An assessment of the influence of local conditions on the economic and environmental sustainability of drain water heat recovery systems

Ravichandran, Anusha; Diaz-Elsayed, Nancy; Thomas, Sylvia; Zhang, Qiong

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123589

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 50 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Economically, the most rational solution is to implement small-scale drain water heat recovery systems [19]. Research shows that if the recovered energy is used to preheat water in a residential building, the return on investment can be achieved after only two years [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Horizontal Shower Heat Exchanger as an Effective Domestic Hot Water Heating Alternative

Kordana-Obuch

Starzec

2022

Energies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Wastewater has significant potential as a source of clean energy. This energy can be used both within external sewer networks and on the scale of individual residential buildings, and the use of shower heat exchangers appears to be the most reasonable solution. However, in the case of Poland, the problem is still the unwillingness of society to use this type of solution, caused mainly by the lack of space for the installation of vertical drain water heat recovery (DWHR) units and the low efficiency of horizontal units. In response to this issue, the efficiency of a new compact shower heat exchanger designed to be mounted below the shower tray, as well as its linear counterpart, was investigated under various operating conditions. In addition, the financial efficiency of using the compact DWHR unit with average water consumption for showering was evaluated. For this purpose, discount methods were used to estimate the financial efficiency of investments. The study showed that the compact shower heat exchanger has higher efficiency than its linear counterpart. Depending on the temperature of cold water and the flow rate of both media through the heat exchanger, it achieves efficiencies ranging from 22.43% to 31.82%, while the efficiency of the linear DWHR unit did not exceed 23.03% in the study. The financial analysis showed that its use is particularly beneficial when the building uses an electric hot water heater. The investment’s sensitivity to changes in the independent variables is small in this case, even with low water consumption per shower. The only exceptions are investment outlays. Therefore, the compact DWHR unit is a clean energy device, which in many cases is financially viable.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Horizontal Shower Heat Exchanger as an Effective Domestic Hot Water Heating Alternative

Kordana-Obuch

Starzec

2022

Energies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Other factors that are expected to influence the sustainability of energy recovery systems include climate and topography for thermal energy recovery systems and hydropower generation systems, respectively. For example, Ravichandran et al [26] evaluated the influence of local conditions on the sustainability of drain water heat recovery systems (DWHRSs) and found it was environmentally and economically beneficial to implement DWHRSs in cold/very cold climates. Similarly, hydropower generation is known to be a function of headloss (influenced by topography and flow rate); however, only a few studies have been conducted [27,28] on the sustainability of wastewater-based hydropower generation systems.…”

Section: Correlation Analysis-energy Recoverymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A cost analysis is conducted in the articles with an asterisk (*), and (ˆ) shows articles that appear in multiple columns (multiple types of resources were recovered). In addition, references [26,28,[100][101][102][103][104][105] focused on cost analysis discussion.…”

Section: Acknowledgmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Decision Framework for Designing Sustainable Wastewater-Based Resource Recovery Schemes

et al. 2023

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The availability of sufficient water supply is a challenge many municipalities have faced in recent decades and a challenge that is expected to intensify with time. While several choices remain for selecting alternatives to freshwater sources, water reclamation offers an opportunity for sustainable resource recovery. Nonetheless, tradeoffs exist in the selection of the most sustainable technology for recovering resources from wastewater when long-term impacts are taken into consideration. This article investigates the factors influencing the environmental and economic impacts of resource recovery technologies through the analysis of life cycle environmental and economic impact case studies. Key characteristics were extracted from life cycle assessment and life cycle cost case studies to evaluate the factors influencing the sustainability of the resource recovery systems. The specific design parameters include the type of resources to be recovered, technology utilized, scale of implementation, location, and end users. The design of sustainable resource recovery systems was found to be largely driven by scale, location (e.g., as it pertains to the energy mix and water quality restrictions), and the scope of the system considered. From this analysis, a decision framework for resource recovery-oriented wastewater management was developed and then applied to an existing case study to demonstrate its usability.

show abstract

“…It was then that the problem of energy security arose in the public awareness, which returns today and is one of the main topics of discussion in the EU countries [6,7]. In addition, there have been significant changes in energy markets and geopolitical conditions since then, making the need for action at the EU level stronger than ever [8,9]. Otherwise, it will not be possible to achieve EU goals in other strategic areas, including the goals of the Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs and the Millennium Development Goals [10].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management of the Energy Mix and Emissivity of Individual Economies in the European Union as a Challenge of the Modern World Climate

Miciuła

Wojtaszek²,

Bazan

et al. 2020

Energies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The aim of the article is to present the most important elements to be implemented in the European Union energy policy in the 2030 perspective in the context of sustainable development of the Member States. The solution to the too high emissivity of individual economies in the European Union is the energy mix, which will establish a compromise in the so-called the triad of EU policy goals. This is undoubtedly a current climate challenge for the modern world, which also has a direct impact on the economic situation of EU countries. The basis of the presented considerations and recommendations is a literature review on the subject and a statistical analysis of empirical data of the largest statistical organizations in the EU and the world. The starting point for the analysis is the assessment of the state of the energy sector in the EU. Therefore, the goals and tasks until 2030 result from many conditions of the energy sector. The article provides recommendations for the EU on future climate and energy policy, analysing the practices of member countries empirical and data compiled by the world’s largest organizations and institutions, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the World Nuclear Association (WNA), Eurostat, and the International Energy Agency (IEA). The strategic goals of the EU climate and energy policy presented in the study show the necessary challenges for the implementation of sustainable development in the analyzed sector, which is the driving force of world economies. The conclusions were presented in accordance with the current economic efficiency of various energy sources and the necessity to seek a compromise among the so-called a triad of goals defined in EU policy.

show abstract

An assessment of the influence of local conditions on the economic and environmental sustainability of drain water heat recovery systems

Abstract: for being on my thesis committee. Also, I thank the Modelling and Assessment of Sustainable Systems (MASS) research group for providing suggestions to improve my study.

Cited by 21 publications

References 50 publications

Horizontal Shower Heat Exchanger as an Effective Domestic Hot Water Heating Alternative

Horizontal Shower Heat Exchanger as an Effective Domestic Hot Water Heating Alternative

A Decision Framework for Designing Sustainable Wastewater-Based Resource Recovery Schemes

Management of the Energy Mix and Emissivity of Individual Economies in the European Union as a Challenge of the Modern World Climate

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About