Grey-Water Reclamation Non-Potable Re-Use: A. 0 Wheatley, BSC, PHD (Member)
Grey-Water Reclamation Non-Potable Re-Use: A. 0 Wheatley, BSC, PHD (Member)
Grey-Water Reclamation Non-Potable Re-Use: A. 0 Wheatley, BSC, PHD (Member)
Note: g =Guideline
m =Mandatory
Water conservation and recycling is therefore a surveyed by (a) questionnaire, (b) interview, and (c)
timely area of research, and the reported work considers reviewing records of water usage. A more detailed study
the technical and economic feasibility of water recycling was carried out at Loughborough and water usage was
within large buildings to reduce the costs of pipe net- monitored in different types of building, i.e. teaching,
works. Only grey water (i.e. from washbasins, showers, administration and halls of residence. A diary survey was
baths and washing machines) was recycled to reduce the used to estimate toilet and washroom use. Additional
costs and extent of treatment. monitoring of hourly and daily water usage was carried
out by meters at two residential halls at Loughborough
(Fig. 1). These data were compared with unpublished
Grey-Water Volumes domestic information from the Anglian water survey of
domestic consumption (SODCON) in Table 3.
On average there are approximately equal volumes of Typical weekly, daily and hourly usage patterns were
grey water and lavatory flush water (70% of supply)(I4). analysed with standard statistics to estimate peaking
In designing the water-recycling system it was necessary factors and required storage volumes. T h e data confirm
to allow for the frequency of use, to size storage tanks. previous studies which have noted about equal needs of
Data were collected from four local universities (Table 2), potable and non-potable water(I8J9).O n average, about
three hotels, and a golf club(17).The four universities were 30% of potable water is used for lavatory flushing, 32%
Table2. Annual water use for toilet flushing,personal hygiene and possible rainwater harvesting in universities
University Total indoor usage WC & urinal Bath, shower and Storm roof water Estimated surplus
(D/Nature) (teach & admin. hand washing (teach & admin. storm and
blocks t R/Halls) (teach & admin. blocks + R/Halls) grey waters
blocks t R/Halls)
(m3) (m3) (m3) (m3) (m3)
Note: D/Nature = Domestic in nature, i.e. water usage in the laboratories, for irrigation and swimming pools was not included
R/Hall = Includes both self-catering and full catering residential halls
[%I = Expressed as % of total indoor usage (domestic nature)
(Oh) = % of surplus stormwater = (proposed stormwater usagehotal storm roof water) x 100
Table 3. Water consumption (Yhead.d) from three households during 10 months monitoring
- -Using
- typical week I -
Using typical weekday
Ave. = average
Std. dev = standard deviation
P/week = peakweek
P/day = peakday
P/f = peak factor (maximumlmean)
for personal washing and 16% for water therefore need to be combined with either storm
Additionally, during 1977-1985, Hall et d2") and water or laundry wastewater to provide a balance and
Herrington(I5)observed an increase in the amount of grey contingency for lavatory flushing. Toilet use and grey-
water from increased showering and clothes washing; water generation coincide (Fig. 2) at the halls of resi-
these data are similar to other countries. A review of dence, except in the evenings when there is a grey-water
German water consumption(24)found that, on average, peak from showering and baths. Water consumption in
29% was used for lavatory flushing, 37% for personal the university halls is also higher (about double the
washing and 15% for laundering. US publications national average). Water use is thought to be affected by
indicate that 28% of water supplied was used for lavatory catering and possibly increased personal showering, and
flushing, 20Yo for personal washing and 10% for this aspect is to be investigated in the next stage of the
l a ~ n d e r i n g ( ~ (Most
~ J ~ ) .of the information was concerned research when water meters will be fitted to each
with domestic households, whereas the research reported individual appliance.
here was for large institutional buildings.) Data have been
published for an office development which showed that
43% of the water supplied was used for WC flushing, Characteristics of Grey W a t e r
20% for urinal flushing, 27% for personal washing, 9%
for drinking and cooking, and 1% for cleaning(27).Infor- T h e characteristics of the grey water from the university
mation published by the DoE(19)for offices and hotels halls of residence were compared with those from
estimated that 35% of the water was used for WC flush- previous work on domestic households, and the results
ing, 15% for urinals, 26% for personal washing, 9% for were used to design the degree of treatment. There were
drinking and cooking, 8% for washing machines, 2% for wide variations in the strength of the wastewater (Table
dish washing and 4% for external use. T h e data (Table 2) 4) depending upon the amount of soap and detergent
confirm that water usage in universities is similar to used. Results show that the characteristics of grey water
commercial buildings with about 63%0 of water used in were similar to settled domestic sewage, except for
lavatories. T h e data show that washroom/bathroom grey ammonia and bacterial content. T h e grey water was
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ri3
25
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u
l
15
a
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.-
e5
u
z o
b
-e;
U
20.0
18.0
16.0
2 14.0
f
W
12.0
g 10.0
2 8.0
=
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5 2.0
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stronger than expected but the analysis has since been residence data (Table 4) were similar to Rose(30)for the
corroborated by several other publications(22x28). families without children.
