Question

Explain the need for municipal wastewater re-use in thermal plants?

Answer 1

Untreated wastewater /sewage containing a large amount of organic matter, nutrients can deplete the dissolved oxygen of the stream, which may cause fish kills, stimulate the growth of aquatic plants and algal blooms, and other undesirable effects leading to disturbed the natural ecological balance. Use of treated municipal wastewater as cooling system makeup for coal-fired power plants is proposed to be very effective. Eighty one (81) percent of power plants proposed for construction by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) would have sufficient cooling water supply from one to two publicly owned treatment works (POTW) within a 10-mile radius, while 97 percent of the proposed power plants would be able to meet their cooling water needs with one to two POTWs within 25 miles of these plants. Therefore, municipal wastewater would be a vital source of water that is locally available for sufficient and reliable supply of water for power plants. Though the use of secondary treated municipal wastewater as cooling system makeup may contains ammonia-nitrogen and phosphorus which are responsible to enhance biofouling, corrosion, and scaling, but these problems can be managed by aggressive chemical management. By this application, we can save ground/surface water resources and create an eco friendly system for a clean and green environment.