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Digital solutions

New DHI report supports solutions to minimise PFAS and other harmful substances from spreading to water environments 
 
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are widely used, long-lasting chemicals. They are also called forever chemicals because they break down very slowly over time. PFAS have been found in water, air, fish and soil at locations across the globe. In recent years, scientific studies have shown that PFAS is linked to harmful effects on both the environment and human health. Consequently, there is increasing public and political concern about the spread of PFAS and other environmentally harmful substances, not least into groundwater and water environments.
 
Denmark’s largest wastewater utility BIOFOS asked DHI to trace the sources of PFAS and other environmentally harmful substances in the catchment area of 15 municipalities in the Greater Copenhagen area together with the 15 catchment municipalities. The investigation found that two waste management companies were the sources behind 40% of the PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, part of PFAS) found at one wastewater treatment plant.
 
 
Challenge
 
There are thousands of PFAS chemicals, and they are ubiquitous in consumer, commercial and industrial products. As they break down very slowly, these so-called forever chemicals accumulate in the environment. In recent years, scientific studies have shown that PFAS is linked to harmful effects on both the environment and human health. Consequently, there is increasing public and political concern about the spread of PFAS and other environmentally harmful substances, not least into groundwater and water environments, and wastewater utilities are faced with strict environmental requirements for discharges of PFOS and PFAS. However, it can be challenging to know where to start and how to limit the spread of these harmful substances most efficiently.
 
Wastewater utilities are actively investigating how to ensure that PFAS is not disseminated to water environments through their treatment plants, but it is both complex and costly to remove PFAS at the wastewater treatment plants in diluted streams. It is therefore more cost-efficient and effective to minimise the spread of PFAS directly at the source in the concentrated stream.
 
BIOFOS had found that the concentration of 15 environmentally harmful substances was higher than what is allowed in the European and Danish environmental quality standards in the outflow from the utility’s three wastewater treatment plants in the region. In 2020, BIOFOS consequently wanted to map their existing knowledge and data on these environmentally harmful substances, which included PFAS. The procedure was a so-called dry source tracing in the catchment municipalities. The procedure is called dry, because it consists of collecting existing data, in this case information from the 15 catchment municipalities on companies in the region and control data. The conclusion was that there was a lack of more in-depth knowledge about several of the environmentally harmful substances identified in the wastewater, including PFAS and tin.
 
Solution
 
BIOFOS therefore decided to initiate a more comprehensive source tracing investigation with the support from DHI’s experts. This time, the procedure was wet source tracing in which samples are collected. The overall purpose of the investigation was to gather more information about the sources of the environmentally harmful substances as an initial step in reducing the discharge of these substances into the wastewater.
 
Samples were taken from 30 companies in nine selected industries in the catchment of BIOFOS’ three wastewater treatment plants. The selected industries were: waste deposit sites, waste management companies, asphalt production, industrial laundry, laboratories, car wash facilities, train/bus/lorry wash facilities, fire drill sites, contaminated groundwater remediation and construction dewatering.
 
For the sampling, DHI experts used passive samplers, SorbiCeller™. This method allows for a time and cost-efficient sampling over long time periods, which results in more longitudinally representative values than what is possible with the conventional short-term measurements.
 
The following analysis parameters were included in the source tracing programme:
 

Six metals: lead, cobalt, copper, mercury, tin, zinc
Bisphenol A
DEHP
15 PAH: Naphthalen, Acenaphthen, Acenaphthylen, Fluoren, Phenanthren, Anthracen, Fluoranthen, Pyren, Benzo(a)anthracen, Chrysen/Triphenylen, Benzo(b+j+k)fluoranthene, Benzo(a)pyren, Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyren, Dibenz(a,h)anthracen, Benzo(g,h,i)perylen
12 PFAS: PFBA, PFBS, PFPeA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFHpA, PFOA, PFOS, 6:2 FTS, PFOSA, PFNA, PFDA

 
The investigation found that two waste management companies were the sources of about 40% of the PFOS discharged into one of BIOFOS’ wastewater treatment plants. Waste management companies are in general the largest sources of PFAS and a number of other environmentally harmful substances in the three wastewater treatment plants in the Greater Copenhagen Region.
 
Results
 
The investigation launched by BIOFOS and the 15 catchment municipalities has provided these municipalities with a tool for identifying the major sources of PFAS contamination in their municipality. They now also have a data-based foundation for dialogues with the waste management companies.
 
