TPO aims to bring you stories that help you and your plant perform better. Now we do more of the same at www.tpomag.com. There you’ll find stories that appear only online — and that are current, because they’re not subject to the lead times involved in the print magazine. Here are a few online exclusives recommended by the TPO editorial team:

Municipal Disinfection Market Grows as UV Segment Expands

Driven by rising demand for water reuse, the market for disinfection systems is expected to reach $2.96 billion globally in 2019, according to Frost & Sullivan. While chlorine-based products will continue to dominate, UV systems will grow rapidly. “There is population growth and increased industrialization, leading to a rise in demand for water, but what isn’t growing is the amount of water available on the planet,” says Wayne Lem, market manager for TrojanUV.

Turning Brown Grease Into Biofuel

In the movement to turn wastewater treatment plants from cost centers to profit centers, grease could play a significant role. RPM Sustainable Technologies is introducing a new process to convert brown grease into biodiesel fuel. A co-byproduct, glycerol, could have applications as a building block for high-end chemicals and other products.

MRWA Creates Free Apps for Wastewater Industry

Clean-water operators are always looking to simplify technical measurements and data collection. Now, smartphones could become valuable tools for streamlining operations. The Missouri Rural Water Association is rolling out a series of 10 free apps for Android and iPhone devices that can help operators make easy calculations.

‘Flushable’ Products: Silent Killer of Utility Budgets and Reputations

Protecting your collection system and treatment works from sanitary sewer overflows and blockages has become more difficult over the last few years. Many kinds of wipes on the market claim to be flushable but in reality clog lift station pumps. In fact, several utilities have shown that claims of “sewer and septic safe” are false. Here’s what utilities and the wipes industry are doing about it.

$300 Million Wake-Up Call Leads to Streak of Accolades

The non-compliance lawsuit filed against the Wayne County (Mich.) Downriver Wastewater Treatment Facility in the mid-1980s was a shock to the communities it served, but also a wake-up call. “We had a massive non-compliance streak back then, and the lawsuit by the EPA was a hard pill to swallow,” says Firooz Fath-Azam, P.E., plant superintendent. “But it forced the realization that regular investments in this facility were not only necessary, it would be less expensive in the long run."