006; Langergraber and Muellegger, 2005). In fact, the conventional farming and life pattern in China is very close to ECOSAN to a large extent. Clearly, changing the conventional pattern towards ECOSAN should be realizable and relatively simple. To convince people (especially for farmers), however, a practical demonstration project of ECOSAN has to be set up, as there is a conventional saying in China: hearing for a hundred times is inferior to seeing it one time.
Although the concept of ECOSAN has been accepted academically and even practiced partially in some areas in China, urine separation toilet is only a main concern in practice, and not a real ECOSAN project has been accomplished yet. With this article, a demonstration project of ECOSAN is introduced, which is located in the suburban area of Beijing and is being constructed under the supervision of Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture (BUCEA) and with the financial support of the Beijing municipal government.
The constructed ECOSAN project is practiced on a deserted riverside with an area of 2 hectares. Besides the concept of ECOSAN, green buildings with energy saving are also reconstructed together.
Resources
This article is an extract from the report, Sustainability and International Innovation, by Valerie I. Nelson, Jerry Stonebridge and Steve Modemeyer
This report presents updated work from eight of the key speakers at the 2007 international conference Water for All Life: A Decentralized Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future. Each chapter represents a major thread in the new fabric of understanding of water sustainability that became embodied in the Baltimore Charter which was drafted following the conference. In addition to chapters on a new water management paradigm, new technologies and tools for sustainability, and institutions and barriers, the report includes a chapter on eco-cities as well as resource directory of international experts. A final chapter is included on prospects for innovation in the United States.
