The current paradigm for wastewater treatment is based on a net 'oxidation' of its main elemental constituents, carbon and nitrogen.  Such a model, while beneficial to environmental health, is energy and cost intensive and in some cases prohibitive.  It is also rather redundant, when considered in conjunction with the carbon, food, energy and water cycles.  In this presentation, concrete examples of new models for carbon and nitrogen cycling (or lack thereof) are presented as a new model for energy and resource neutral or positive sanitation.  Through the use of such models, improved water quality is but a bonus and is complemented with the production of commodities and energy, which can be monetized.  It is also possible to adopt such models to address issues such as localized migration into cities by facilitating de-centralized and distributed resource use, recovery and infrastructure.

Re-engineering elemental cycling in sewage treatment plants for energy and resource recovery

244th National Meeting (2012)

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