Wastewater Treatment Facility at Princeton University

Abstract

In order to become a more sustainable campus, Princeton University could benefit from reducing potable water consumption. In 2017, nearly all water used at Princeton was potable water, meaning water that meets drinking water standards. Water is already a scarce resource and treating water to drinking water standards is an energy intensive process. However, non- potable water can be used widely at Princeton, such as in toilets, for irrigation and in the co-generation plant. This water would still need to be treated to a certain extent, which is why Princeton would benefit from an on-campus water treatment facility. In this thesis, I provide a suggestion as to what type of treatment facility would be best for Princeton University. To do this, I looked at water use at Princeton in 2017 and predicted use in 2026, which is when the water treatment facility would first open. I focused on water use in toilets, in the co-generation plant, and for irrigation as I believe these three sectors would benefit most from non-potable water. Through my analysis, I determined that Princeton University should purchase an on-campus water treatment facility similar to the WaterHub Emory University. However, I suggest that the nitrification process is not included in the water treatment facility at Princeton. Instead, the water that is treated should be used specifically for irrigation purposes. As such, the higher levels of nitrogen would decrease the need to add fertilizer. Additionally, this would save money and energy as the nitrification process is expensive and energy-intensive. The main drawback to this design is that the treated water would not be able to be used as toilet water or in the co-generation plant. However, I found that there are other ways to reduce potable water use in toilets and that the water used in the co-generation plant will decrease by 2026, even without using non-potable water.