WefTec 2023 Day One

WHAT'S INSIDE

United Flow Technologies (UFT) is covering the WefTec conference in Chicago. Weftec is an annual water and wastewater conference focusing on the water sector's challenges, opportunities, and developments.

Thanks to all the organizers, sponsors, speakers, and contributors for organizing an amazing event.

Program Chair: Tom Sandy

Contributors: Chicago Department of Water Management, Water Environment Federation, The Water Council, Wastewater Digest, H2O Innovation

Key #WEFTEC23 Sponsors: Blue-White Industries, Xylem, GRUNDFOS, Arcadis

This free report covers sustainable water use, accurate data collection, wastewater uses, and the novel ways industry members are striving to meet ambitious ESG goals.

We present key insights from day one of WefTec 2023.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Key Insights

●?Despite positive trends in water recycling, only ten percent of wastewater is reused. Businesses are finding new ways to collect and treat wastewater as it simultaneously presents a human challenge and a profit opportunity.

●?Industry leaders are inventing new software and hardware to bring the water sector to the 21st century. Innovations seek to streamline the data collection and communication processes to simplify decision-making. With heightened knowledge of real-time information and enhanced systems control, wastewater professionals will find monitoring and conserving water much easier.

●?Companies are discovering new ways to reach their goals of decarbonization and net water positivity to ensure a future where fresh water is abundant and clean. Ambitious individuals and committed organizations have focused on green hydrogens and renewable natural gas as alternatives to fossil fuels.

Taking Action: Using Wastewater to Stop Wasting Water

As mentioned above, only ten percent of wastewater ever finds its way back into use. This is an astonishingly low number for a resource that is so plentiful and full of potential. The average American household can waste up to 180 gallons of water each week, and it is important to note that all water that goes down a drain is classified as wastewater, whether or not it is subjectively deemed “wasted.”

In her “Circular Water Economy Learning Exchange,” Caroline Samberger from Stantec stressed the importance of developing a “circular economy” within the water sector. A circular economy is one where waste from production and consumption is cycled through and reused in the economy. A circular economy could be a game changer in a world where 70 percent of water use is for agricultural purposes. Greywater (used water without food or fecal particles) can be used to grow crops and unused water; even blackwater (water with food or fecal particles) can be useful after treatment. Samberger notes that without some change, water consumption will soon outpace its collection.

Many companies have taken note of this and are starting to take action. Patty Kennedy , speaking about her city of Phoenix, Arizona, mentioned that the water treatment plant under her jurisdiction produces biosolids and methane gas as byproducts. Biosolids are the leftover organic material that water treatment facilities extract. They typically become fertilizers, but the leftover methane gas has not previously been used. Instead, the Phoenix plant used to burn the excess methane away using signal flares. This eliminated the immediate danger of the gas, but it released CO2 into the air and ran up expenses due to the costs of buying and using the flares.

Today, the city of Phoenix has a partnership with a private-sector company called Ameresco. Ameresco owns and operates a plant on land that Patty leases to them and buys her excess methane to convert it into usable gas. The plant converts around 600,000 mmBtu of her methane every year, providing somewhere for Patty to bring her waste while profiting in the process. Additionally, she is able to save on the cost of flares and of training people to use them.

As more plants spring up, demanding biosolids and raw methane, there will be more demand for wastewater treatment. Water treatment is a costly and difficult process that is not always economically feasible. Still, it gets much easier as the economy advances and entrepreneurs find new ways to utilize byproducts. In theory, it is as simple as if more treatment equals more money, there will be more treatment.

However, reality is not always so easy. Significant challenges remain in store for any organization that wants to take a more sustainable route. Kennedy had to get past all sorts of red tape before finding a company to buy her methane.

Miranda McBride of ReWa (Renewable Water Resources) explains, “There are logistical issues to solve even when the will is there.” There are thousands of manholes, sewer grates, gravity sewers, and more, all running on different software, that need to work together to make water collection and transportation possible. It is not easy, but innovating rarely is.

Today, over 90 percent of S&P 500 companies have some pledge towards approaching water neutrality and eventually positivity compared to just 20 percent in 2011. This positive change comes from investors and stakeholders pushing companies to reduce waste to improve PR and make the world a better place. But most importantly, the yet untapped potential of wastewater is highly alluring to companies of all sizes to pursue. It will take a mix of large companies to provide the infrastructure and small companies with bright ideas and specialized knowledge to bring about a future of net water positivity.

Better Data: Accomplishing More With Less in Wastewater Management

Simplicity was the theme of the “Advancing automation and decision intelligence” event. Too many aspects of the water sector remain in the 20th century as technology has bounded ever forward. Ryan Howard of IDEXX Laboratories Inc. introduced the audience to their flagship technology, the Tecta-B16. He described the water tester as “a certified laboratory in a box” due to its small size and portability—the EPA-approved machine tests for E. coli and other Coliforms without needing sample preparations or multiple dilutions.

The Tecta system tests water automatically and instantly emails its results when it gets them, eliminating the need for a human presence after pressing the start button. It is simple in design and interface, that anybody can learn how to use it in only a few minutes. Tecta also expands the time range of testing since it requires no supervision. Friday and off-hour testing are options for the first time. Its effects are to reduce turnaround time if a water main breaks, to analyze lab data, and to determine if water is drinkable or not. This is especially useful in remote places not close to hospitals.

