Water Use System Research Articles

Estudo de viabilidade para aproveitamento de água pluvial para fins não potáveis no ITPAC, em Porto Nacional/TO

A água é um recurso fundamental à vida e sua disponibilidade depende da preservação ambiental. O Brasil possui uma grande disponibilidade hídrica, porém algumas regiões já se encontram com escassez de água. Diante disso, surgem alternativas para evitar o desperdício, entre elas o aproveitamento de água das águas pluviais, que capta e armazena a água da chuva para utilizar em fins não potáveis, como descargas, irrigações de jardim, entre outras. O método é fundamental para a implantação em universidades, visto que, em locais onde o consumidor não é responsabilizado diretamente pelo consumo de água, tende a haver um desperdício maior. Nesse sentido, a presente pesquisa buscou realizar um estudo de viabilidade para implantação de um sistema de aproveitamento de água em um bloco do Instituto Tocantinense Presidente Antônio Carlos - ITPAC, identificando o reservatório necessário a partir do Método de Azevedo Neto, previsto na ABNT NBR 15527/2007. A partir da pesquisa, identificou-se que a cidade de Porto Nacional possui um índice pluviométrico variável mensalmente, com maiores índices entre os meses de outubro de abril, havendo uma seca principalmente no mês de julho. Apesar do período de seca verificado, ele não possui um grande impacto negativo para a implantação do projeto, visto que se trata de um período de férias, onde a instituição tem pouca atividade. Além disso, identificou-se que a instituição dispõe de meios onde não faz o uso da água da rede de abastecimento pública, entretanto a implantação do método é viável, com viabilidade econômica e ambiental, e pode servir de um método de estudo para os acadêmicos de Engenharia Civil e Arquitetura e Urbanismo da instituição.

Foreign Experience of Financial Mechanism in Water Use

This article presents Israel's experience of effective use of water resources. During the research, the following was investigated: - Israeli government policies aimed at the rational use of water resources; - the essence of Israeli policy on the rational use of water resources in agriculture; - Use Israel's strategy to grow its water use and price; - Long-term forecasting system for water use. The study concluded that: Prudent water management, reuse of wastewater and desalination of sea water, as well as the construction of the AllIsrael Water Pipeline, a consistent economic policy in the water sector against the background of effective integrated management of limited water resources, aimed at combating their scarcity, allowed to solve the problem of water shortage on a national scale and take the country out of the water crisis, reduce climate dependence and preserve the Lake of Kineret.

Water Purification in Closed Water Supply Systems at Agro-Industrial Complex Enterprises

The results of laboratory research of processes of add-on purification of domestic and household wastewaters on units with fiber-expanded polystyrene medium of their repeated use in closed water supply system at enterprises of agroindustrial complex are given. The technological schemes of closed water-use systems of such enterprises are offered with the use of surface and ground water, whose use will enable to save material, water and energy resources while minimizing the collection of fresh water from natural water sources and protecting the environment from pollution with sewage.

ORGANIZATIONAL AND ECONOMIC MECHANISM OF IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The necessity of a fundamentally new approach to the formation of a water management system and state regulation of water use has been proved in order to achieve sustainable water use parameters in the agricultural sector of the economy. The principles of integrated water management in irrigated agriculture are defined. It is shown that the formation of the model of integrated management in the water management and reclamation complex requires the introduction of organizational and economic innovations, changes in the institutional environment, transformations in the organizational structure of agricultural enterprises and public authorities. The essence of transformations of the irrigated agriculture management system is disclosed, which involves the transfer of irrigation systems management from state structures to non-governmental organizations. In this case, the transfer of powers and responsibilities from state structures to non-governmental organizations can be carried out with the transition stage of joint management, which is the most rational in the current conditions. Found that the formation of effective management system is impossible without institutionalization of a wide spectrum of forms of partnership relations between different objects of functioning. It is shown that the reforming of irrigation systems management should be carried out on the basis of decentralization with the transfer of water management and water operations to water, this will ensure that water resources and irrigation system infrastructure are managed effectively at the lowest level. The basic directions of improvement of the economic mechanism of development of reclamation are offered.

