2. This lecture is derived
from a
presentation
at an
International conference
in
Australia
ISDRS
(International Sustainable Development Research Society)
10TH - 12TH July 2015
21st Annual conference
T. E. Butt; D. A. Savic; C. D. Beal; M. J. Cullis; H. Jensen; M. I. Baloch.
3. ‘Anthropogenic’
What does the term mean?
• Generic definition:
“caused
or
produced by humans”
• Specifically / chiefly used in environmental context as:
“pollutants and/or environmental pollution
originating
in and/or from
human activity / interaction”
‘in’ or ‘from’?
Examples?
Producing synthetic material e.g. plastics… that is ‘in’ – THAT IS THE POLLUTANT / Substance itself
Abstraction of minerals or oil from the ground e.g. spillages and land contamination… that is ‘from’ –
THAT IS THE (ENVIRONMENTAL) POLLUTION / the process.
Are both possible ‘simultaneously’
Examples?
e.g. Abstraction of radioactive materials (say Uranium for nuclear power plants)
Hence ‘and/or’!!
4. The use of the term ‘Anthropogenic’
Use over time for: anthropogenic
(Both academic and non-academic e.g. industry, media, etc.)
Is there a time lag between industrial revolution start and the term’s birth??
Why??
6. Natural Environment
• Natural environment means all living and non-living things that naturally exists on Earth.
• In a simple sense, the environment that is not influenced by humans.
• Water is present in each case directly and / or indirectly
7. Built Environment
• Human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity
• ranging in scale from buildings and parks or green space to neighborhoods and cities
• Also, infrastructures e.g. road networks, water supply, energy networks, industrial plant, etc.
• In simple words, it is the environment which is influenced by humans.
• Water is par of each case directly and / or indirectly… more or less!
8. Water as we know it or do we??!!
• What is significance of water in our eyes?
• What is the value of our water as we know it?
• £, € or $ - Millions, Billions, Trillions
• Let’s play a “God – Human” game to answer these questions!
• So again, what’s the price of water then!
• £, € or $ - Millions, Billions, Trillions
• or simply priceless!!??
• Clean and safe water is undervalued / taken for granted / forsaken
9. 1. That was the environment around us –
The environment external to us!
2. What about our own body environment –
The environment internal to us!
In connection to water, that is!
10. Water and our own body!
Shakespeare said:
‘ you are what you eat (and drink)!’
11. Water Quantity & Quality
Water Quantity:
How much water a day is needed?
Would a ration of one drop a day be enough?
Thus, quantity matters!!!
Water Quality:
Would the whole ocean water, as it is – salty, be enough?
Would waste-water be drinkable?
Thus, quality matter!!!
Hence, hazards / pollutants to be prevented or removed from the water we use.
However – water quantity and quality are inter-related in a number of ways – follow on slides!
Drought and Flood – the two extremes of the scale!!
In terms of availability in the nature,
What are two extremes of water quantity (scale)??
12. Forms the water exist in and where
The three states that matter exists in:
Solid
Liquid
Gas (or Vapour)
How water exists in the Lithosphere?
How water exists in the Atmosphere?
How water exists in the Biosphere?
How water exists in the Hydrosphere?
13. Water effectively available – much much less!!
• 71% - Earth's surface water-covered
• Oceans - 96.5 % of all Earth's water.
• Water also exists in:
o Air / atmosphere (water vapour)
o Rivers and lakes
o Glaciers / ice
o Underground - soil moisture (unsaturated / vadoze) and aquifers (saturated / phreatic)
and
o even in you
o your dog.
Any guess – how much water
effectively available then!!
14. Water effectively available – much much less!!
Earth’s diameter = 8000 miles (approx.)
The biggest (blue water) sphere :
All water in, on, and above the Earth
332,500,000 mi3 (1,386,000,000 km3))
860 miles (1,385 km) diameter
The smaller (blue water) sphere:
2,551,000 mi3 (10,633,450 km3)
169.5 miles (272.8 kilometers) diameter.
Total fresh water - but much of it is deep in
the ground, unavailable to humans.
The “tiny” bubble:
22,339 mi3 (93,113 km3)
34.9 miles (56.2 kilometers) diameter
Fresh water - all lakes & rivers of the planet
Most of the water that people and life of
earth need every day, comes from these
surface-water sources.
Does it put in perspective – how significant is
water quantity, quality, safety, and security?
15. Some facts around
water hazards and mismanagement
3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes.
Nearly all deaths, 99 percent, occur in the developing world.
Lack of access to clean water and sanitation kills children at a rate equivalent of a jumbo jet
crashing every four hours.
780 million people lack access to an improved water source
approximately 1 in 9 people.
water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through
guns.
