From wastewater treatment to resource recovery

Turn on the tap; clean water comes out. Flush the toilet; it goes away. To many end users, this may very well be the extent of their understanding of the water and wastewater industry. But the technology behind the treatment, collection, and distribution of water is, in fact, quite complex - and the creative individuals who give birth to the ideas that make it seem so simple are nothing short of awe inspiring.
Last month, at WEFTEC in Chicago, I had the opportunity to meet one of these individuals. Dr. James Barnard, often referred to as the 'father of biological nutrient removal,' pioneered the process that today is used in thousands of wastewater treatment plants around the world to remove nitrogen and phosphorus without the use of chemicals.
His work earned him the prestigious Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize in 2011, an award that recognizes outstanding contributions towards solving global water problems.
I asked Dr. Barnard about his beginnings as a pioneer in wastewater treatment and how he got started down the path that ultimately led to where he is today. He recalled a time in the late 1960s when eutrophication of water bodies - like Lake Erie - was getting very serious. "I was at the University of Texas and you could buy stickers [that] said 'the Dead Sea is alive and living in Lake Erie.'"
Shortly thereafter, Dr. Barnard returned to South Africa, where the city of Johannesburg was experiencing a tremendous challenge with its drinking water supply. "These reservoirs were turning green. Pea soup green," he said. "We knew at the time that the problem was excess phosphorus. But we didn't know how to take it out."

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Taxonomy

• Solid Waste Treatment
• Sludge Separation