Because PFAS is a so-called forever chemical and widely used in consumer products, waste management sites will likely continue to be major sources of PFAS dissemination in the future, irrespective of any ban on future use of the chemical. The sooner the sources of PFAS are identified, the sooner action can be taken to limit the spread of these environmentally harmful substances. At least one of the waste deposit sites in question is currently looking into testing PFAS purification methods.
 

Identification of major sources of PFAS discharge to wastewater treatment plants
Basis for dialogue with waste management companies on reducing discharge of PFAS and other environmentally harmful substances
Improved basis for stronger protection of water environments in the long term


Modelling and testing a side-stream hydrolysis (SSH) process retrofit to replace an activated return sludge process (ARP)
The water utility company, FORS A/S, is always seeking new strategies to improve the efficiency of their Bjergmarken wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Using our wastewater process modelling software, WEST, we identify the side-stream hydrolysis (SSH) process as the optimal replacement for an activated return sludge process (ARP). The model shows that using SSH can lead to more than a 20% savings in aeration energy consumption. After implementing the SSH retrofit, further testing shows increased energy efficiency and long-term operation stability.
 
Challenge
 
Reducing aeration energy consumption in treatment processes
 
The treatment train of Bjergmarken WWTP used the activated return sludge process (ARP) to increase sludge retention and treatment capacity. Due to the high concentrations of solids (&gt; 10 kgSS/m3) treated in this operational process, there was inefficient oxygen transfer. This inefficiency required extensive aeration energy to maintain sufficient dissolved oxygen levels.
 
Multiple options for retrofitting this process were investigated to improve energy efficiency. One retrofit evaluation criterion required the new process to maintain a high level of treatment performance under typical and extreme conditions. Another criterion was to minimise changes in WWTP infrastructure or operations.

Providing dynamic WWTP modelling and simulation to improve operational efficiency
The wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of Ravenna, Italy has been considered for an upgrade to improve sludge handling capacity, energy recovery and accommodate the population growth in the catchment. The evaluation of upgrade solutions and the decision-making process have been influenced by the limited amount of data available. To fill this gap, HERA S.p.A. approached us to develop a model of the WWTP. We devised a solution to provide the basis for the evaluation of several operation scenarios, which proved to be a reliable decision-support tool for the utility to identify the most suitable optimisation and upgrade strategies.
 
Challenge
 
Reducing aeration energy consumption in treatment processes
 
Ravenna WWTP was facing several challenges that have limited its efficiency. Limited organic loading in the influent, such as chemical and biological oxygen demand (COD and BOD), has affected the denitrification performance. Furthermore, reduced capacity and operation of sludge thickening and anaerobic digestion have been handled through waste sludge recirculation and pre-thickening in primary settlers as well as operation of activated sludge reactors at high solids concentration (up to 15 g/L). This operational strategy has resulted in limited energy recovery and high energy consumption through aeration.
 
Besides the implementation of more efficient aerators, the identification of suitable optimised solutions has been influenced by the limited availability of measurements. A preliminary evaluation as well as additional monitoring helped define a key data set describing the operation of the WWTP.

A digital twin of the wastewater utility in Gothenburg and surrounding municipalities is helping to future-proof the region and make the most efficient use of existing infrastructure
 
Gothenburg has a vision of becoming the best city in the world when it rains. And this vision makes perfect sense as Gothenburg is one of the rainiest cities in Sweden. Add to that a growing population, an ageing infrastructure and increasingly extreme weather patterns due to climate change, and the city’s water utilities have their work cut out for them to protect both the city and the surrounding environment.
 
Challenge
 
Heavy rainfall causes large loading variations to the Gothenburg region’s central treatment facility, the Rya water resource recovery facility (WRRF). Approximately 25% of the sewers in the City of Gothenburg are combined, which increases the risk of floods as stormwater and wastewater are transported in the same system. It also increases the risk of untreated wastewater being discharged into the surrounding ecosystem.
Furthermore, changing climate conditions combined with a growing population add further pressure to Gothenburg’s ageing infrastructure and make operations more complicated.
 
The main priority for Gryaab is to protect the citizens of Gothenburg from floods and to protect the ecosystems in the waterways and basins in the region from polluted wastewater. To do so, Gryaab has to ensure optimal management of the water flowing in and out of the city. They needed to find a more future-proof way to efficiently manage issues related to combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and to reduce storm weather impact on the WRRF. The traditional approach relied heavily on operator experience and judgement.
 
However, the Rya WRRF is only manned in the daytime on regular working days, and standby personnel operate the facilities from home the rest of the time. This puts a natural limit to the hours of monitoring and the amount of information which could be processed. It also leaves room for manual errors. Especially when high flows are expected, it is important for the operators to have as much information as possible so that they can make the right decisions and avoid critical situations, which could have negative impacts on the city and the environment.
 
