Applicability of decentralized versus centralized drinking water production and wastewater treatment in an office park as examlpe of a sustainble circular economy in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

“The Cleantech Playground is a testing ground for innovative clean technologies in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, which aims at closing the cycle as much as possible in a sustainable way. Here, the De Ceuvel is situated. This heavily polluted site features retrofitted houseboats as offices, placed on land, surrounded by soil-cleaning plants. In this Dutch Topsector Water Technology project Waternet, Metabolic, Advanced Waste Water Solutions and KWR Watercycle Research Institute worked together to investigate how local water-related loop closure fits in a sustainable circular economy. Water need has been reduced to a minimum by installing dry composting toilets and the absence of showers and washing machines. Therefore only five liter per capita per day is needed for drinking, food preparation and personal hygiene, compared to the current average of 25 liter in conventional offices and 128 liter in households in The Netherlands. The grey water is treated by biofilters including plants before infiltration. The water supply may pose a potential health risk. In this study, different approaches and technologies for water supply systems have been investigated with respect to hazards to health (with Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment), sustainability (with Life Cycle Assessment), cost and legal issues. It is a challenge for decentralized systems to achieve the same level of safety as compared to centralized systems without increasing costs and the impact on the environment.”

(Citaat: Roest, K., Smeets, P.W.M.H., van den Brand, T.P.H., et al. – Applicability of decentralized versus centralized drinking water production and wastewater treatment in an office park as example of a sustainable circular economy in Amsterdam, the Netherlands – Procedia Environmental Science Engineering & Management 3(2016)3-4, 139-148)