Wastewater: Put Your Money Where The Value Is!

I would begin with a humble and heartfelt ‘thank you’ - to all of you - who have accepted and supported our new initiative - Smart Water & Waste World (SWWW). We launched our inaugural issue in October and introduced it at the IFAT India show in Mumbai. The timing proved to be perfect, as all the exhibitors, participants, and visitors gave us a big thumbs-up. A special thanks to national and international water experts, authors, and consultants who reached out to me with their positive feedback and insightful suggestions for the magazine. We promise to keep surprising you with new features, interesting sections, and ground-breaking content, as always in an unbiased manner.

In the November issue, our cover story is the Value of Wastewater. We reached out to wastewater technology and service providers, contractors, and engineering experts to analyze the current and future needs of wastewater segment, with a focus on innovations and cost-effective strategies for recycle and reuse.

The fast-growing population and expanding industrial landscape have rapidly increased sewerage and industrial waste. Water scarcity and day-zero like situations are no longer a future threat. There is no surprise then that wastewater in already being seen as a potential source of drinking water.

The wastewater market has been growing at a fast pace and will continue to do so. China's wastewater treatment market, for example, was valued at USD 39.3 billion in 2016. The wastewater treatment companies in China treated more than 100.0 billion metric tons of wastewater in 2017 alone.

The largest segment of Global Wastewater Market - residential & commercial - is expected to increase its market share because of improving standards of treated water. The other big segment - industrial - will grow steadily right now but may slow in future because of reduced water consumption and emissions (results of new manufacturing technologies), though it would take longer than what is being expected, specifically in developing countries.

Enforcement of new laws on wastewater management is already driving the adoption of technologies like Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD). The global market for ZLD could reach USD 1,002 million by 2025. In a country like India, Thermal Power, Distillery, Iron & Steel, Textile, and Pulp & Paper industries need to adopt ZLD sooner than later, being major the most water-intensive and highly polluting industries.

And then there is the point of Value of Wastewater itself. Currently, a Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) consumes the energy equivalent of more than two power plants per year, at most places. On the other hand, if innovative techniques, combined with an optimized integration of available technologies, are used for an energy-positive wastewater treatment, then the same plants can produce up to 12 power plants’ worth of efficient and renewable energy. Converting WWTPs into efficient renewable-energy generators will help in making our economies even stronger.

Our next two issues will be December (Theme: Water Around the World, and Automation, Software, Leakage Detection), and January (Annual Edition - Municipal Water/Waste Cases Studies Special Issue). I welcome editorial contributions on these and all other topics which you find significant for the water sector.

Message me - if you want a free PDF version of November issue to be mailed! You may also send your full postal address for print copy.

Keep sharing your thoughts, inputs, and suggestions.

- Mayur Sharma, Editor, Smart Water & Waste World magazine, [email protected], [email protected]

“I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use.” - Mother Teresa