A new evaluation framework for the assessment of wastewater heat recovery potential coupled with wastewater reuse

Abstract

Abstract The integration of wastewater heat recovery (WWHR) and wastewater reuse offers a numerous advantage, making its application possible in various sectors. Nevertheless, this concept faced challenges to the identification of appropriate location. Existing research lacks comprehensive evaluation methods that encompass a various factor for effective decision-making. This study introduces a new evaluation framework that involves different aspects, including thermal energy potential and spatial distribution analysis. The novelty of this research lies in its unique focus on the combination of WWHR and wastewater reuse. Moreover, it introduces a structured evaluation framework that considers multiple criteria and expert opinions, enhancing decision-making precision. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) was applied to select assessment criteria, which were categorized into three aspects: water–energy supplier, water–energy consumers, and water–energy station. The relative importance of criteria was determined using the analytical hierarchical process (AHP). The results of the AHP highlight significance of factors: treated wastewater flow rate; treated wastewater temperature; water–energy supply distance, and type of water–energy consumer. These factors were assigned weight values of 0.297, 0.186, 0.123, and 0.096, respectively. It is emphasizing their influence in the decision-making process that potential locations depend on the water–energy supplier and water–energy consumer as supply and demand sources.