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Socio-economic criteria for preventing and controlling phosphorus pollution from municipal wastewater effluents
Citation:
Martin-Hernandez, E., G.J. Ruiz-Mercado, AND C. Vaneeckhaute. Socio-economic criteria for preventing and controlling phosphorus pollution from municipal wastewater effluents. 6th IWA International Conference on eco-Technologies for Wastewater Treatment, Girona, SPAIN, June 26 - 29, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
Phosphorus pollution is an environmental concern impacting ecosystems and communities worldwide. The effects of phosphorus pollution include harmful algal bloom events, hypoxia of waterbodies, and impairment of drinking water sources. Therefore, phosphorus removal and recovery operations must be implemented in point source releases like wastewater treatment plant effluents to prevent these nutrient pollution harmful effects. This presentation extended abstract describes techno-economic and social performance assessments for preventing and controlling phosphorus releases from municipal wastewater effluents in local communities. This multicriteria assessment framework accounts for the effects of the economies of scale and population economics across the United States. Therefore, the economic impact of requiring phosphorus removal systems to meet water quality criteria in local communities is crucial information to be considered in designing adequate incentive policies for supporting such water pollution control and prevention efforts.
Description:
In this work, we assess the techno-economic and social performance of preventing and controlling phosphorus releases from municipal wastewater effluents in local communities. This multicriteria assessment framework accounts for the effects of the economies of scale and the population economics across the United States by considering geospatial public access information. The economies of scale have a significant impact on the costs of phosphorus removal, resulting in considerable increases in phosphorus removal costs in areas where small population centers are predominant due to the lack of economies of scale in their wastewater treatment plants. Additionally, the average per capita income of these areas is generally lower than large cities and their metropolitan areas. Therefore, the economic impact of requiring phosphorus removal systems to meet water quality criteria in local communities is crucial information to be considered in designing adequate incentive policies for supporting such water pollution control and prevention efforts.