ABSTRACT
The provision of effective sanitation strategies has a significant impact on public health. However, the treatment of septic sludge still presents some challenges worldwide. Consequently, innovative technologies capable of an effective and efficient sludge treatment, mostly at a decentralized level, are in high demand to improve sanitation provision. To address this problem, this study evaluates a novel semi-decentralised mobile faecal sludge treatment system, the pilot-system for which consists of a combination of several individual processes including mechanical dewatering (MD), microwave (MW) drying, and membrane filtration (ultrafiltration [UF] and reverse osmosis [RO]). The system evaluation was carried out by treating raw, partially digested faecal sludge (FS) from septic tanks-hence, septic sludge (SS)-in the Jordan Valley, Jordan. The pilot-scale system exhibited an effective and flexible treatment performance for (i) sanitizing faecal sludge and related liquid streams (MW and UF); (ii) reducing the treated sludge mass (and sludge volume) (MD and MW); and (iii) producing a high-quality treated liquid stream ideal for water reclamation applications (UF and RO). The MD process removed approximately 99% of the initial SS water content. The MW drying system completely removed E. coli and dehydrated the dewatered sludge at low energy expenditures of 0.75 MJ kg-1 and 5.5 MJ kg-1, respectively. Such energy expenditures can be further reduced by approximately 40% by recovering energy in the condensate and burning the dried sludge, which can then be reused inland applications. The membrane filtration system (UF and RO) was able to produce high-quality treated water that is ideal for the water reuse applications that irrigation requires, as well as meeting the Jordanian standard 893/2006. In addition, the system can also be powered by renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaic energy. Therefore, this research demonstrates that the evaluated semi-decentralised mobile system is technically feasible for the in situ treatment of SS (sanitization and dehydration), while also being effective for simultaneously recovering valuable resources, such as energy, water, and nutrients.
Subject(s)
Escherichia coli , Sewage , Dehydration , Humans , Jordan , Waste Disposal, Fluid , WaterABSTRACT
Renewable energy penetration in the national electrical grid in Jordan has been rapidly increasing in the last few years, touching nearly 30%. Limited grid capacity has been a driver to slow down large-scale projects and has motivated increased attention towards off-grid photovoltaic (PV) systems. Planning properly-sized on-grid and off-grid systems requires accurate knowledge of the environmental and irradiance conditions at the installation site. As off-grid systems are equally of interest to non-critical types of loads, investments are directed towards agricultural applications like water pumping and desalination. To assess the potential of expanding the renewable energy penetration in agricultural areas in the Jordan valley and surrounding areas, this article presents annually measured environmental data including irradiance, temperature and wind speed, in addition to data related to soling on an existing off-grid PV system installed in the Jordan Valley. These data are used in the research article entitled "Performance Analysis of Off-grid PV systems in the Jordan Valley", Al-Addous et al., 2017, and in the research article entitled "Modelling and Quantifying of Dust Accumulation Impact on PV Module Performance" Al-Addous et al., 2019. Data were collected and gathered using calibrated, high accuracy sensors installed at different parts of the installed plant.
ABSTRACT
Electrical generation in Jordan currently relies on imported fossil fuels. In the past, most imported fossil fuels were subsidised by neighbouring countries through grants and aid. This has led to a regulated market, with subsidised low-cost electrical energy consumers, and the government being the sole buyer and seller of electricity. With the ageing of the national electrical infrastructure, political instability in the region, and lack of funds for direct investment, other options needed to be pursued. Long term Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) were granted to Independent Power Producers (IPP) to encourage investment in capacity and infrastructure. In addition, long-term fuel contracts were signed to secure steady flow of primary fuel sources. Over the past few years, renewable energy penetration has increased rapidly, but without proper planning or taking into consideration long term PPA and fuel contracts. Data in regard to the current infrastructure, renewable energy technology, signed energy commitments and system operation assumptions are described in this article, which may be used for modelling and analysis. The Data were collected from annual reports from the different energy related entities in Jordan.
