Impact of Energy Consumption on Our Planets Health
Climate change is one of the most serious environmental threats facing our planet. The Kyoto protocol sets the standard around the world, which means that countries and industries today face stringent targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Commercial and legislative pressures to preserve the environment are driving industry to strive for energy efficiency. By achieving these targets, companies not only enhance their own green credentials, but they also improve their bottom line by reducing energy costs.
Energy efficiency is key for saving our planet
Wastewater treatment facilities consume large amounts of energy
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), "Approximately 56 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) is used for drinking water and wastewater services. Assuming an average mix of energy sources in the country, this equates to adding almost 45 million tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Just 10 percent of energy savings in this sector could collectively save about $400 million annually.”
Blower systems consume up to 70% of total energy in wastewater plants
In a typical biological wastewater treatment plant, the aeration blower system accounts for up to 70 percent of the energy usage. Today the majority of these plants use less efficient lobe blowers, Water is cleaned through different stages. Oxygen is introduced to support the biological oxidation reaction. Air blowers are used to provide compressed air to aerators which produce oxygen, a technology that has had little development since its introduction in the late 19th century. By reducing the energy usage of their aeration blower system, these plants will decrease the energy costs while operating in a more environmentally friendly manner.
Energy represents the major cost in the lifecycle of your blowers
As energy consumption typically represents the majority of an air blower’s life cycle cost, better energy efficient air blowers will have significant impact towards preserving not only the environment but also your bottom line. Waste water treatment is the process of cleaning waste water collected from homes, businesses and many industries, for discharge into water ways or for reuse.
Blowers technologies today
In waste water treatment plant, both positive displacement and centrifugal blowers are used. For flows up to 10,000 m3/hr (5800 cfm) generally tri-lobe blowers are employed; for larger volumes integrally geared centrifugal blowers are used. However, with the technological advancement several new energy saving air blower technologies are available today. ZS screw blowers and ZB high speed centrifugal blowers can save up to 40-50% energy on an existing installation depending on site conditions and working pressure.
Atlas Copco remains the only blower supplier worldwide that has access to all the Air blowers technologies. Contact us to review your blower installation and start saving energy.
