Posted on August 5, 2015
by Matthew Kuzma, Vice President – Technical Solutions of Organica Water
While thinking about recent news alerts and industry publications, I’ve noticed two common themes that got me thinking. First, there have numerous stories about the drought in both my home state of Washington and the more “news friendly” Southern neighbor (California). Having been in the wastewater business for over 20 years, it’s been interesting to watch the public reaction to water shortages, as well as their perception of potential solutions. Even more interesting is sitting on an airplane (which is quite often for me) and having the poor person next to me say “what do you do for a living?”, especially as they are eating their (always delicious) airline meal. I try to say it politely while they eat, but I am also brutally honest (and proud) of the fact that I have dedicated my career to sustainable wastewater management. When I explain that I work in wastewater, and specifically areas including resource recovery from wastewater (mostly water, energy, and nutrients) there is one of three reactions:
- complete disgust, for example “gross!”
- complete fascination, such as “that is WAY more interesting than my work on solving the grand unified theory!”
- complete incomprehension, usually something like “wow, I never thought about where it goes when I flush my toilet”
(Just like everyone else in the industry, I am not in it for the glory…)
However, the drought in California has led to lots of public discussion, newspaper editorials, etc. on the feasibility of direct potable water reuse. Of course, California has ocean access and thus potential for desalination as well (not all desert areas have such access) and the recent article in the LA Times highlights many of the normal “yuck factor” issues associate with public perception. Taking a step back and looking at the big picture, here are a few facts (I’ll try to connect the dots later):
- general consensus is that Earth is around 4.5 billion years old
- they estimate life has been on earth about 3.8 billion years
- since the Earth formed, additional water created is estimated at 0 gallons, m3, or any other units you like
- simple math tells you that it is highly unlikely the water you drink has never been touched by a dinosaur, moose, or (heavens not!) another human being
Tap Water or Reclaimed Toilet Water?
So looking at California, or Israel as another recent article in the New York Times discussed, as a microcosm exemplifying the bigger global issue:
same amount of water + more people + more pollution = big challenges
How do we solve it? Before you answer, let me add a few additional points that may influence your thoughts…
While many may not think about it, there is value in the wastewater humans generate…primarily in the water itself, nutrients (as mentioned in my previous post here), energy (to create electricity), and even metals, bio-polymers, etc. that can be recovered. That’s the good news, and the future we create should embrace this potential in the interest of long term sustainability.
Unfortunately, there is bad news covered by the second group of recent articles…Human beings are more and more dependent upon medicines, pharmaceuticals, hormones, etc. that we ingest to prolong our lives and live more comfortably (none of that is bad, of course). But there are consequences… As highlighted by the Sydney Morning Herald, many of these additional compounds that enter our wastewater streams are very difficult to break down or eliminate (if your complex digestive system can’t break them down, the significantly simpler organisms in a biological wastewater facility will have even more trouble). Low levels of antibiotics that are released could lead to antibiotic resistant “superbugs”, hormones (including birth control) create fish that can’t reproduce, and other issues in the wider environment. Even worse, some research indicates that the compounds entering wastewater treatment processes can be assembled or modified by commonly applied processes into new compounds, even worse than the many studies that only show the compounds to accumulate in the biology (ending up in the biosolids fertilizer) when removed from the “water” stream. There has been quite a bit of research on the processes related to identifying, removing, and destructing these compounds. But generally, very little is implemented today (nor regulated), and the costs of lab testing alone are tremendous. This is an area that will get more and more attention in the future, and lots of studies are still determining the ultimate impact to our health. But the trend towards more medication, more people, and the same amount of water only means it will become a bigger challenge. What can we do?
- Even if it helps just a little bit, my family takes a more simplistic approach…minimize the medication you take. I am not advocating that anyone change their cancer treatment, or other life-threatening illnesses, just that we should think about those antibiotics twice before we take them, for example. Or that we get out and exercise instead of taking medication to avoid needing to do so.
- Require pharmaceutical and medical companies to take a “cradle to cradle” approach (a book that may have impacted me more than any others)…designing these compounds with an eye towards their ultimate fate. Do pharma companies think about this now?
- Continue to collect data and information on the wide range of compounds entering our bodies, both human and water
- While the data collection in #3 is not complete, there is sufficient evidence pointing to biological wastewater processes using more complex, and slower growing organisms, as well as greater diversity of species, performing better at removal of pharmaceutical compounds…we should use those processes wherever possible.
- Take a reasonable approach to potable water reuse – and stop believing the water you drink is so ‘pure’ that no other living being has touched it before. No new water is being created, so we might as well embrace what we have…and manage it better.
So while I think about potable water reuse regularly, and I’m not afraid of it, it’s the stuff we manufacture in labs that worries me, not the “yuck factor” from stuff produced in our bodies…
