Abstracts Archive

A Harmonised Sustainability Assessment Framework (HSAF) was developed and tested on different case studies explored during the Water-Mining project, ranging from the desalination to the urban and industrial wastewater treatment sectors. HASF incorporates or circular economy metrics, with traditional...

In an area where there is lack of water supply at home, people travel very far to fetch water. In almost all society this task falls under the women. It is very common to see women carrying 25 and 20 liter Jerry Can on their back or on their head and travel many kilometers from the source like river...

Drought is a climatic phenomenon characterized by a significant decrease in precipitation over an extended period, leading to water scarcity. Globally, this issue affects many regions of the world. In Morocco, drought is particularly concerning as the country is located in an arid and semi-arid regi...

Facing changing conditions like climate change, water-stressed regions are exploring alternative water supply options, including agricultural and urban reuse. While required technologies are available, highly flexible and demand-driven management strategies for water reuse in urban and agricultural ...

Due to climate change, Flanders faces challenges of increasing droughts and water scarcity that call for smart circular solutions. In the Horizon 2020 project B-Watersmart, local partners and research organizations De Watergroep, Aquafin, Proefstation voor de Groenteteelt, VITO, the City of Mechelen...

A Circular Water Economy is a system’s concept and therefore goes far beyond recycling loops and innovative technologies. It must be an integrated, interdisciplinary approach that rethinks how we effectively manage water and its associated resources. This work builds on the contributions of over 5...

D. Xevgenos, A. Bilyaminu, S. Ghirlandi, F. D’Hont, E. Meijer, S. N. van Roon, I. van Gestel, N. Spalek, D. Stroutza Systems thinking is useful for understanding and addressing complex interdependent challenges across disciplines. In engineering education, students are taught to conceptualize, des...

The increasing global water scarcity - exacerbated by climate change - requires innovative and sustainable solutions. This study presents a novel adsorption-based water harvesting device designed to capture water from atmospheric air. The device utilizes sorption materials, operating in two differen...

Integrated Governance of the WEFE Nexus in Jordan: A Path Towards a Sustainable Development. The paper will outline the Integrated Governance of the WEFE Nexus in Jordan, As the Kingdom is witnessing an increasing demand for water, energy, and food, driven factors such as population growth, migratio...

Stricted legislation and a heightened emphasis on environmental stewardship are transforming conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) into greener and more efficient biorefineries, producing valuable bioproducts that are increasingly prevalent in society. Notably, the recent wastewater treat...

It is estimated that South Africa produces over 1 billion chickens per year, where chicken stands as the leading source of meat protein in South Africa with an average annual consumption of 39 kg’s per person. The use of water in the slaughtering process alone is between 9 -15 litres per chicken. ...

Recent studies on anaerobic digestion highlight the benefits of two-phased systems, which enhance digestate stability and sanitation, increase organic loading rates (OLR), boost methanogen activity for higher methane production, improve volatile solids (VS) reduction efficiencies, and enhance digest...

The use of Minimal Liquid Discharge (MLD) in desalination receives increased attention due to its potential of increasing water and resource recovery while reducing brine volumes and consequently, their related environmental impacts (toxicity). Although MLD desalination is perceived as achieving sus...

The treatment of high-concentration organic wastewater is currently a world problem, such as landfill leachate and digested sludge liquor, in which the concentration of organic matter and ammonia and nitrogen is dozens or even hundreds of times that of municipal wastewater. At present, the dual-memb...

The Dutch drinking water company PWN ensures reliable drinking water. To produce safe water from the contaminated IJsselmeer, multiple purification steps are used. Reverse Osmosis (RO) efficiently removes organic micropollutants, like PFAS and pharmaceuticals, providing a robust solution for water p...

Addressing climate change, resource scarcity, and environmental degradation necessitate holistic solutions requiring inter- and transdisciplinary (ITD) engagement and collaboration. However, collaboration in ITD settings remains challenging, limiting the potential for widespread adoption of innovati...

The interdependencies between water, energy, food, and ecosystems demands an integrated approach to resource management. Climate variability, growing demand, fragmented data and inefficient use of resources threaten sustainability. Realizing the necessity, Vassar Labs developed aquaWISE- a cloud-bas...

Industry is one of the largest water users in Europe next to agriculture and households. Circular water concepts are already implemented in industry, but the European Commission (EC) is giving specific attention to ‘Water Smart Industrial Symbiosis (WSIS)’ in which economic value and increased s...

Globally, recovery of nutrients and water from municipal wastewater or biorefinery processing wastewater is crucially important for achieving circular economy and coping with the challenges of water scarcity and fertilizer shortage. However, potential presences of pathogens and chemical contaminants...

Since the implementation of Directive 91/271/EEC, there has been an increase in sludge generation, which necessitates efficient management. The use of sludge for energy recovery and soil improvement is environmentally beneficial, if it does not harm human health or the environment. This use is regul...

Lithium-ion batteries have conquered a central role in today’s economy and way of living due to the need for reliable portable devices and the growing electric vehicle industry. This brings along serious ecological issues related to the disposal of these batteries and the prospection of chemical e...

The transition from a linear to circular water economy requires more than just technological advancements and changes; it demands comprehensive capacity building approaches that integrates the technical, economic, social, environmental, policy and institutional dimensions. This paper examines the cu...

Circular economy has been proposed as a solution to tackle challenges and versatile stressors faced by the water sector, including climate change, water scarcity, water pollution, and resource depletion, thereby offering a promising pathway towards attaining sustainable development goals and enhanci...

Scheduling pipe replacement is critical for water distribution systems (WDSs) when managing finances and water loss. WDS replacements are often delayed due to high immediate costs without considering long-term environmental consequences. This study is the first to examine a real-world WDS using a no...

Currently, there is a growing need to increase the efficiency and sustainability of cities, due to population growth and high resources consumption. In the water sector, the water-energy nexus is and remains a very important issue, as one of the most energy-intensive activities in a city is the wate...

Sustainable business model innovation is gaining interest among researchers and practitioners. However, the conceptualization of how sustainable business model innovation can contribute to system-wide transitions remains weak (Aagaard et al., 2021). Our paper addresses this gap, through a study of c...

Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) applied through infiltration surfaces is a technology that enhances groundwater quality. With this improvement goal, the European project MARadentro was initiated. In this project, a prototype was constructed in Medina del Campo, consisting of two ponds with a surface ...

1. Introduction Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) poses significant challenges in sewer systems, contributing to odor, corrosion, and safety risks. Traditional chemical treatments, while effective, often rely on costly and non-sustainable materials. This study explores an innovative circular economy approach...

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a greenhouse gas that can account for more than 70% of direct emissions from Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). It is primarily produced in aerated tanks within biological treatment systems, such as conventional activated sludge. Activated sludge processes are widely used ...

Living Filtration Membranes (LFMs) are a water filtration technology that was recently developed in the lab (Technology Readiness Level 4). LFMs have shown filtration performance comparable with that of ultrafiltration, far better fouling resistance than conventional polymer membranes, and good heal...