Is it possible to reduce the water footprint of a city to 1/10th of its current value without sacrificing any comfort? What does circular economy mean for sanitation systems? How important is phosphorous for food production? How can source separation systems improve nutrient cycling in the environment? Can we produce biodiesel from algae grown in urine? Professor Petter Jenssen from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences explores these questions and many more in his presentation which can be accessed here. 
Emerging solutions to the water challenges of an urbanizing world
How do we tackle the unprecedented increase in nutrient emissions in the world? How much nitrogen is emitted by agriculture and wastewater treatment? In her presentation at SLU, Professor Tove Larsen from EAWAG, Switzerland analyses the current wastewater treatment situation in various regions in the world. She suggests urine source separation can be part of the solution to address global nutrient emissions. To know more about this and other aspects such as the Blue Diversion Toilet and the Eawag water hub, check out Prof. Larsen’s presentation.
Improving wastewater treatment plants for increased nutrient recovery
Dr. David Gustavsson, Research Leader at Sweden Water Research loves centralized wastewater treatment plants! He starts his presentation saying…âI really love these plantsâ. At a symposium filled with people discussing the possibility of taking sanitation off the grid, that’s quite a statement to make. Jokingly, he further comments, â....should I leave now?â. How good are centralized WWTPs in removing unwanted substances? In nutrient removal and recovery? Is there a case to be made for the co-existence or indeed, the integration of urine diversion with the operation of such plants? How will WWTP operations be affected with increased urine diversion at source?
Click here to access Dr. Gustavsson’s presentation to find out more and let us know what you think!
The Future of Sanitation â a return to circular systems
Is urine diversion a new concept? In his presentation at SLU, Jan-Olof Drangert, Assoc. Prof. at Linköping University traces the evolution of sanitation and nutrient recycling in Sweden over the years. He suggests that, water-based sanitation used in the 20th century may have been just a brief detour in human history as we’ve strongly relied on dry sanitation systems in the past. Will our societies return to favor circular systems? Click to see what Dr. Drangert has to say about this.
Urine Diversion in Durban – Has it exceeded the original vision?
The eThekwini Municipality in the greater Durban region with its 80,000 urine diverting toilets is often highlighted as a success story for dry sanitation. In a recent presentation at SLU, Professor Chris Buckley, Head of the Pollution Research Group at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa reflected on the eThekwini case study.
Curious to know whether or not Professor Buckley believes urine diversion in Durban has exceeded the original vision? Click here to access the presentation
How to get the best value out of organic waste?
Municipalities are expected to provide solid waste management to their inhabitants, funded by tax revenue or/and waste treatment fees. In many low and middle income countries, municipalities however struggle to provide an adequate level of service; in such places the informal sector plays a major role in the collection and treatment of solid waste. In contrast to the plastic and metal fraction, the organic fraction is not managed by the informal sector, primarily because it has low or no financial value and treatment would cost more than the possible revenue. If the organic fraction could be converted to valuable products, the treatment could bear its own cost and this could act as an incentive to collect and treat this fraction.
Hur fÄs högsta vÀrdet ur biologiskt nedbrytbart avfall?
Kommuner förvÀntas tillgodose sina invÄnare med avfallshantering, vilket finansieras med skatteintÀkter och/eller avfallshanteringsavgifter. I mÄnga lÄg-, och medel-inkomstlÀnder kÀmpar kommunerna med att tillgodose en acceptable servicenivÄ och pÄ dessa stÀlle sköter den informella sektorn ofta stora delar av insamlingen och behandlingen av avfallet. Till skillnad frÄn plast-, och metallfraktionerna, sköter inte den informella sektorn om det biologiska nedbrytbara fraktionen; frÀmst för vÀrdet Àr sÄ lÄgt att behandlingen skulle kosta betydligt mer Àn de möjliga inkomsterna. Om den biologiskt nedbrytbara fraktionen kunde omvandlas till produkter av högt vÀrde skulle behandlingen kunna bÀra sin egen kostnad vilket skulle kunna uppmuntra insamlingen och behandlingen av denna fraktion.
I den hÀr studien utvÀrderade och jÀmförde vi det potentiella vÀrdet av produkter som erhölls i fyra olika behandlingsstrategier: termofil kompostering (den vanligaste förekommande behandlingen av det biologiskt nedbrytbara fraktionen globalt), fluglarvskompostering, rötning och fluglarvskompostering följt av rötning. Om ni Àr intresserade av vilken strategi som producerar högst vÀrde, lÀs artikeln vidare hÀr.
Research shows Biochar is efficient in removing pharmaceutical residues at onsite sewage facilities
In a very recent study published in Science of the Total Environment, Sahar Dalahmeh, a researcher at the Environmental Engineering Unit, and her co-workers investigated the potential of biochar filters to replace or complement sand filters for the removal of pharmaceutical residues from wastewater in onsite sewage facilities.
Licentiate Seminar: Luis Fernando Perez Mercado
Luis Fernando Perez Mercado, Doctoral Candidate at the Environmental Engineering Unit, Department of Energy and Technology will defend his licentiate thesis entitled, On-farm filtration technology for pathogen reduction: Reuse of low hygienic quality water for vegetable irrigation.
When?:Â 24 October 2017 at 13:30
Where?: Lecture Room 2034, MVM house, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
For further information, get in touch with Luis at the Department of Energy and Technology, P.O. Box 7032, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden. E-mail: fernando.perez@slu.se
Abstract
Licentiate Seminar: Jenna Senecal
Jenna Senecal, Doctoral Candidate at the Environmental Engineering Unit, Department of Energy and Technology will defend her licentiate thesis entitled, Urea stabilisation and dehydration for urine-diverting toilets: System and hygiene evaluation.
When?:Â 24 October 2017 at 09:00
Where?: Lecture Room S, Ulls hus, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala
For further information, get in touch with Jenna Senecal at the Department of Energy and Technology, P.O. Box 7032, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden. E-mail: jenna.senecal@slu.se