Achieving biological nutrient removal in an old sewage treatment plant through process modifications – A simulation and experimental study

Assessment of Effluent Wastewater Quality and the Application of an Integrated Wastewater Resource Recovery Model: The Burgersfort Wastewater Resource Recovery Case Study

“…The IWWRR model was used to determine the relevant wastewater resource recovery technologies and the recoverable resources for the Burgersfort effluent. The model was developed and applied, based on previous studies by Azmi et al [27], Mohan et al [12], Montwedi et al [5], Solon et al [13], and Wu and Vaneeckhaute [28], which focused on wastewater resource recovery. This model incorporates the BNR process with an extension of conventional methods of resource recovery applicable to wastewater.…”

“…Moreover, this is a sustainable practice that warrants sludge recycling. Gowd et al [57], Kehrein et al [14], and Mohan et al [12] reported the practice of recovering sludge using sludge incineration for biofuel production, and the practice of recovering NH 3 , CH 4 , and CO through air stripping and electrodialysis from wastewater as being feasible practices that further minimize the effects of greenhouse gases, such as NH 3 , CH 4 , CO, and CO 2 on climate change. Plastic traces have been found in sludge and wastewater effluent [13].…”

“…All these findings deem this study relevant and call for the immediate intervention of resource recovery practices, particularly in the BNR wastewater treatment processes. Also, the improved removal of nutrients and organic matter will ameliorate the microbial quality of wastewater effluent and reduce the possible nutrient pollution that is predominantly reported in Africa, as well as other developing countries [9,12,14,28]. Although most of the resource recovery technologies have expensive capital and operational costs, the benefits of utilizing such technologies could prove to outweigh such costs.…”

“…The studies by Oberholster et al [10], Phungela et al [6], and Ratola et al [11] have confirmed the fact that water resources in South Africa are mostly polluted by inadequately treated sewage. There arises a need to explore wastewater resource recovery technologies to improve the current wastewater treatment processes within WRRFs, thereby reducing the pollution of water resources [5,12,13]. The resource recovery practice focuses on recovering reusable resources from wastewater, such as nutrients, sludge, water, bioplastics, and gases in the form of carbon, methane, and nitrogen, which may become pollutants when not adequately removed from effluent emanating from WRRFs [5,[12][13][14].…”

New Optimization Framework for Improvement Sustainability of Wastewater Treatment Plants

“…Therefore, ensuring the sustainability of WWTPs requires a careful consideration of multiple objectives, including technical performance, economic feasibility, and environmental impact [8], making the selection of suitable retrofit technologies a complex and time-consuming task. For instance, the process modeling software Biowin has frequently been utilized to assess the performance of hypothetical WWPTs that incorporate promising retrofit technologies [9,10]. Cost-benefit analysis and lifecycle costing (LCC) analysis have been suggested to address the economic considerations associated with the enhancement of WWPTs [11,12].…”