Resource recovery based sanitation: integrating collection and transport with treatment and re-use

“Recovery of Phosphorus will become an unavoidable necessity within several decades. Resource recovery requires intensive treatment, which is best done with a small but concentrated flow. To achieve that a new paradigm is introduced: Water Out, Shit In: take out water and/or add organics. This is explored for three
domains in the urban waste water chain: Domain 1, the individual household with biggest challenge to limit use of water for toilets and showers; Domain 2, collection and transport with biggest challenge to prevent addition of rain or ground water and Domain 3 with the challenge to develop new treatment processes. Counter intuitively, a sewer system with small diameters will function best for the new approach having an obvious cost advantage and also a need for confirmation in practice through pilot studies.”

(Citaat: Vreeburg, J.H.G. – Resource recovery based sanitation: integrating collection and transport with treatment and re-use – GWF-Watersolutions (2017)2, p.65-69)