The main challenges for Gryaab were:
 

Minimising the impact of flow variations in extreme weather
Improving the attenuation of inflow to the Rya WRRF as much as possible to reduce pressure on the system
Improving water quality in receiving water bodiesControlling where the CSOs occur to minimise environmental impact

 
Solution
 
Gryaab has a history of using innovative and digital solutions to support them in managing the region’s wastewater infrastructure, and they quickly saw the potential in having a digital twin of the entire system to improve overview and management.
 
A digital twin is basically a dynamic digital representation in real-time of a physical object or a process, such as the Gothenburg region’s tunnel system and catchment. A digital twin can be compared to the co-pilot on a plane, and it uses analytics and predictive modelling to validate decisions and to automate time-consuming and manual technical or operational processes.By implementing the Future City Flow (FCF) digital twin, Gryaab could get real-time information about events in the tunnels as well as accurate predictions of potential issues and peak pressure on the system as the FCF digital twin also incorporates weather forecasts in the modelling.
 
The project included:
 

Building detailed hydrological and hydrodynamic models of the tunnel system with detailed simulation of the 250 km2 catchmentIncorporation of all controllable devices (e.g. gates, pumps) in the digital twin real-time control system
Development of Forecast-on-Demand features with the option of adjusting pre-suggested strategies and analysing historical events for training purposes
Development of an operational strategy to mitigate the risk of urban flooding

 
With the FCF digital twin, Gryaab can act early, and staff can make decisions based on comprehensive, real-time data and prognosis. They also use the digital twin for training in various scenarios so that the staff is better prepared for future critical situations and for making better, informed decisions. In short, the FCF digital twin is used for gaining better real-time control and for finding ways to improve the operation of the tunnel system, both today and in the future.

Metocean study reduces design risk of world’s first energy island in the North Sea
 
Denmark is on the way to ramp up its offshore wind energy production, with a 2020 climate agreement that initiated the realisation of the world’s first two energy islands, which will connect and distribute power from surrounding offshore wind farms to several countries. The larger of the two planned energy islands will be located in the North Sea, home to some of the greatest wind conditions for offshore wind energy in the world. Energinet has been tasked by the Danish Energy Agency to initiate site investigations in preparation for the North Sea Energy Island and offshore wind farms to be located in the Danish North Sea. To carry out these investigations, they require a metocean study as part of the site conditions assessment and to serve as a basis for the design of the energy island.
 
Challenge
 
As Denmark’s national transmission system operator for electricity and natural gas, Energinet is developing and will operate the electricity infrastructure for the two future energy islands. The North Sea Energy Island has a planned capacity of 3 GW by 2033, with the potential for expansion to 10 GW – enough to meet the average electricity consumption of 10 million households. Offshore wind turbine generators will surround the artificial island which will be constructed on a shallow bank approximately 90-100 km off the west coast of Jutland.
 
To ensure safe construction, Energinet called for a detailed metocean assessment covering the development area for the artificial island and surrounding wind farms. This metocean assessment will be used as the basis for the tender design of the energy island, as well as in later analyses and design phases of the island and cable export corridors.

The ÆGIR data portal helps communicate findings from marine and land assessments and supports operational planning for the world’s longest immersed tunnel
 
The Fehmarnbelt tunnel is one of Denmark’s largest infrastructure projects and the world’s longest immersed tunnel connecting Fehmarn, Germany to Lolland in Denmark. Now under construction both on land and at sea in Danish and German waters, the Fehmarnbelt tunnel will significantly reduce travel time and strengthen links between Scandinavia and Central Europe upon completion in 2029. Femern A/S has been tasked by the Danish Ministry of Transport to undertake the planning, construction and operation of the 18 km long tunnel. There is a need to comply with environmental obligations, ensure work is carried out sustainably and communicate environmental monitoring results to authorities. A data portal is helping to facilitate interaction among stakeholders and provide a transparent overview of environmental data related to the tunnel construction.
 
Challenge
 
Respect for nature and the environment is paramount in the construction and eventual operation of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel. As the project is cross-border in nature, Femern A/S has to ensure that German, Danish and European environmental legislations are taken into account.
 
To ensure full transparency in project operations, Femern A/S needed a platform to synchronise, communicate and publicly report various monitoring data acquired from environmental surveys and assessments. The platform should serve as a repository for environmental data that can be easily understood by academics, authorities as well as the general public. Previously, Femern A/S had a simple data viewer in place, but the lack of interactive features made it difficult for stakeholders to visualise the available data.
 
