Presentation by Dr. Chris Crockett (Philadelphia Water Department)
Currently 2% of the U.S. energy usage is for water and wastewater treatment. However, wastewater contains energy and resources in many forms that can be harvested to provide benefits to society. Consideration of managing wastes for energy and developing an industrial ecosystem where waste by-products are leveraged into additional energy and resources will be an important aspect of future cities and urban developments as world population grows, resources become more scarce, and carbon emissions require reductions. This presentation will focus on current projects that Philadelphia Water Department has implemented in its early steps towards the future of resource recovery, and it will offer a national and international perspective of developing and future technologies that will change how we use food waste and wastewater in cities. Theoretical examples will also be explored, such as “Could you heat and cool the Philadelphia International Airport just from the wastewater plant next door?”, “What can food waste be turned into?”, and “Why are algae important?”.