Background
Plant Operations is responsible for the operation and maintenance of our main infrastructure – grounds, parking, custodial, maintenance, utilities, energy, design & construction. Most people do not realize how big UW really is. With over forty thousand students and nearly nine million square feet of space, we are a sizable city.
One of our largest assets is Class A Central Plant feeding a sophisticated district energy system connecting all academic buildings within Ring Road. The plant supplies domestic hot water, domestic cold water, chilled water, steam, etc. Every year we use over 125 tons of salt to soften the water that is provided by the city. This is a significant amount of salt which translates to a large amount of biproduct at the end of the softening process.
Plant Operations wants to explore options of how to re-purpose the biproduct from the water softeners. What can be done with the effluent? Is if practical to use it for road winter de-icing? What would be the main challenge?
Scope of Work Could Include
- Literature review of existing methods to re-purpose effluent
- Working with Plant Operations to create a pre-feasibility study
- Testing the methods on a micro-scale
Resources
- The University of Waterloo Sustainability Strategy, Shift Neutral Climate Action Plan, and other resources are available on the campus Sustainability Office website. The Sustainability Office can also share draft versions of the Land Care Standard and other guides
- Access to base information about our existing system, amount and type of chemicals used
- Understanding of the concentrations of effluent throughout the plant
Stakeholders
- Sustainability Office
- Plant Operations
Proposed Deliverables
The details of the deliverables are flexible but must meet the requirements set out by the course instructor. Some proposed deliverables include:
- A work plan early in the term outlining key milestones and responsibilities.
- Updates on progress at least once during the term.
- A final report outlining the outcomes of the research, communications strategy, and recommendations.
- A final meeting to review the outcomes of the report and answer questions.