Probabilistic evaluation of integrating resource recovery into wastewater treatment to improve environmental sustainability.

ABSTRACT: Global expectations for wastewater service infrastructure have evolved over time, and the standard treatment methods used by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are facing issues related to problem shifting due to the current emphasis on sustainability. A transition in WWTPs toward reuse of wastewater-derived resources is recognized as a promising solution for overcoming these obstacles. However, it remains uncertain whether this approach can reduce the environmental footprint of WWTPs. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a net environmental benefit calculation for several scenarios for more than 50 individual countries over a 20-y time frame. For developed countries, the resource recovery approach resulted in ∼154% net increase in the environmental performance of WWTPs compared with the

SUBMITTER: Wang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4321261 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature