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Research Area: Operations Optimization

Our Objective

WE&RF will demonstrate that our subscriber wastewater facilities can achieve at least a 20% improvement in wastewater or solids treatment operations through economically and environmentally responsible process optimizations for energy, cost, and/or environmental footprint in a carbon-constrained world. WERF will provide guidance and tools as a decision support system.

Latest News

Energy Knowledge Area Page
For future news updates, please refer to the Energy Knowledge Area page.
Articles on WERF's Co-digestion research in Biocycle
The economics of an organic "waste to energy" facility are strongly dependent on the waste characteristics, and costs of digestion and solids processing after digestion.
EPA Releases Guide to Energy Efficiency in Water and Wastewater Facilities for Local Governments
EPA has released a new climate and energy strategy guide for local governments, titled "Energy Efficiency in Water and Wastewater Facilities: A Guide to Developing and Implementing Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs." Water and wastewater facilities are among the largest consumers of energy in a community, accounting for 35 percent of typical U.S. municipal energy budgets. Local governments can reduce their energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions by working with these facilities to improve the energy efficiency of their new, existing and renovated buildings and their day-to-day operations. This guide provides comprehensive information for local government staff and policy makers on designing and implementing energy management programs for water and wastewater facilities
Improving Economics of Codigestion - via BioCycle
(PDF, 1.5 MB) WERF principle investigator David Perry, PhD, discusses why the economics of an organic "waste to energy" facility are strongly dependant on the waste characteristics, and costs of digestion and solids processing after digestion. Click do download.
WERF Research to be Showcased at 2013 WEF Conference in Nashville
WERF researchers will be presenting in the technical sessions on OWSO and Energy research at WEF conferences this May.

Products & Tools

Bench and Pilot Studies of the Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor (MABR) (U2R14/4875)
This research examines the fundamental behavior of the membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR).
Design and Validation Protocols for UV Disinfection Systems (ENER16C15) Fact Sheet
This fact sheet provides an overview of ongoing WE&RF research. The objective is to develop and demonstrate a UV system design and validation protocol that involves ambient biodosimetry (AB), Lagrangian Actinometry (LA), and computational fluid dynamics-irradiance field (CFD-I) modeling.
Wastewater Treatment Anaerobic Digester Foaming Prevention and Control Methods: Full-Scale Studies and Literature Review/Survey (INFR1SG10)
Addresses the issue of anaerobic digester (AD) foaming in water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs).
Mass Transfer Characteristics of Floating Media in MBBR and IFAS Fixed-Film Systems (U4R11)
This research helped to establish a standard protocol for measuring mass transfer rates in IFAS and MBBR systems.
The Treatment & Recovery Facility of the Future - Fact Sheet
In a world of limited resources, increasingly severe weather, and a more complex network of entities managing water; treatment facilities must reposition themselves and take on new roles. They need to be able to incorporate the new assets and technologies and continue to evolve in order to address changing needs and future challenges. This fact sheet describes WERF’s efforts to help facilities meet those needs.