Assessing the Impacts of Population Growth and Climate Change on Performance of Water Use Systems and Water Allocation in Kano River Basin, Nigeria

Improving the performance of water use systems (WUSs) is essential for addressing the pressure on water resources for sustainability. Despite the potential impacts of population growth and global warming especially in semi-arid regions, the knowledge and understanding of WUSs and impacts of those main drivers of change on their performance are not available in the Kano River basin (KRB). This paper assesses these impacts on the performance of KRB, using the new and innovative Sefficiency (sustainable efficiency) framework, which incorporates quantity, quality, and beneficial aspects of water use in a comprehensive and systemic manner. We found that performance of the WUSs is sensitive to population growth and global warming under the scenarios considered. Kano River is relatively less sensitive to global warming impacts, while high population growth is dominant. Moreover, their combined effect will result in a reduction of downstream water by 70% and potential demands will far exceed the available supply by 2050. It is recommended that efficient management of water regarding the qualitative as well as quantitative aspects is very critical in KRB. This study can be regarded as the first step, and future studies may adopt the described methodology and can benefit from smart technologies, e.g., sensors and remote sensing.

The Latrine in the Roman Bathhouse at Humayma, Jordan

In the summer of 2010 an archaeological excavation, under the direction of Dr. Reeves of the Classics Department at Queen’s, uncovered the remains of a latrine at the Roman site of Humayma, Jordan. This latrine was part of a larger bathhouse which was associated with a nearby Roman fort. Typical of Roman latrines, the one at Humayma was a large room with seats for up to seven people built over a waste channel. The latrine also had a smaller channel for personal cleaning after using the latrine. Both these channels were fed from overflow water from the bath. This paper examines the latrine in relation to similar Roman facilities in the Near East. The paper also looks at the larger picture of the latrine’s place in the complex system of water management and use implemented by the ancient inhabitants of the Jordanian desert. Comparative research reveals that the latrine at Humayma followed typical designs oflatrines in the Roman Near East. Similar features from other sites also allow for the development of theories regarding archaeological features no longer extant in the latrine at Humayma. The construction of the facility shows to what extent the Roman garrison influenced local building and the presence of a drain hints at the reusing of water vital for survival in the desert at Humayma

Tratamento de Águas Residuárias e Mecanismos de Gestão Hídrica de uma Universidade em Foz do Iguaçu/PR

The purpose of this research was to analyze wastewater treatment and management mechanisms of water use and reuse to be implemented at the Campus of Universidade Federal da Integracao LatinoAmericana (Unila) and the potential of water saving to be achieved through the good use of these facilities. At first, the significance of environmental education in sustainable use of buildings is addressed. Moreover, the link between Unila and local context is situated through wastewater treatment system and mechanisms of water use and reuse to be implemented at the Campus. Once the infrastructure analysis is done, it was concluded that the effectiveness of saving systems is related to appropriate use of facilities. In this context, the poster of healthy practices in water management applies environmental education concepts and culture of sanitation in university daily routine.

Use of land in a water fund in modern conditions

The article deals with issues of management and financial support land use water resources Ukraine in terms of decentralization. It was established that one of the obstacles to decentralization in Ukraine is the lack of necessary funding infrastructure upgrades lands of water fund. The necessity of reforming the institutional system of water use on the lands of water fund, through the implementation of new institutional forms of economic development, water resources, focused on the water and agricultural needs of communities. In particular, they provide for the establishment of partnerships between the state and private enterprise entities and ensure diversification of investment water management and protection projects.

