Grant: CCI Applied Research and Development Grants

The wastewater management industry is crucial for environmental sustainability, climate change, and urban infrastructure. Sewer systems and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) significantly contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in urban areas. The wastewater sector accounts for 3-8% of global anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions, a potent GHG with 84-86 times the global warming potential (GWP) of carbon dioxide (CO2) over 20 years. Additionally, WWTPs produce nitrous oxide (N2O), which has a GWP 298 times that of CO2 over 100 years. Addressing these emissions is essential for mitigating climate change impacts. Indirect emissions from energy generation in the treatment process further emphasizes the need for innovative GHG reduction strategies. Dynamita North America Inc. (Dynamita) is an entity in the environmental industry, specializing in wastewater management and treatment solutions. They support municipal and industrial WWTPs, software design, and business development. Wastewater treatment is a complex process that involves many uncertainties, and as a result, requires innovative technologies to improve efficiency, reduce costs and decrease the energy consumption of WWT. Artifical Intelligence (AI) can handle complex nonlinear problems and has become a powerful tool for exploring and managing wastewater treatment systems. While machine learning benefits wastewater treatment by enhancing data analysis accuracy and efficiency. In collaboration, Dynamita, Toronto Metropolitan University, Municipality of Middlesex Centre, and Lambton College aim to develop three digital tools tailored to sewer pilots to enhance operational efficiency, reduce GHG emissions, and facilitate informed decision-making for WWTPs. The proposed suite of tools represents a significant advancement in wastewater management. While the concept of digital twins and soft sensors for infrastructure is not new, the integration of these technologies with advanced AI models and a complete digital twin platform tailored for GHG emission reduction and operational efficiency in WWTPs is innovative. The results will allow Dynamita to grow and expand, potentially doubling revenues in three years, and expand its workforce opportunity to manage digitalization, with one full-time and two part-time roles. Canada will benefit from a reduction in carbon footprint, lowered GHG, climate change effects, and promote a sustianable approach for other WWTPs to follow.