Wastewater is a Valuable Resource

(Eawag, September 29, 2020)

Although circular economy primarily concerns the recycling of materials and raw materials nowadays, closing cycles also holds enormous potential in other areas. At NEST, Eawag has therefore been conducting research on decentralized wastewater treatment, because as explained by Carina Doll, Project Coordinator at Eawag, "wastewater contains many valuable resources. For example, urine contains large quantities of nitrogen and phosphorus, which can be recycled as plant fertilizer. In addition, wastewater can also serve as a source of energy and water." In this context, one success story has been Empa’s close cooperation with Keramik Laufen AG, which developed the innovative urine separation toilet "Save!", as well as the Eawag Spin-off Vuna, which uses a process in the NEST's Water Hub to produce the liquid fertilizer made of urine "Aurin", to complete the urine recycling loop.