Abstract
The wastewater treatment plant serving the city of Durres, which is the second most populous city of Albania, employs the tertiary advanced wastewater treatment method and engages in biogas production to achieve energy efficiency. In order to empirically evaluate the plant’s energy efficiency realization, the total biogas produced and converted to electricity for daily consumption was measured during a three years period (2016 - 2018). The highest electricity produced was recorded in 2016, with a daily average of 844kWh compared to 550kWh and 370kWh in 2017 and 2018, respectively. So that the plant meets proper criteria to classify as an energy-efficient entity, 30.0 percent of its electricity consumption must be derived from biogas. Converted in kWh, the plant should generate 2,975 kWh/day. Based on the biomass and energy values measured during the study period, it is concluded that electricity supplied from biogas met 6.0 percent of the plant’s energy requirements, or one fifth of the energy-efficiency target. While the plant was successful in carrying out the full waste-to-energy production process, the electricity supplied from biogas was very low and did not fulfil the plant’s self-energy requirements.
Highlights
The wastewater treatment plant subject to this study is located in the city of Durres, Albania (WWTPD)
For the WWTPD to be completely energyefficient, manual specifications indicate that 30 percent of its electricity power must be supplied from biogas [3]
Based on the measurements made during the study period, WWTPD produced an average of 844.48 kWh/day in 2016
Summary
The wastewater treatment plant subject to this study is located in the city of Durres, Albania (WWTPD). It treats urban wastewater for 205 thousand people living in an area of 432 m2 [1]. The plant has a production line dedicated to biogas generation via the anaerobic digestion process, which is transformed to power its own energy grid. Sludge management and electricity consumption costs are generally considered to constitute a large part of operating expenses related to wastewater treatment. A key challenge for a wastewater plant, is lowering costs associated with both energy consumption and sludge management without compromising quality standards. For the WWTPD to be completely energyefficient, manual specifications indicate that 30 percent of its electricity power must be supplied from biogas [3]
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