Paper Title
Feasibility of Renewable Energy Integration in Wastewater Treatment using Advanced Catalytic Oxidation in Arid Regions

Abstract
This paper evaluates the techno-economic feasibility of renewable energy integration into three advanced wastewater treatment technologies (Catalytic Wet Air Oxidation- CWAO, Fenton and Photo-Fenton) in reducing the toxic chemicals from olive mill waste water. A shadow pricing methodology is applied for estimating the environmental damage costs and its implementation is demonstrated through a case study for a typical olive oil mill in Jordan, with a wastewater release rate of30 m3/day. The following five scenarios are considered – A) environmental levy for direct release without any treatment, B) environmental levy + shadow pricing of the avoidable environmental cost for direct release without any treatment, C) includes operating costs of the scoped technological intervention and environmental levy on residual untreated effluent release, D) includes shadow pricing of the avoidable environmental cost for direct release of the residual effluent in addition to all costs in Scenario C, E) considers offsetting the operational energy demand using solar powered renewable energy installation to Scenario D. Incorporating the additional environmental damage costs for 100% direct release to the open lagoon (Scenario B)for the current practice of their direct release to designated open lagoons, was found to be the most expensive option (mainly accounting for the accumulation of the contaminants in stagnant water in the natural environment). Renewable energy integration to meet 100% of the operational energy demand is found to be the most effective in reducing the operational cost for CWAO, followed by photo-Fenton, as they are more energy intensive among the three advanced oxidation treatment technologies considered. Keywords - CWAO; Ecosystem Degradation; Fenton; Olive Mill Waste; Shadow Pricing; Techno-Economic.