Value chain upgrading in a textile dyeing industry

Eco-efficiency has been widely recognized during the last two decades as a suitable measure of a given system's progress towards a greener and sustainable development. It combines the economic welfare and the ecological impact of products or services throughout their lifecycle. The need for improving eco-efficiency leads to the development of appropriate metrics for measuring the performance of a given system and the identification of the most promising alternative solutions (eco-innovations). This paper briefly presents a methodological framework for the eco-efficiency assessment of water-use systems, using a life-cycle oriented approach and a set of selected eco-efficiency indicators. The environmental performance of the system is evaluated through the relevant midpoint environmental impact categories, while the economic performance is measured using the total value added to the system's final product due to water use.The proposed framework is applied to the textile industry in Biella, Italy. The analysis reveals that the major environmental problems of the textile industry in the region are freshwater resource depletion, as well as human toxicity and ecotoxicity (both aquatic and terrestrial). The identification of the environmentally weak stages of the system has led to the selection of alternative actions, which could upgrade the whole value chain and improve the overall eco-efficiency. Six innovative technologies are examined and two alternative technology scenarios are formulated. The first scenario focuses on resource efficiency, while the second one focuses on reducing the emissions to water. The results show that all technologies could potentially improve the majority of the environmental performance indicators of the system. However, the scenario towards pollution prevention and control has proven to be not economically viable due to the high investment cost required and the current economic conditions, while the implementation of the scenario towards resource efficiency requires additional economic incentives and governmental support in order to be considered feasible by the industrial stakeholders.

Improving water use efficiency in grain production of winter wheat and summer maize in the North China Plain: a review

Reducing irrigation water use by improving water use efficiency (WUE) in grain production is critical for the development of sustainable agriculture in the North China Plain (NCP). This article summarizes the research progresses in WUE improvement carried out at the Luancheng station located in the Northern part of NCP for the past three decades. Progresses in four aspects of yield and WUE improvement are presented, including yield and WUE improvement associated with cultivar selection, irrigation management for improving yield and WUE under limited water supply, managing root system for efficient soil water use and reducing soil evaporation by straw mulch. The results showed that annual average increase of 0.014 kg$m -3 for winter wheat and 0.02 kg$m -3 in WUE were observed for the past three decades, and this increase was largely associated with the improvement in harvest index related to cultivar renewal and an increase in chemical fertilizer use and soil fertility. The results also indicated that deficit irrigation for winter wheat could significantly reduce the irrigation water use, whereas the seasonal yield showed a smaller reduction rate and WUE was significantly improved. Straw mulching of summer maize using the straw from winter wheat could reduce seasonal soil evaporation by 30-40 mm. With new cultivars and improved management practices it was possible to further increase grain production without much increase in water use. Future strategies to further improve WUE are also discussed.

Sefficiency (sustainable efficiency) of water–energy–food entangled systems

Water–energy–food (WEF) entanglement is intensifying and technology is being presented as a crucial solution. But time and again the implemented alternative manifests results contrary to the objectives of design or management. To advance water security, transparent and complete input–output methodologies are needed. Here, a Sefficiency (sustainable efficiency) framework is used to reason through systemic analyses of options for WEF schemes by using water quantity within a comprehensive water balance, and quality and benefits in a multilevel water-use system. An energy regime (cost and normalized functions) and Sefficiency compute performance of four cases that show flaws both conceptually and practically in current policy and scientific tendencies.

Network optimization and performance evaluation of the water-use system in China’s straw pulp and paper industry: a case study

Compared with wood pulp, straw pulp and papermaking, because of lower cost and abundancy of raw material, has become an indispensable approach in paper industry of China. However, its further application is limited by huge water consumption and wastewater discharge. By employing substance flow analysis, this study built up an optimization model and a performance evaluation system of water saving for the water-use network of a straw pulp and paper enterprise, after identifying the problems in present water consumption. Accordingly, an optimization plan was proposed to combine man-made water circulation with natural water circulation system. Additionally, a contrast analysis between the present and optimized water use was conducted. At last, we applied the proposed optimization plan to one of the most important and largest enterprises of straw pulp and paper industry in China as an illustration. Theoretically, water consumption could be reduced by 75.4 % without wastewater discharge after optimization.