Solution
 
Environmental impacts of large-scale projects can be mitigated through careful planning and implementation of construction work. And access to high-quality, accurate environmental data is crucial.
 
For more than 10 years, the DHI team has been providing support to the Fehmarnbelt tunnel project. As the consortium leader of the Fehmarnbelt Environmental Monitoring and Consultancy (FEMO), DHI and partners have designed and carried out environmental impact assessments related to nature and water environments within the planned construction area. Some of these tasks include marine monitoring, sediment spill supervision and surveys, modelling and investigations related to hydrography, marine benthic flora and fauna, birds, marine mammals, coast and seabed conditions to ensure compliance with limits set by the authorities.
 
Femern A/S needed to make the above environmental data more accessible for all stakeholders. To fulfil this need, DHI developed the data portal ÆGIR to help Femern A/S publicly communicate, share and visualise the monitoring data and reports accompanying the environmental assessments. The data portal displays key environmental data, including:
 

Monitoring data: such as data from flora, fauna and water surveys, marine birds and mammals monitoring, as well as sedimentation and metocean measurements
Live data: for example, near real-time data from DHI’s extensive buoy system that measures hydrodynamic parameters, oxygen, temperature, turbidity, etc. throughout the Fehmarnbelt project area
Conditional requirements: for instance, project-related sediment spill and airborne noise


Protecting millions of lives in Thailand from floods

Using a Decision Support System to forecast floods at 28 locations seven days in advance
 
In 2011, severe flooding in Thailand caused more than 800 deaths and billions of dollars in economic losses; Authorities knew they had to act now to prepare for flood scenarios in the future.
 
Challenge
 
Caught off guard with lack of reliable data
 
Heavy rains during the 2011 monsoon season triggered severe flooding throughout the country. In Bangkok, flooding along the Chao Phraya River affected vast areas of the Thai capital.
 
With 900 factories in 28 provinces badly impacted, Thailand’s manufacturing industry took a massive hit. In addition, more than 20,000 km2 of farmland was damaged. After the waters receded, more than 800 people were found dead and the country’s economic losses stood at more than USD 45 billion.
 
Without reliable and current flood data, Thailand was caught off guard. Authorities weren’t able to take preventive measures or make decisions on-the-spot to alleviate the devastating impacts of serious floods.
Fully aware that this will happen again, Thailand knew it had to act swiftly.
 
Solution
 
Using a Decision Support System to forecast floods
 
To better manage flood events, the Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute (HAII) – part of the Thai Ministry of Science and Technology – decided to establish an operational water management Decision Support System (DSS).
 
Driven by MIKE Powered by DHI’s MIKE OPERATIONS, the DSS is able to provide forecasted levels and discharges at 28 locations up to seven days in advance.
 
Once a day, four models, each covering separate flood plain areas, run in hindcast mode. This brings all model parameters up-to-date, reflecting current hydrological conditions. The system performs forecast simulations if needed, and imports rainfall levels hourly and meteorological forecasts twice a day.
 
With an intelligent flood forecasting system based on real-time data, Thai authorities could now ease the damaging impacts of severe flooding before and during the monsoon season.
 
Results
 
Better flood preparation, safer people and businesses
 
The DSS is programmed to extract data according to the simulation period, checking the range, rate of change and missing data. It then submits a daily data quality assurance report. Users can access real-time data, forecast data, water balance analysis and flood management tools from its interface.
 
Armed with current and reliable flood data before and during the monsoon season, Thai authorities could now better manage their flood planning – especially along the entire 160,000 km2 Chao Phraya River Basin – well ahead of time.
 

Never-before forecast of flood levels now possible at 28 locations seven days in advance
Early warnings and alarm bells issued in flood prone areas
Thailand is now better equipped to plan for and initiate emergency actions


Moving towards a future without plastic pollution

Forecasting plastic litter load in rivers supports policymaking and promotes action to end plastic pollution
 
Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental issues the world is facing today. The rapidly increasing levels of plastic production and subsequent pollution negatively impact the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development. In 2022, United Nations Member States endorsed a historic resolution to develop an international legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, by 2024. UNEP-DHI Centre on Water and Environment is supporting the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in efforts to curb plastic pollution by developing digital solutions to estimate plastic pollution in rivers and freshwater ecosystems, as well as in facilitating information sharing across organisations and nations.
 
