Future Trends in Wastewater Treatment

Future Trends in Wastewater Treatment

In the U.S. EPA Needs Assessment Survey, the total treatment plant design capacity is projected to increase by about 15 percent over the next 20 to 30 years . During this period, the U.S. EPA estimates that approximately 2,300 new plants may have to be built, most of which will be providing a level of treatment greater than secondary. The design capacity of plants providing greater than secondary treatment is expected to increase by 40 percent in the future (U.S. EPA, 1997). Thus, it is clear that the future trends in wastewater treatment plant design will be for facilities providing higher levels of treatment.

Some of the innovative treatment methods being utilized in new and upgraded treatment facilities include vortex separators, high rate clarification, membrane bioreactors, pressure-driven membrane filtration (ultra filtration and reverse osmosis), and ultraviolet radiation (low-pressure, low- and high-intensity UV lamps, and medium-pressure, high-intensity UV lamps). Some of the new technologies, especially those developed in Europe, are more compact and are particularly well suited for plants where available space for expansion is limited.

In recent years, numerous proprietary wastewater treatment processes have been developed that offer potential savings in construction and operation. This trend will likely continue, particularly where alternative treatment systems are evaluated or facilities are privatized. Privatization is generally defined as a public-private partnership in which the private partner arranges the financing, design, building, and operation of the treatment facilities. In some cases, the private partner may own the facilities. The reasons for privatization, however, go well beyond the possibility of installing proprietary processes. In the United States, the need for private financing appears to be the principal rationale for privatization; the need to preserve local control appears to be the leading pragmatic rationale against privatization.