Water Contamination and the Circular Economy: Applications for Water Remediation

Worldwide, there is a growing need for state-of-the-art wastewater treatment systems due to rising environmental legislation and water environment concerns. In addition to removing organic carbon, these systems treat wastewater with the goal of removing nutrients and recovering useful goods. As a result of rising urbanization, economic growth, and climate change, water resources are becoming more scarce, and civilizations are under growing pressure to decrease their water use. Lessening the need for water is the primary means to achieve this. On the other hand, this method is insufficient on its own. Wastewater treatment methods that are less harmful to the environment and more efficient use of water are crucial. In wastewater, there is a lot of chemical energy that can be turned into heat or electricity. The majority of energy that enters treatment facilities is found in primary sludge, which accounts for about 66% of the total. Secondary treatment accounts for the remaining portion. This chapter primarily aims to assess and provide a viewpoint on two possible process approaches that might facilitate this change. Two of these process approaches include the use of anaerobic digesters to produce biogas and a bio-electrochemical energy recovery technology. Based on the results, it's clear that combining the two approaches might lead to wastewater treatment systems that use less energy and resources.