The application of pressure-driven ceramic membrane technology for the treatment of industrial wastewaters – A review

© 2018 Elsevier B.V. This paper presents a review of the previous laboratory analysis and case studies on the application of the pressure-driven ceramic membrane technology for treatment of industrial wastewaters. Ceramic membranes has attracted remarkable interests in recent decades for industrial wastewater treatment because of their superior characteristic such as high fluxes, reliable working lifetime under aggressive operating conditions and ease of cleaning. The literature review revealed that the efficiency of this technology has been proven in a wide variety of wastewaters from different industries and activities including pulp and paper, textile, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, food and mining. However, there are still challenges and questions for this technology that need to be addressed in future researches such as investment cost optimisation by introducing new fabrication technologies, selectivity, permeability and packing densities improvement, fouling minimisation and proposing scale up based on experimental research results

Assessing the effectiveness of household rainwater tanks

Abstract not available

A simple characterisation of the low rainfall events in Greater Melbourne using Standard Precipitation Index

For the last decade Melbourne has experienced extremely low rainfall conditions. These low rainfall events were examined using the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI). There are different drought indices that can be used for drought monitoring. However, in this study SPI was preferred due to its simplicity and ease of use for monitoring purposes since it is based only on a single meteorological parameter, precipitation. Using the rainfall data collected by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), Australia from 1855 to 2010, the SPI series for different time scales were determined and low rainfall events were classified and categorised. Shorter time scales from 3 to 9 months yielded more droughts while time scales from 12 to 48 months showed smaller droughts combined forming a more serious drought than the others. The time scale of 24 months revealed that the low rainfall event since 2003 to early 2010 was the worst drought on record

Preliminary analysis of the cost effectiveness of rainwater tanks rebate scheme in Greater Melbourne, Australia

The Victorian Government in Australia through 'The Water Smart Gardens and Homes Rebate Scheme' provides rebates to residential water users who are connected to a mains water supply for purchasing water-saving devices and services to reduce their water consumption. Households who purchased and installed rainwater tanks from 1 January 2007 are eligible for a rebate of up to $1000 per household depending on the size of the tank and connection for indoor water uses, such as for toilet flushing and clothes washing. This report presents the preliminary analysis of the cost effectiveness of the rainwater tanks' rebate scheme to the Victorian Government and to individual household owners who availed this scheme. The study involves the analysis of water consumption before and after the installation of rainwater tanks of 4391 households who availed the government rebates and of 4400 households who did not avail the scheme. Using the data provided by Yarra Valley Water the water savings from different tank' sizes were calculated from the households who installed the rainwater tanks and received rebates. The results revealed that the 4400 households used less water than those that received government rebates before the installation of rainwater tanks but after the installation their water usage surpassed those that installed rainwater tanks. The results also show that rainwater tank sizes with indoor plumbing have longer payback period than those solely for outdoor purposes due to higher capital and operating costs even with higher rebates from the government

Rainwater tank rebate scheme in Greater Melbourne, Australia

A preliminary analysis of the effectiveness of a rainwater tank rebate scheme for both the Victorian Government and individual householders who participated in the scheme was undertaken, together with a determination of the factors affecting the water savings achieved. Yarra Valley Water provided the data for 4,391 households who received a government rebate for installing a rainwater tank and for 4,400 households who did not participate in the scheme. The water savings from different tank sizes were calculated. A comparison of water consumption between households with rainwater tanks and those without was also undertaken to determine the benefit of rolling the rebate scheme to households who are currently not under the scheme. The analysis revealed that installation of rainwater tanks contributed to a reduction of 42.5% in average household water consumption. The results also show that, depending on the tank size and uses of rainwater, the payback period (PP) ranged from 12 to 47 years for householders and 1 to 12 years for the Victorian Government. All rainwater tank sizes except 2,000-4,999 L with connection to toilets and/or laundry have PPs of less than 20 years to householders. This is due to the high capital and operating costs even with higher rebates from the government

Characterising maximum residential water demand

The design of water and wastewater supply systems is traditionally based on maximum water demand which is a function of multiple factors. Understanding these factors and how these affect maximum water demand will lead to the estimation of appropriate peak design factors for a more cost effective design of water and wastewater supply systems. This paper describes the maximum water demand of four separate residential suburbs in Greater Melbourne, Australia with populations ranging from 1000 to 20,774. The study involves the analysis of water consumption data recorded at five-minute intervals over one year. The effects of population and the sampling interval on the peak factor have been analysed. From a set of data collected at five-minute intervals, further data sets at 10, 20, 30 and 60 minutes have been derived. New equations to estimate the peak flow demand for a small number of the population have been developed. Results also show that at five-minute intervals, a more accurate peak design factor has been estimated

Rainwater tanks rebate scheme in Greater Melbourne, Australia

A preliminary analysis of the cost effectiveness of the rainwater tanks' rebate scheme to the Victorian Government and to individual household owners who availed of this scheme was undertaken. Using the data from Yarra Valley Water the water savings from different tank's sizes were calculated from the households who installed the rainwater tanks and received rebates. Results show possible savings for those households who availed the scheme. Payback period for those with indoor plumbing are longer than those solely for outdoor purposes due to higher capital cost and operating costs even with higher rebates from the government compared with rainwater tanks solely for outdoor purposes

Developing a demand model integrating end uses of water (DMEUW): structure and process of integration

The process of developing an integrated water demand model integrating end uses of water has been presented. The model estimates and forecasts average daily water demand based on the end-use pattern and trend of residential water consumption, daily rainfall and temperature, water restrictions and water conservation programmes. The end-use model uses the latest end-use data set collected from Yarra Valley Water, Australia. A computer interface has also been developed using hypertext markup language and hypertext pre-processor. The developed model can be used by water authorities and water resource planners in forecasting water demand and by household owners in determining household water consumption

Integrating end uses of water into demand forecasting: case study

Abstract not available

Understanding urban residential end uses of water

The 'end use' of water is a breakdown of the total household water usage such as water used for toilets, showers, washing machines, taps, lawn watering, etc. Understanding end uses of water will enable water planners, water authorities and household owners determine where water is used/ wasted, how much and how often. This paper describes the end uses of water from a number of single-family homes in Greater Melbourne, Australia. The study involves the analysis of water consumption data recorded at 5-s intervals from logged households collected by Yarra Valley Water in Melbourne in 2004. The study determines how much water is used for outdoor and indoor purposes in a single-family home in Melbourne and compares the water usage during winter and summer. Hourly patterns of major end uses of water are also developed. The aim of this study is to improve the understanding of the end uses of water and to assist where to focus water conservation efforts that would be most effective financially and environmentally, and be acceptable to everyone