More people have a mobile phone than a toilet – sanitation / quality issue
16. Energy
What is Energy?
Unit(s) of Energy?
Difference between Energy and Work (as in Physics)?
J or KJ (Joule or Kilo-Joule)
WHr (Watt-Hour)
Why have WHr when J is there anyway?
What is Power?
NOW GOING BACK TO WATER, BEFORE I BRING IN WATER-ENERGY TOGETHER – THE NEXUS
20. Built Environment Water-Energy (BE-WE) Cycle
Simply, the natural water cycle exists in the natural environment, and
Urban Water Cycle:
₋ regards cities / urban environments, but
₋ Water only / Water-footprint only and
₋ does not consider the element of energy
The Built Environment Water-Energy (BE-WE) Cycle sits in the Built Environment.
BE-WE Cycle is a new terminology introduced in this research. That is:
In the total anthropogenic water cycle, energy is put into it to maintain its quantity and / or quality,
in places (where natural water cycle stages may come in) if not all around.
Yes, physically speaking, the natural and BE-WE cycle can be having overlaps
But, virtually, the two are separate.
Where as, BE-WE cycle is water-energy nexus.
21. Previous studies
In previous research studies so far,
in terms of energy and carbon footprint
• Sector level e.g. waste water sector
• Urban scale e.g. a city’s water related carbon footprint.
But no detailed research works on
energy and carbon footprint for building-specific water
And yet, not just within the building but also throughout the whole length of the water cycle i.e. BE-WE
23. + Water abstraction (e.g.
surface water, groundwater)
+ Water treatment
+ Water distribution,
transport, and pumping (at
various stages in the
network / infrastructure)
+ Water storage (e.g.
reservoirs)
+ Energy consumed to run
associated buildings,
equipment, etc.
+ And the like
+ Waste water collection,
transport, and pumping (at
various stages in the
network / infrastructure)
+ Waste water treatment (e.g.
Waste water treatment
works)
+ Energy consumed to run
associated buildings,
equipment, etc.
+ And the like
Figure 1: Built Environment Water-Energy Cycle – From the NE (Natural Environment), through the BE (Built Environment), and back to the NE.
A B C D
Built Environment Water-Energy Cycle – A to D
Total Carbon = CT = C1+C2+C3
C2
C1 C3
E1
Buildings – a set of
buildings of interest
E3
E2
Total Energy = ET = E1+E2+E3
Note: Only operational energy to sustain the water environment, not embodied energy, e.g. energy to operate (not construct ) a reservoir, etc.
PW = Precipitation water
C
W
=
Clean-water
-
inlet
W
W
=
Waste-water
-
outlet
Start ‘A’ of the Built
Environment
Water-Energy Cycle
End ‘D’ of the Built
Environment
Water-Energy Cycle
Natural
Environment
(NE)
–
where
the
BE
water
is
returned
to.
Natural
Environment
(NE)
–
where
the
BE
water
is
abstracted
from.
Ex-situ BE Water-Energy
A to B (Prior)
Ex-situ BE Water-Energy
C to D (After)
In-situ BE
Water-Energy
B to C
A B C D
25. Examples of knowledge gaps??
Some more specific examples of aspects which current methods / approaches appear not to have considered
either individually or collectively are as follows:
• To decarbonise water, how energy-use (that is associated with the water) can be reduced for a certain set
of buildings in a given industrial or commercial setting. Where this decarbonisation of water may not
necessarily be only by reducing fossil fuel driven energy-use, but also by generating and using green
energy on site – CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION.
• How much is the total true carbon footprint of the water for all the buildings of a large retail park
(where the term ‘true’ implies including both in-situ and ex-situ carbon footprints)?
• For all buildings (of e.g. a large hospital, neighbourhood, university, etc.) can it be more cost-effective
and more-green to abstract water from the in-situ ground rather than take from the mains?
• How much decarbonisation of the water can be for a given set of buildings on a site via a rain water
harvesting design and implementation – REDUCIING FLOOD RISKS & CLIMATE CHANGE
ADAPTATION
• Economic aspects: How cost-effective would water recycling be e.g. pay back time; meeting legal
carbon cut targets thereby saving on carbon tax; etc.
• No standardised systems have been developed that could specifically help to apportion the energy
consumed (to sustain the water environment of a given set of buildings) to the total energy used, e.g. to
abstract, store, treat and pump water through the clean water infrastructure.
• Similarly, there are no established regular methods to work out the proportions of the energy consumed
(to sustain the water environment of a given set of buildings) to the total energy used in the waste water
infrastructure, e.g. collection, pumping, treatment in waste water treatment plant, etc.
