Technical factsheet for energy efficiency in primary and tertiary treatment technologies

This technical factsheet by GreenCape provides energy efficiency (EE) benchmarks and interventions for the primary and tertiary treatment stages of wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) in South Africa. It aims to help municipal officials, funders, and businesses reduce electricity consumption, lower carbon footprints, and improve resilience against power outages.

• Water supply and wastewater treatment account for approximately 17% of the total energy used by municipalities in South Africa. Implementing energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) technologies—including biogas, solar, wind, thermal, and hydropower—can lower energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Primary treatment technologies have specific power consumption (SPC) benchmarks ranging from 0 kWh/m3 for manual screen clearing to 0.034 kWh/m3 for Archimedes screw pumps. Key technologies include inlet works, primary screening, grit removal, oil and grease removal, and primary sedimentation.
• Tertiary treatment focuses on removing Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDC) and chemicals of emerging concerns (CEC). Energy intensity varies significantly by technology: maturation ponds use no electricity (0 kWh/m3), while ozonation is the most energy-intensive at approximately 0.077 kWh/m3.
• While primary and tertiary stages are not generally energy intensive, specific interventions can reduce consumption. Idling or turning off equipment can save 5–10% of energy with immediate payback, and optimizing UV disinfection (through low-pressure high-output systems, lamp cleaning, and flow-based intensity adjustment) can yield savings between 10% and 50%.

APA

GreenCape (n.d.). Technical factsheet for energy efficiency in primary and tertiary treatment technologies. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Factsheet-3_Energy-Efficiency-in-Preliminary-and-Tertiary-Treatment-Technologies-.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Technical factsheet for energy efficiency in primary and tertiary treatment technologies. n.d. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Factsheet-3_Energy-Efficiency-in-Preliminary-and-Tertiary-Treatment-Technologies-.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Technical factsheet for energy efficiency in primary and tertiary treatment technologies |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Factsheet-3_Energy-Efficiency-in-Preliminary-and-Tertiary-Treatment-Technologies-.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencapendtechnical, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Technical factsheet for energy efficiency in primary and tertiary treatment technologies}}, institution = {GreenCape}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Factsheet-3_Energy-Efficiency-in-Preliminary-and-Tertiary-Treatment-Technologies-.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }