Future Concepts

Future Concepts of Wastewater Treatment: Source Separation and Decentralization

We explore the opportunities of source separation and decentralized wastewater treatment for resource efficient solutions to present and future problems in different settings, thereby contributing to the ideal goal of sustainable urban water management.

Sustainable urban water management can not restrict itself to consider the system of urban waters in Switzerland, nor can it avoid projections of future development. The future problems of urban water management are determined by rapid global population growth, climate change and increased pressure on resources like freshwater, aquatic ecosystems, energy and phosphorus.

We pursue the following ideas:

• Source separation is resource efficient

• Source separation implies decentralized or even on-site technologies

• On-site technologies must appeal to consumers

• Decentralized technologies can compete with central technology if mass produced

• Source separation is an efficient leap-frog principle

Current projects:

• OnSite Technologies (OST)

• OnSite Advanced Nutrient Removal from Urine

• OnSite Nitrogen Recovery from Urine through Industrial Loops – Mass Flows and Stakeholder Involvement

• Eawag "Reinvent the Toilet Challenge"

Finished projects:

Waste Water Management

Novaquatis