Cobrança pelo uso da água no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil (2004-2013): histórico e desafios atuais

Este artigo visou registrar o processo de implementação da cobrança pelo uso da água no território fluminense, iniciada em 2003 pela experiência pioneira de arrecadação pelo uso em rios federais da Bacia do Rio Paraíba do Sul. No ano seguinte, a cobrança foi ampliada para todas as águas estaduais (superficiais e subterrâneas), configurando-se em experiência singular no país por iniciá-la sistematicamente em todo o seu território. A despeito das polêmicas e tensões suscitadas inicialmente, o Estado avançou sobremaneira na estruturação do modelo de gestão baseado no tripé comitê-agência-cobrança. Os maiores desafios hoje se concentram em assegurar dois aspectos essenciais para a gestão dos recursos hídricos: (i) conferir agilidade/flexibilidade na aplicação dos recursos arrecadados e (ii) induzir maior racionalidade ao uso da água por parte dos serviços de abastecimento público em regiões caracterizadas por escassez crônica.

Analysis of water-using networks with multiple contaminants involving regeneration recycling

The introduction of regeneration recycling unit can significantly reduce freshwater consumption and consequently reduce wastewater discharge of water-using systems. In this paper, the influences of the regenerated concentrations of contaminants on regenerated stream consumption are investigated for the fixed mass-load water networks with multiple contaminants. The multi-contaminant water networks involving regeneration recycling are classified into simple ones and complex ones in this paper. Simple networks are similar to single-contaminant ones, in which only the key contaminant limits the usage of regenerated water. The regenerated stream consumption of simple networks can be predicted easily when the regenerated concentration of the key contaminant changes. The concentrations of other contaminants, if having influence on the regenerated stream consumption as well, should be reduced to their maximum allowable values. There is great difference between the features of complex networks of multiple contaminants and that of networks of single contaminant. The influence of the regenerated concentrations on regenerated stream consumption of complex networks is analyzed based on mass balances of the contaminants. The contaminant which has the most influence on regenerated stream consumption is identified. The methods proposed can contribute to evaluation of the appropriate regenerated concentrations for design or retrofit of the water networks with multiple contaminants.

Network Analysis for a Better Water Use Configuration in the Baiyangdian Basin, China

Nowadays, an increasing shortage of water resources intensifies the contradiction among different water-using sectors in the social-economic-ecological complex system. To adjust water used configuration in a holistic framework, a water use system (WUS) model was constructed with inclusive five water-using sectors including aquatic systems, primary industry, secondary industry, tertiary industry and resident consumption. The Baiyangdian Basin in Northern China was used as a case area. Six years data from 2008 to 2013 were used to quantify the model. By introducing the ecological network analysis (EAN), we holistically assessed the WUS under different water use configuration. System organization, activities and development degree, etc. were used to character the prosperities of the water use system. Results indicate that the WUS encountered a lasting degradation in system organization (AMI index decreased in an annual rate of 0.6%) and development degree though with an ascending system activities in the studies periods (with an annual growth rate of 11.3%). Scenario analysis results suggest several potential ways to achieve a better water use configuration in this basin, such as environmental and ecological restoration, water-saving technology and water recycling rate, etc. The current study may provide ways to optimize water use structure to balance the interests of different sectors both ecologically and economically.