Manel Garrido-Baserba of inCTRL proposed other innovations in the software realm. inCTRL offers several different software: SIMBA# allows users to simulate events at their plants and see what would happen if something were to change, opsCTRL will enable users to manage one or more water treatment plants from a remote location where every detail is at their control.

As mentioned above, water systems live in a relative stone age compared to today's technology. Depending on the source, anywhere from 50-95 percent of water systems still use pen and paper as their primary method of collecting and reporting data. Brian Cummings is hoping that e-SENS, Inc. will put an end to that with their new app. This free app integrates itself into existing systems and allows agents in the field to record their findings in a simple way. Simplicity was once again the keyword, as the app immediately uploads data entries to broader systems, eliminating the distinction between collecting and reporting: no confusing handwriting, no coffee stains, just data.

Cummings echoed the adage that “genius is taking something complex and making it simple,” something e-Sens accomplishes with their ROAM water testing device. The handheld machine tests the water and uploads its findings immediately. It can also connect to smartphones through cords or Bluetooth and naturally pairs nicely with the e-Sens app. The device uses cartridges preloaded with either 8 or 23 testing parameters and can be controlled from the user’s phone. It sounds convenient, and it is, but that is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of benefits. Too much error in collecting data still exists, which leads to lost money and wasted water. e-Sens is attacking the problem head-on, seeking to save money and water with their devices.

Cascade Energy, Inc is another company looking to eliminate waste and errors in wastewater management. As Matt Jensen explains, their role is on the energy side and not the water side. According to Jensen, the water sector is one of the more reluctant sectors regarding energy efficiency. Naturally, there are greater concerns about ensuring water is clean, but that does not mean there is no room to be efficient. Cascade provides an energy performance software called Energy Sensei that provides a single place for owners and operators to view all the relevant information about their energy usage.

The Sensei allows users to create regression models based on past energy consumption. It then tracks actual energy use and immediately graphs it next to the regression model. Additionally, it graphs a shaded area that represents the cumulative sum of the differences between the predicted and actual use. With these two features, anyone can easily see if they are saving or wasting energy, as well as if it is a one-time thing or a consistent trend. Once again, the Energy Sensei brings simplicity to the world of energy. By having all information in one place, and with the helpful graphs, there is significantly less room for error in interpretation or reporting, and it makes communication easier as multiple parties can see all the same information no matter where they are.

Chris Sonowski and Waterly are to water what Cascade is to energy. Waterly focuses on operation data alignment, making sure that all data agrees. Too often, lab data contradicts operations data, which contradicts SCADA data because they are on different systems inputted at other times by different people. Waterly does away with this and provides a spot where all data coexists. They build a data structure around lab data, which they believe to be the most accurate and most accessible to read. Everything builds on that, and the system will alert the user if something is wrong in the data structure. Errors will not go unnoticed, and discrepancies will be highlighted so that they can be addressed.

These companies are on the front lines against poor data collection. All the good intentions in the world can’t solve anything if people don’t accurately know what is happening and why. Only with these innovations can corporations try to make good on their pledges, find ways to cut back on water consumption, and approach net positivity.

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Alternative Ideas: Reframing the Climate Narrative

Almost the entire debate about climate change revolves around CO2 emissions, but that leaves key parts out of the picture. For instance, most people do not know that NO2 (Nitrous Oxide) emissions are up to 300 times more potent than CO2 emissions. Though it makes up a smaller part of the atmosphere, Nitrous Oxide is still prevalent and worth addressing. That is what Jose Porro, founder and CEO of Cobalt Water Global, is doing. His company provides individual solutions to NO2 emissions, which make up 80 percent of water treatment plant emissions. With their help, plants have seen a 90 percent decrease in NO2 emissions.

Water plays an essential role in nitrogen regulation, but too much water can remove too much nitrogen from the soil. Too much water (from rain or floods) can overflow collection systems and cause decreased treatment performance. Like all things, water treatment is a delicate balancing act, and it has a vital role to play in today’s climate. Plants need water to grow and absorb more CO2 but oversaturate them, and they begin to die. Additionally, treating water provides more clean water, but it requires a significant amount of energy that is most cheaply supplied by fossil fuels.

However, water and water treatment may provide more alternatives to carbon-based energy in the near future. Green hydrogens, or hydrogen energy harnessed by electrolysis (the breakdown of water into hydrogen and oxygen), are a potential alternative that are low in emissions. At the moment, they are too expensive to be a current widespread solution, but as more money funnels into research and testing, more begins to change. Nobody knows what the future holds.

Additionally, wastewater treatment can create biogas, a renewable energy source that manifests when organic matter decomposes in areas without oxygen. Water is also necessary for nuclear power as it provides the cooling that makes it safer. Computers, data systems, and storage all rely on water for cooling as well, and we need all of these to address future needs.

WefTec 2023 is far from over, and we will continue to provide updates as it unfolds.

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UFT

United Flow Technologies (UFT) is a platform established in July 2021 to invest in top-tier water and wastewater companies to provide them with resources to accelerate their growth and scaling. UFT has partnered with market-leading businesses, MISCOwater , Tesco Controls , Macaulay Controls Company, The Henry P. Thompson Company, Shape Incorporated, EES, Newman Regency Group, Southwest Valve and Equipment, Kodru Mooney, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota Pump Works to create a national manufacturers’ representative network and system integration services in process equipment, flow control, pumps, automation & control, and other equipment solutions in the W&WWT value chain for the municipal and industrial market.