Butler(22),for example, noted BOD as high as 600 mg/l There are no specific regulations in the UK
from the first discharges from washing machines and concerning re-use, but a recent report on Water Regu-
250mg/l from showers and baths. Murrer and lations(") recommended against the international prac-
Baternancz8)obtained BOD values between 100 mg/l and tice of use-dependent quality criteria. Germany has
200 mg/l for shower and bath water (Table 4). adopted the EU bathing water standard for toilet flushing
Infection is reported as being the major risk from and the WHO has recommended a higher microbial
domestic sewage r e - ~ s e @ ~and
) , data on faecal coliforms standard for the unrestricted use of reclaimed water for
as indicator organisms are included in most research and irrigation (Table 1). For this research, the treatment was
regulations on water recycling. Rose et investigated designed to achieve at least EU bathing water and a near
the bacteriological quality of grey water from different potable standard; this would require complex treatment,
types of family. There were more faecal and total coli- but would minimize the risks from accidental contact
forms in the grey water from the families with younger with the smallest effective dose of disinfectant. High-
children, e.g. 3.2 x lo5 per 100 ml, compared with 1.0 x quality recycled water would also avoid odour, corrosion,
lo2 faecal coliforms in families without children. T h e scaling and re-growths without extensive chemical
DaDers bv Butler(2z)and Murrer and Batemadz*) are treatment.
1 1
GREY WATER IN
1
AiR
Pilot-Plant Studies
.
TREATED WATER TO
STORAGE
IN FE IN FE IN FE IN FE IN FE
Note:
RE = Removal efficiency
IN = Initial influent quality
FE = Final effluent quality
system was also monitored; some blockages, dead space includes some minor modifications to the laboratory-
and short-circuiting within the pilot unit were identified scale plant design. For a 40 population (students) unit,
using these techniques. After about six months of con- the capacity of the raw grey-water buffering tank was
tinuous operation with a single slow filter, a head-loss had 1400 1. There are also two treated-water storage tanks, a
built up and there was some bacterial and algal growth low-level tank (700 1) attached to the treatment plant and
within the filter. The filter was changed over to the a high-level tank (500 1) connected to the WCs. A timer
standby filter at about this point. in the low-level tank initiates pumping, and surplus
treated water returns to the low-level tank via a return
pipe. The high-level tank also includes a stand-by mains’
Scale-Up supply with 150-mm air gap, as required by the water
bye-laws to prevent b a ~ k f l o w ( ~ ~ ) .
A demonstration full-scale plant (Fig. 4) has now been Each appliance in the hall has been fitted with a flow
installed at one of the university halls of residence, and meter, including a water meter to one WC, still connected
-
Water savings 0 & M = 516 - 128/annum 388 388
Payback period (adjusted for 1% annual water bill 10-1 1 years 5 years
increment [OFWA7r33)], 3% inflation and 8% interest)
to mains’ supply to act as a control. Two other flow meters with climate change and the increasing costs of
measure total grey-water flows and any surplus grey traditional water resources.
waters still discharged to sewer. 2. A small biotreatment unit has been shown to reliably
l’he treatment unit comprises four adjacent remov- generate a near-potable water standard without disin-
able tubes (0.45 m dia.) on a 1 m x 2 m pallet, and the fectant or frequent maintenance. Disinfection will be
pumps and aerators are mounted on the same platform. necessary to meet the zero-coliform recycled water
The first six months operating data are given in Table 7. standard suggested for the UK.
This prototype research unit also includes on-line 3. Comparisons with competitive chemical and physical
monitoring of influent and effluent, dissolved oxygen, units will be necessary as soon as more data become
conductivity, p H and turbidity, for research purposes. available. Stormwater or washing-machine grey water
The cost of the unit (including instrumentation, instal- will be necessary to provide sufficient recycled water.
lation costs and power consumption) are shown in Table 4. The cost-benefit analysis has shown an 8-9 year pay-
8 and the pay-back on water charges (excluding instru- back against mains water; the major cost of instal-
mentation) will be 8-9 years. lation are the changes to the plumbing in an existing
building.
5. Little is yet known about the annual maintenance
Conclusions costs at full scale, and these will be investigated
during the next stage of the work.
1. A case can be made for non-potable water recycle 6. T h e customer acceptability of the recycled water, and
systems to give some insurance against disruptions to of the aerosols generated, will be monitored during
mains’ supplies. This incentive will become greater the demonstration-scale tests.
0 J.CIWEM,1998, 1 2 , December 41 3