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Summary
The Autonomous Net-Zero Water Project is a water treatment project that aims to provide a sustainable water supply system. It works by gathering all waste water from a particular facility, then subjecting the water to a series of water treatment processes. After which, the water is directed back to the facility for consumption. This perpetual process of water recycling provides continuous water supply; making it possible for its users to refrain or extremely minimize tapping water from outside sources. Water recycling is not a new thing. However, the greatest challenge in making the water-recycling system sustainable is the enormous amount of energy being expended to sustain such systems. Most often, it is not practical to recycle water because of the cost of the power needed to operate such systems. The Autonomous Net-Zero Water Project, on the other hand, claims to use low energy in its treatment processes. The water that comes from the Autonomous Net-Zero Water Project is also considered safe for drinking. The recycled water, for instance, is tested three times a day to ensure that it is safe for human consumption. In an environment wherein sustainability is desired, the Autonomous Net-Zero Water Project provides a potential solution to the growing problem of water scarcity that can be applied in certain areas wherein water is in short supply. It is also a potential solution to the water supply needs of industries whose water system needs to be removed from the natural bodies of water such as pharmaceuticals and chemical industries.
Background Information
The Autonomous Net-Zero Water Project is a sustainable water recycling project initiated by the University of Miami. According to Dr. James Englehardt, an environmental engineering professor and one of the principal investigators of the Autonomous Net-Zero Water Project of the University of Miami, the objective of the project is “to develop design principles for buildings in the future that are off the grid”. The project started in 2012 wherein four students of the University Miami were placed in a campus housing retrofitted with the Autonomous Net-Zero Water project. The waste water for these college residents was processed on site and reused after undergoing several purification stages. The budget for this project came from the National Science Foundation, which provided a $2 million grant to Dr. James Englehardt and his team for the purpose of developing “a low-energy, direct potable reuse system with net zero water consumption”. The project aims to purify waste water above drinking standards before returning it for reuse. Although the returned water will only be used for all other purposes, except drinking, researchers are confident that the recycled water is fit for drinking as well.
Process Overview
The project was organized into three research areas, also known as ‘Thrust Areas’. The first research or thrust area is the facility itself, which is composed of a “four-bedroom, four-bath unit with laundry and kitchen” residential unit within the University of Miami and the adjacent net-zero treatment facility. Cooking and drinking water is provided by the city’s water supply while an initial water supply is provided for the autonomous net-zero water system. Once the system is already running, all the waste water from the sink, the bathroom, the laundry and the toilets are collected by the pipe system in a septic tank. The Autonomous Net-Zero Water project can be considered as an active waste water treatment or active sludge process (United States Environmental Protection Agency 13). In contrast with passive waste water treatment wherein the treatment relies only on natural processes such as the action of gravity and microorganisms, the active waste water treatment utilizes mechanical and chemical methods in the purification of waste water (United States Environmental Protection Agency 13). One particular advantage of using the active water treatment is that it requires less space compared to the passive water treatment. However, the active water treatment is more costly to operate compared to the passive system because it requires a considerable amount of energy to run its aeration systems (United States Environmental Protection Agency 13). Waste water in the Autonomous Net-Zero Water project, for instance, undergoes several stages of water purification that uses state of the art equipment and processes. Initially, waste water is collected in the septic tank wherein it undergoes sedimentation and is screened for solid particles. After which, the waste water undergoes four major processes that aims to purify waste water from harmful bacteria and microorganism such as aerobic processes and denitrification; electrocoagulation and flocculation; ultrafiltration; and peroxone and organic destruction. The processed water is then placed in a holding tank and passes through a carbon filter before it goes back to the dormitory. Aside from the technical side of the project, researchers are also interested in the second research area, which is the socio-cultural and psycho-cultural aspect of the project. This second thrust area focuses on studying the social acceptability of this new water recycling technology. Lastly, the third area of concern is the study regarding the possible risks of the processes and how it can be mitigated. In order to achieve this end, the entire processes are constantly monitored, including water quality monitoring wherein water samples have been collected three times daily for two years.
Summary and Overall Impressions
The Autonomous Net-Zero Water project is a timely research initiative. Although water is an abundant natural compound on earth, more than 90% of which are salinized as found in the oceans or buried underneath the earth’s surface. The rest can be found in natural bodies of water, such as in rivers and lakes, but infrastructures and water systems are also required in order to tap these water resources for consumption. Moreover, human consumption of water, especially in industries has increased the risk of contamination of natural bodies of water. For the same reason, it is desirable to have the water supply system of these industrial facilities separated from the grid in order to avoid possible contamination. The Autonomous Net-Zero Water project provides a solution to scenarios wherein it is desirable to be off the grid. There are, however, possible drawbacks to this project. One of the major considerations is the cost of the project. The system, for instance, requires state of the art equipment and technical expertise in order to construct and install the system in place. Furthermore, the system may not be practical because it needs constant monitoring to ensure the safety of the users.
Recommendation
The Autonomous Net-Zero Water project is an interesting scientific research on waste water recycling, however, its potential wide scale application can be impeded by its costs and technical complexity. One of the costs that need to be considered is the electrical costs needed to keep the system running. This cost may accumulate, which would make the initiative impractical for residential and commercial applications. In order to reduce costs, it is recommended that renewable energy sources are incorporated into the system. Perhaps the system can be operated using solar or wind power, which can be installed in the facility or adjacent to it. If the facility is desired to become totally off the grid, a standalone and sustainable power supply should also be considered. Researchers should also work on simplifying the system and installing safety mechanisms that would automatically detect contamination issues and shut off the system if necessary. Currently, the testing is done manually, which entails additional labor costs. It is recommended, therefore, that an automated testing and control system is put in place in order to avoid additional labor costs and to provide real time water quality monitoring.
Works Cited
Autonomous Net-Zero Water Project. n.d. April 2016 <http://coe.miami.edu/wqel/netzero/>.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Primer for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Systems. 2004. April 2016 <https://www3.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/primer.pdf>.
USGS. How much water is there on, in, and above the Earth? March 2014. April 2016 <http://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthhowmuch.html>.