Совершенствование экономического механизма регулирования водопользования на основе комплексных показателей, используемых при внедрении наилучших доступных технологий

Current system of water use in Russia is assessed as ineff ective one due to the fact that water use economic regulation tools do not suffi ciently motivate water users for rational use of water resources and implementation of water/protective measures. Proposals on upgrading of water use regulation economic tools on the basis of integrated environmental indicators of assessment of treatment techniques in terms of the balance between costs for application of BAT and charges for water use have been made. Methods of aggregative assessment of environmental/economic eff ectiveness and expediency of the BAT application on the basis of integrated environmental indicators with the use of reduced environmental costs have been proposed to stimulate rational water use. Total value of reduced environmental costs and damage to water bodies were taken as a criterion of the technique eff ectiveness. Minimal level of charges for a unit of negative impact upon a water body has been justifi ed to be at least 400 rubles.

A Benchmarking System for Domestic Water Use

The national demand for water in the UK is predicted to increase, exacerbated by a growing UK population, and home-grown demands for energy and food. When set against the context of overstretched existing supply sources vulnerable to droughts, particularly in increasingly dense city centres, the delicate balance of matching minimal demands with resource secure supplies becomes critical. When making changes to "internal" demands the role of technological efficiency and user behaviour cannot be ignored, yet existing benchmarking systems traditionally do not consider the latter. This paper investigates the practicalities of adopting a domestic benchmarking system (using a band rating) that allows individual users to assess their current water use performance against what is possible. The benchmarking system allows users to achieve higher benchmarks through any approach that reduces water consumption. The sensitivity of water use benchmarks are investigated by making changes to user behaviour and technology. The impact of adopting localised supplies (i.e., Rainwater harvesting—RWH and Grey water—GW) and including "external" gardening demands are investigated. This includes the impacts (in isolation and combination) of the following: occupancy rates (1 to 4); roof size (12.5 m2 to 100 m2); garden size (25 m2 to 100 m2) and geographical location (North West, Midlands and South East, UK) with yearly temporal effects (i.e., rainfall and temperature). Lessons learnt from analysis of the proposed benchmarking system are made throughout this paper, in particular its compatibility with the existing Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) accreditation system. Conclusions are subsequently drawn for the robustness of the proposed system.

Economic prerequisites of use of me thods of ecological audit at the enterprises of system of water use

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GIS applicability to assess spatio-temporal variation of groundwater quality and sustainable use for irrigation

Sustainable and safe use of groundwater requires periodical monitoring of its quality. Because of the presence of multiple contaminants, spatial variation of overall groundwater quality is difficult to describe. The present study describes the overall groundwater quality for irrigation using a multi-criteria quality assessment system and sustainability of water use by incorporating the aspect of temporal variation of groundwater quality. The GIS-based multi-criteria system effectively amalgamated different quality parameters into an easily understandable format and assessed the spatial variation of groundwater quality for irrigation in west Delhi, India. The rate of spatial increment of poor quality groundwater within the study period was 3.7 km2 per year. It has been observed that there is deterioration of groundwater quality from southwest to east, along the general groundwater flow direction, and improvement of groundwater quality from west to northeast, due to less urbanization and availability of groundwater recharge zones with good quality water. Temporal variation of groundwater quality is high (V > 20 %) at northern part, moderate (V = 10–20 %) at middle and southern parts, and less (V < 10 %) at some pockets of southern part of the study area. The overall groundwater quality coupled with its variation reveals that while the groundwater use is mostly unsustainable in the southern part, groundwater sustainability is constrained by relatively poor and variable quality in western and northern fringes of the study area.

Thermodynamic analysis of non-isothermal mixing's influence on the energy target of water-using networks

In this paper, a thermodynamic analysis of non-isothermal mixing's influence on the energy target of water-using network is presented. Firstly, water streams in the network are divided into two categories, and then based on the classification all the non-isothermal mixing patterns between two streams are defined. Through thermodynamic analysis from energy composite curve of hot and cold water streams, the influences of non-isothermal mixing on the energy target of water-using network are explored and some mixing rules are obtained, which can be used to simplify the heat exchanger network of a given water-using system and improve the system's energy performance through identifying the beneficial non-isothermal mixings. The applicability of these rules is illustrated by an example in the paper and the result is very encouraging.