Zero-Waste (ZeWa) water and energy recovery system

The Zero-Waste (ZeWa) system is an onsite black- and greywater treatment technology that maximizes the chemical energy potential contained in wastewater to produce zero-waste and three valuable reuse output streams: A) clean water for non-potable reuse, B) concentrated fertilizer for local nutrient supply, and C) Class A biosolids for local soil amendment. Over the course of Phase I, a lab-scale ZeWa system was designed, built, and tested with real blackwater (human urine, feces, and flush water) and greywater (laundry and bathroom sink). Each ZeWa subsystem successfully demonstrated the expected performance targets consistent with Triangle Environmental Team members' previous experience using different components for blackwater treatment. The system produced final solid and liquid outputs which met national and international standards for reuse (EPA, NSF, and ISO). The solids treatment subsystem was able to achieve complete treatment of the solids stream to Class A Biosolids standards. In addition, the water and nutrient treatment and recovery subsystems displayed effective processing of the liquid portion of the blackwater stream, greywater, and a combination of both, creating two valuable outputs for reuse: a high-quality product water for non-potable reuse and a nutrient-rich concentrate for potential agricultural application. This finding suggests that greywater and blackwater streams could be combined for easy and efficient household treatment in the eventual pilot-scale implementation of the system. Overall, the complete ZeWa system was able to reduce raw blackwater COD by 99.3%, TSS by ~100%, Total N by 91.7%, and Total P by 90.6%. In Phase II, Triangle Environmental will build upon Phase I successes and learnings to first design, build, and test the updated solids handling system. The updated solids system will be incorporated into a fully integrated and automated ZeWa pilot and showcase skid system (500 gallons per day) for Phase II testing and commercial partner engagement. The completed system will be first be piloted at a local wastewater treatment plant in representative operational environments including with blackwater, greywater, and combinations of both (such as septage and sewage). Further testing of the system will be completed at a number of potential pilot locations, depending on commercial partner direction.