Preface

The use of water, one of the most valuable and vital resources in the world, should respond to growing needs, and used water should not have negative effects on the environment. Research on the reduction of used water and wastewater quantities, post-use treatment, or reuse/recovery methods is increasing day by day. These studies focus on finding the most appropriate method from both technical and economic perspectives. To reduce the adverse environmental effects of sludge or to reduce the amount of treatment chemicals used, biocides, chelating agents, and fouling cleaners are being developed. Energy and electricity requirements for water and wastewater treatment are being supplied from renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels. Moreover, energy production from water and wastewater treatment processes is being utilized. The widespread use of new technologies and materials in water and wastewater treatment also reduces operating costs. In addition to the zero liquid discharge approach after treatment, zero solids discharge is now being investigated.

In this book, emerging technologies and materials used in the treatment, reuse, or recovery of various kinds of water and wastewaters are examined. This book consists of eight chapters specifically including desalination and use of renewable energy, nanomaterials, biosorbents, photocatalytic treatment, as well as riverbank filtration and wetlands.

> **Murat Eyvaz**  Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Engineering, Gebze Technical University, Turkey

**1**

**Chapter 1**

**Abstract**

Technologies

Treatment of Water and

Wastewater for Reuse and

Energy Generation-Emerging

*Edward Kwaku Armah and Dennis Asante-Sackey*

**Keywords:** anaerobic digestion, advanced oxidation processes,

membrane technology, renewable energy

**1. Introduction**

*Emmanuel Kweinor Tetteh, Sudesh Rathilal, Maggie Chetty,* 

Fresh water quality and supply, particularly for domestic and industrial purposes, are deteriorating with contamination threats on water resources. Multiple technologies in the conventional wastewater treatment (WWT) settings have been adopted to purify water to a desirable quality. However, the design and selection of a suitable cost-effective treatment scheme for a catchment area are essential and have many considerations including land availability, energy, effluent quality and operational simplicity. Three emerging technologies are discussed, including anaerobic digestion, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) and membrane technology, which holds great promise to provide integrational alternatives for manifold WWT process and distribution systems to mitigate contaminants and meet acceptable limitations. The main applications, basic principles, merits and demerits of the aforementioned technologies are addressed in relation to their current limitations and future research needs in terms of renewable energy. Hence, the advancement in manufacturing industry along with WWT blueprints will enhance the application of these technologies for the sustainable management and conservation of water.

Wastewater, which is the biggest waste stream from municipalities, petrochemical, pharmaceuticals, food, textile, agricultural, polymer and paper industries and so on contain high contaminants of oil and salts of organic and inorganic compounds [1–5]. This strikes as a major ecological problem with high environmental impacts when discharged into the ecosystem without proper treatment. Furthermore, the industrial revolution associated with demographic growth have increased the demand for freshwater supply, which is depleting the natural fresh water supply sources [3, 5], although wastewater can be treated through various physical, chemical and biological strategies [1–3]. Unfortunately, the current conventional wastewater treatment methods cannot eliminate the contaminants. In addition conventional wastewater treatment can be expensive. Therefore, the quest for clean water and
