6533b826fe1ef96bd1283f4f
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Energy efficiency in Spanish wastewater treatment plants: a non-radial DEA approach.
Ramón Sala-garridoFrancesc Hernández-sanchoMaría Molinos-senantesubject
Air PollutantsEnvironmental EngineeringEnvironmental engineeringAir pollutionEnergy consumptionCarbon Dioxidemedicine.disease_causePollutionWaste Disposal FluidSpainGreenhouse gasAir PollutionCarbon footprintData envelopment analysismedicineWater Pollution ChemicalEnvironmental ChemistryEnvironmental scienceSewage treatmentWaste Management and DisposalWater Pollutants ChemicalWaste disposalEfficient energy useCarbon FootprintEnvironmental Monitoringdescription
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are energy-intensive facilities. Thus, reducing their carbon footprint is particularly important, both economically and environmentally. Knowing the real operating energy efficiency of WWTPs is the starting point for any energy-saving initiative. In this article, we applied a non-radial Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology to calculate energy efficiency indices for sampling of WWTPs located in Spain. In a second stage analysis, we examined the operating variables contributing to differences in energy efficiency among plants. It is verified that energy efficiencies of the analyzed WWTPs were quite low, with only 10% of them being efficient. We found that plant size, quantity of organic matter removed, and type of bioreactor aeration were significant variables in explaining energy efficiency differences. In contrast, age of the plant was not a determining factor in energy consumption. Lastly, we quantified the potential savings, both in economic terms and in terms of CO(2) emissions, that could be expected from an improvement in energy efficiency of WWTPs.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-06-01 | The Science of the total environment |