Reuse Down Under: Membranes Provide Drought Relief for Queensland

Using the largest water recycling project in the Southern Hemisphere, Australia’s Western Corridor Recycled Water Project (WCRWP), as an example, the paper discusses state-of-the-art water reclamation with membranes (MF/UF and 2-pass RO). Combining a triple-membrane approach with other processes, at build-out WCRWP will include a combined capacity of 300 MLD (75 US MGD) at 3 new Advanced Water Treatment Plants (AWTPs), reclaiming wastewater from 6 existing Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs), and distributing the AWTP product via a new 200 km pipeline network. Special key features of the WCRWP include major treatment downstream from MF/UF and RO – on the product water: augmented nitrogen removal to control algae blooms during open reservoir storage and UV-disinfection, possibly with advanced oxidation, to provide an additional barrier to pathogens and trace organics, and on the waste RO concentrate discharge: nutrient removal – phosphorous precipitation and biological denitrification to lower the mass loading on the receiving water compared to existing WWTP operations.