Future-oriented Strategic Planning of Wastewater Treatment Plants

authored by: Nina Manig, Maike Beier, Karl-Heinz Rosenwinkel
Abstract: Current planning situations in Europe and China include upgrading or replacing of existing WWTPs (mainly in Europe) and the construction of new WWTPs (mainly in China). Both planning situations are increasingly confronted with future uncertainties due to high system complexity and rapidly changing conditions. In contrast to this, the long service life of over 30 years and the high capital commitments required lead to entrenched wastewater treatment concepts fixed over decades by the first design decision. In order to complement established WWTP planning methods, a methodology of future-oriented strategic planning focusing on WWTPs is presented in this chapter. The main purpose of this methodology is to define, simulate and evaluate potential long-term technological strategies for a WWTP. The basic steps of the methodology include (i) defining long-term technology concepts and (ii) corresponding transformation paths of a WWTP under different future scenarios. Finally, the methodology allows (iii) an ongoing control of scenario assumptions and (iv) an early support to start adapting the defined long-term technological concepts to current conditions. By this, the methodology will support the finding of robust and economic transformation paths and evaluated construction steps.
Organisation(s): Institute of Sanitary Engineering and Waste Management
Type: Contribution to book/anthology
Pages: 57-69
No. of pages: 13
Publication date: 22.01.2019
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01488-9_3 (Access: Closed)