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Wastewater Refinery: Producing Multiple Valuable Outputs from Wastewater

Author

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  • Sigrid Kusch-Brandt

    (Water and Environmental Engineering Group, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 7QF, UK
    Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Management, Ulm University of Applied Sciences, 89075 Ulm, Germany)

  • Mohammad A. T. Alsheyab

    (Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics, Doha 1855, Qatar
    Department of Chemical Engineering, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar)

Abstract

A wastewater refinery is a multifunctional solution that combines different technologies and processing schemes to recover a spectrum of valuable materials from municipal or industrial wastewater. The concept of wastewater refinery introduces a new perspective on wastewater treatment and management. It aims at making the most of wastewater constituents by co-producing different worthful outputs, such as water, energy, nitrogen, sulfide, and phosphorous. This can turn the treatment of wastewater from a major cost into a source of profit. The wastewater refinery approach is well aligned with the concept of the circular economy. A case study on Qatar’s wastewater revealed the potential recovery of significant quantities of valuable resources embodied in the country’s wastewater. Valorization of organic constituents and the recovery of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfide should be given priority. To facilitate the adoption of the wastewater refinery concept, research is required to explore technical and economic bottlenecks.

Suggested Citation

  • Sigrid Kusch-Brandt & Mohammad A. T. Alsheyab, 2021. "Wastewater Refinery: Producing Multiple Valuable Outputs from Wastewater," J, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-11, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jjopen:v:4:y:2021:i:1:p:4-61:d:507400
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mohammad A. T. Alsheyab & Sigrid Kusch-Brandt, 2018. "Potential Recovery Assessment of the Embodied Resources in Qatar’s Wastewater," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-16, August.
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    3. Florian Delrue & Pablo David Álvarez-Díaz & Sophie Fon-Sing & Gatien Fleury & Jean-François Sassi, 2016. "The Environmental Biorefinery: Using Microalgae to Remediate Wastewater, a Win-Win Paradigm," Energies, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-19, February.
    4. Clauser, Nicolás M. & Felissia, Fernando E. & Area, María C. & Vallejos, María E., 2021. "A framework for the design and analysis of integrated multi-product biorefineries from agricultural and forestry wastes," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    5. Mesia Lufingo, 2019. "Public Water Supply and Sanitation Authorities for Strategic Sustainable Domestic Water Management. A Case of Iringa Region In Tanzania," J, MDPI, vol. 2(4), pages 1-18, October.
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