ANAJO

The limited per capita freshwater share in many MENA countries ranges between 60 and 80 L/(E-d), resulting in concentrated wastewater with a total chemical oxygen demand of about 1,500 mg COD/L. This causes a high energy demand for aeration (50-70% of the total energy demand) in conventional activated sludge plants. The high energy consumption and associated high operating costs, as well as greenhouse gas emissions, are major challenges for the water management in Jordan. In addition, sludge management is another challenge for wastewater treatment plant operators. Up to 50% of the sludge produced annually is disposed of as liquid sludge in landfills, posing a high risk of groundwater contamination and a significant environmental problem for the surrounding area. In addition, increasing operating costs of wastewater treatment plants are the result. Furthermore, resources are largely wasted and accumulated, causing significant health and environmental risks and contributing to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Integrated anaerobic-aerobic treatment of wastewater is recognized as a sustainable and cost-effective option, especially for warm climates.

The research project aims to develop a novel, climate-friendly anaerobic technology for the pre-treatment of municipal wastewater in combination with another treatment step, e.g. anaerobic-aerobic. The development will not only enable energy saving and energy recovery, but also economic, ecological and sustainable sludge disposal and reduction of operating costs by introducing the anaerobic technology as an upstream stage in the existing wastewater treatment plants in Jordan. The main project objectives are:

• Reduction of energy consumption and consequently operating costs of wastewater treatment plants,
• Generation of energy through the use of biogas,
• Reduction of the total amount of excess sludge,
• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,
• Expanding the design horizons of existing wastewater treatment plants.

A pilot plant will be constructed and tested to demonstrate the use of anaerobic treatment processes in the wastewater treatment plants in Jordan. The integration of an anaerobic technology into the treatment process of existing and new wastewater treatment plants will contribute to the achievement of the SDGs 6.3, 6.a and 7.a.