Challenge
 
To tackle plastic pollution and address the full life cycle of plastic from source to sea, there is a need to look at plastic’s transport pathways: the rivers. Research indicates that the world’s rivers are a major contributor to plastic pollution in oceans, highlighting the need for active and targeted interventions in river systems to prevent further environmental damage. By understanding, monitoring and forecasting river plastic flows, policymakers will know where immediate action is required so solutions can quickly become an integral part of the battle against plastic waste.
 
In line with the new UN resolution ‘End plastic pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument’, UNEP is helping countries to build their capacity to successfully combat plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. This work includes developing solutions that can help forecast plastic litter load in rivers, track their pathways and thereby guide the necessary improvements in policies and actions on the ground. At the same time, there was a need to facilitate information sharing and dialogue among stakeholders through better access to data and good practices for combating plastic pollution.
 
Solution
 
UNEP-DHI is supporting UNEP in two key activities: 
 

Developing a model to estimate plastic pollution in rivers and freshwater ecosystemsUnderstanding, monitoring and forecasting river plastic flows can help identify where the problem is, where it originates and how best to intervene. Building upon DHI’s Global Hydrological Model, UNEP-DHI developed a model that is capable of identifying upcoming freshwater hotspots and plastic accumulation points up to nine months in advance and includes all major river systems in the world. Using estimates of how much plastic is entering rivers every day as well as field data on plastic loads as model input, simulations of plastic accumulation are produced for over 870,000 points along rivers worldwide. The model is available to countries when they need to assess the status of plastic pollution in rivers in order to identify and prioritise interventions as part of the process of developing plans to inform action. The model can also help monitor progress in near real-time to assess the impact of interventions and policies.
Supporting the development of the GPML Data Hub to facilitate sharing of information and best practicesTo effectively address marine litter and plastic pollution, collaboration is key. UNEP-DHI is also supporting UNEP in the development of the GPML Data Hub within the Digital Platform of the Global Partnership on Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter (GPML). Information about key data, policies and technologies to fight plastic pollution are made available across the entire plastic lifecycle through the Digital Platform covering the plastic cycle – from origin to impact. This comprehensive data hub enables stakeholders at all levels – global, regional, national and local – to get easy access to curated data in the form of more than 130 indicators. The datasets are packaged in a form that is easily understandable for decision-makers to support the development of plans to inform action.

 
Results
 
Being able to quantify plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems can help identify and implement relevant interventions and policies towards ending plastic pollution, not just to be in line with the forging of the UN agreement but to truly benefit the environment.
 

Strengthened country capacity for the identification of plastic pollution sources in rivers and freshwater ecosystems
Better access to information and good practices on combating plastic pollution, including in the marine environment
Improved capability for countries to develop plans and inform action to end plastic pollution


Kingfisher Wetlands by Gardens by the Bay in Singapore

A study in Singapore on the potential for carbon capture in urban mangrove wetlands 
 
Gardens by the Bay is an iconic horticultural attraction set in the heart of Singapore’s downtown. A horticultural treasure trove, it is home to a diverse collection of over 1.5 million plants hailing from almost every continent. In 2021, Gardens by the Bay developed the area now known as Kingfisher Wetlands into a central urban wetland with enhanced microhabitats to encourage biodiversity, in turn enriching the visitor experience with a charming landscape and better connectivity to the rest of the Gardens. Beyond aesthetics, the project is also inspiring research into the question: can urban mangrove wetlands help us in our fight against climate change?
 
Challenge
 
At Kingfisher Wetlands, beautiful water cascades and streamlets are offering microhabitats for biodiversity to flourish. From the Wildlife Lookout, nature enthusiasts are sighting migratory birds and other animals bustling in the surroundings. Rare mangrove species are putting down roots in their new home while providing a host of ecosystem services. This freshwater wetland is a nature sanctuary right in the heart of the city.
 
Previously, the Lotus Pond in the area was isolated from the rest of the lake system in the Gardens, which included the nearby Kingfisher Lake. Gardens by the Bay wanted to encourage more visitor traffic as the site was physically and visually isolated from the surrounding landscape. The challenge was how to make the site more inviting for visitors while also serving the higher purpose of supporting national sustainability efforts.
 
Initially, the intention was to improve the aesthetics while enhancing habitats for biodiversity, since it was already a popular bird-watching spot. At the same time, Gardens by the Bay wanted to improve water circulation and aeration in the water bodies for biodiversity to thrive. Gardens by the Bay, in consultation with DHI scientists, put forward the idea of developing part of the area into an urban mangrove wetland. This would be the perfect opportunity for Gardens by the Bay to not only enhance habitats and bring people closer to nature but also testbed climate solutions.

Innovative digital solutions