INTEGRATED WASTEWATER-TO-ENERGY SYSTEM USING PELTON MMICRO-TURBINE AND VANADIUM REDOX FLOW BATTERY FOR RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

Authors

  • SOMPOP KHOOPRASERT -
  • Akeratana Noppakant
  • Numchoke Wattananaiya
  • Prapon Denduang
  • Chaiporn Supahitanukool
  • Supapradit Marsong

Keywords:

Wastewater energy recovery; Micro-hydro turbine; Residential sustainability; Greywater; Pelton turbine; VRFB; Water-energy

Abstract

Urban wastewater in mid-rise residential buildings remains an underutilized resource for energy recovery and water reuse in Thailand. This study investigates the feasibility of integrating a horizontal Pelton micro-hydro turbine with a Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB) into five condominiums in Bangkok. The system was evaluated under simulated wastewater conditions, and four turbine configurations were tested. A Python-based model simulated VRFB performance under typical Southeast Asian load profiles. The horizontal Pelton turbine achieved peak output at 1.2 m³/h, generating 9.4 W     with 72.4% efficiency, and averaging 0.67 kWh/day. The VRFB demonstrated a round-trip efficiency of 78% with consistent discharge over a 24-hour cycle. Additionally, 60% of treated wastewater approximately 2,124 m³/month was identified as reusable for non-potable applications. The results confirm that the hybrid system can operate effectively under variable flow conditions, with energy storage mitigating intermittency. While turbine performance is sensitive to hydraulic variability, pairing with a VRFB improves resilience and output stability. In conclusion, this hybrid system offers a scalable solution for decentralized resource recovery in urban Thai buildings, aligning with sustainable development and circular economy practices through combined water and energy management.

References

Ahmed, R., Rahman, T., & Sattar, A. (2023). Feasibility of greywater reuse with micro-turbine integration in campus environments. Sustain. Water Resour. Manag, 9, 118, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-023-00711-2.

Akter, F., Rahman, M., & Saha, T. (2021). Hybrid anaerobic and micro-hydro energy recovery in urban slumsanitation. Renew. Energy Rep, 7, 100096, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rer.2021.100096.

Ayala-Cabrera, D., Pérez-Murcia, A., Bustamante, M.A., & Moral, R. (202). Energy recovery from wastewater in Mexico: A systematic review. Front. Environ. Sci, 11, 1116053, https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs. 2023.1116053.

Caprari, C., & Cigolotti, V. (2023). Assessment of a micro Francis turbine installed in a wastewater treatment plant. Energies, 16, 7214. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16207214.

Chen, Y., Liu, X., & Zhang, Q. (2021). Modular microbial fuel cells for urban decentralized energy systems. Renew. Energy, 179, 1257–1268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.07.094.

Chua, H.Y., Lim, S., & Wong, C.Y. (2023). Integrating greywater reuse with decentralized hybrid energy systems in tropical residential zones. J. Clean. Prod, 389, 135926. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro. 2023.135926

Kim, D., & Cho, J. (2022). Anaerobic digestion for thermal energy recovery from municipal wastewater. Bioresour. Technol. Rep, 18, 101075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biteb.2022.101075.

Lim, R.B., & Chowdhury, S. (2022). Dual-use infrastructure: Vertical shaft integration for power generation and drainage in megacities. Sustain. Cities Soc, 78, 103636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2021. 103636.

Madadi Kojabadi, H., & Fadaei, M. (2014). Electrical energy extraction from greywater in tall buildings. Renew. Energy, 66, 222–229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2013.12.024

Nguyen, T., Le, V., & Bui, M. (2019). Integration of micro-turbines in high-rise wastewater systems. Smart Sustain. Built Environ, 11, 480–494. https://doi.org/10.1108/SASBE-07-2021-0123.

Oliveira, A.P., Mendes, J.F., & Teixeira, M.M. (2023). Hydraulic design strategies for vertical wastewater recovery. J. Water Process Eng, 50, 102164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2022.102164.

Samol, P., Limsakul, C., & Wichitnithad, N. (2024). Techno-economic feasibility study of electricity generation from industrial wastewater treatment system. J. Eng. Res. Mater. Util. Technol, 12, 45–56. https://ph01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/jermutt/article/view/259237.

Tan, C.Y., Leow, S.C., & Abdullah, A. (2020). Sustainable water reuse in smart buildings. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res, 27, 19261–19274. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08359-4

Zhang, X., Yang, G., Zhang, Y., Wang, H., & Li, J. (2022). Environmental and economic assessment of biogas and sludge energy utilization. Energy, 257, 124770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2022.124770.

Downloads

Published

2025-12-02

How to Cite

KHOOPRASERT, S., Noppakant, A. ., Wattananaiya, N. ., Denduang, P., Supahitanukool, C. ., & Marsong, S. . (2025). INTEGRATED WASTEWATER-TO-ENERGY SYSTEM USING PELTON MMICRO-TURBINE AND VANADIUM REDOX FLOW BATTERY FOR RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS . Journal of Science and Technology Thonburi University, 9(2), 1–17. retrieved from https://ph03.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/trusci/article/view/4092

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2025): Journal of Science and Technology Thonburi University

Section

Research Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 SOMPOP KHOOPRASERT, Akeratana Noppakant, Numchoke Wattananaiya, Prapon Denduang, Chaiporn Supahitanukool, Supapradit Marsong

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.