scholarly journals Towards the Implementation of Circular Economy in the Wastewater Sector: Challenges and Opportunities

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Guerra-Rodríguez ◽  
Paula Oulego ◽  
Encarnación Rodríguez ◽  
Devendra Narain Singh ◽  
Jorge Rodríguez-Chueca
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Added Value ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Reclaimed Wastewater ◽  
Human Lifespan ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

The advancement of science has facilitated increase in the human lifespan, reflected in economic and population growth, which unfortunately leads to increased exploitation of resources. This situation entails not only depletion of resources, but also increases environmental pollution, mainly due to atmospheric emissions, wastewater effluents, and solid wastes. In this scenario, it is compulsory to adopt a paradigm change, as far as the consumption of resources by the population is concerned, to achieve a circular economy. The recovery and reuse of resources are key points, leading to a decrease in the consumption of raw materials, waste reduction, and improvement of energy efficiency. This is the reason why the concept of the circular economy can be applied in any industrial activity, including the wastewater treatment sector. With this in view, this review manuscript focuses on demonstrating the challenges and opportunities in applying a circular economy in the water sector. For example, reclamation and reuse of wastewater to increase water resources, by paying particular attention to the risks for human health, recovery of nutrients, or highly added-value products (e.g., metals and biomolecules among others), valorisation of sewage sludge, and/or recovery of energy. Being aware of this situation, in the European, Union 18 out of 27 countries are already reusing reclaimed wastewater at some level. Moreover, many wastewater treatment plants have reached energy self-sufficiency, producing up to 150% of their energy requirements. Unfortunately, many of the opportunities presented in this work are far from becoming a reality. Still, the first step is always to become aware of the problem and work on optimizing the solution to make it possible.

scholarly journals Potential Uses of Copper Wastes in the Building Sector: Inertization and Added Value Solutions

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Santiago Rosado ◽  
Lidia Gullón ◽  
Luis Felipe Mazadiego Martínez ◽  
Juan Francisco Llamas Borrajo
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Mining Activity ◽  
Added Value ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Leaching Behavior ◽  
Reactive Property ◽  
New Applications

Mining activity is the second biggest producer of waste in the European Union (EU), so to develop processes that allow the reuse of waste and the consequent creation of markets for these secondary raw materials are relevant for a desirable transition to a circular economy. Copper waste such as cakes, tailings, pyrite roasting residues, or slags present very different physical characteristics and hazards. There are two important aspects to consider for the residue of hazardous determination and its reuse: the particle size and the leaching behavior. Also, the reactive or non-reactive property of the waste depends on their origin, which is important for new applications. Based on these parameters (and other specifics for each application), the intention of this paper is to review and study the different applications of copper residues, aiming for new possibilities of cement-based construction materials with added value that allow to economically justify the use of cement.

scholarly journals Historia da evolução da regulamentação de proteção ambiental relativa à gestão de efluentes e resíduos nas ultimas décadas

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 442-454
Author(s):  
Antonio Jose Duque Pirra
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Technical Process ◽  
Eu Directives ◽  
The Eu

Resumo Neste trabalho faz-se uma análise da Historia da evolução da regulamentação de proteção ambiental relativa à gestão de efluentes e resíduos vitivinícolas nas ultimas 3 décadas (após a adesão de Portugal à então CEE). Há já alguns séculos que se percebeu a importância da preservação da fauna e da flora do meio ambiente para a nossa sobrevivência e para a manutenção do planeta terra em condições de permitir a sobrevivência das gerações vindouras (desenvolvimento sustentável, hoje em dia falamos de economia circular). Contudo, nos países industrializados da europa, a regulamentação ocorreu principalmente nas últimas 3-4 décadas, integrando de maneira crescente a preocupação ambiental, e evoluindo gradualmente de uma mera preocupação com o processo técnico de tratamento de efluentes e resíduos, para uma perspetiva mais global de economia sustentável. De forma lógica, a preocupação dos legisladores começou primeiro pelo despejo de efluentes e resíduos industrias perigosos/tóxicos, estendendo-se progressivamente aos restantes resíduos e efluentes humanos, agroindústrias e agrícolas. É normalmente a legislação da união europeia que serve de barómetro, sendo transposta à posteriori e regularmente (algumas vezes alguns anos depois) para a legislação dos diversos países membros, nas mais diversas áreas. Esta legislação aborda frequentemente a fileira completa da matéria prima, aos produtos e efluentes, incluindo a gestão dos resíduos, a reutilização dos materiais, a proteção das águas, as condições de utilização das lamas de ETARs e a luta contra a poluição por nitratos. Estas Diretivas da UE são, pois, a base dos textos que cada um dos estados membros deverão transpor em devido tempo. Palavras-chave: Legislação; adega, ambiente; historia da ciência, Portugal Abstract In this article we analyse the history and the evolution of the environmental protection regulations related to the Winery effluents and wastes management in the last 3 decades (after Portugal's accession to the EEC).For some centuries we have realized the importance of preserving the environmental fauna and flora for our survival and for maintaining f the planet earth in good conditions to allow the survival of future generations (sustainable development, nowadays we speak in circular economy).However, in industrialized European countries, regulation has occurred mainly in the last 3-4 decades, increasingly integrating environmental concerns, and gradually evolving from a mere concern with the technical process of wastewater treatment to a more global perspective of sustainable economy. Understandably, the concern of legislators first began by management of effluents and wastes from hazardous/toxic industries, progressively extending to others such as human, agro-industrial and agricultural wastes.Usually the legislation from the European Union serves as a guide, being transposed posteriorly and regularly (sometimes a few years later) into the legislation of the several countries members of the EU, in the most diverse areas. This legislation often comprises the full range of the area, from raw materials, products and effluents, including waste management, reuse of materials, water protection, conditions for the use of sludge from wastewater treatment plants and the fight against nitrate pollution. These EU Directives are therefore the basis of the texts that each member state should have transpose as soon as they can. Keywords: Legislation; winery; environment; science history; Portugal

European experience in transition to circular economy

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 598-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.V. Ratner
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
National Level ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Scientific Methods ◽  
European Experience ◽  
General Scientific ◽  
The Eu

Subject. The article considers the concept of circular economy, which has originated relatively recently in the academic literature, and is now increasingly recognized in many countries at the national level. In the European Union, the transition to circular economy is viewed as an opportunity to improve competitiveness of the European Union, protect businesses from resource shortages and fluctuating prices for raw materials and supplies, and a way to increase employment and innovation. Objectives. The aim of the study is to analyze the incentives developed by the European Commission for moving to circular economy, and to assess their effectiveness on the basis of statistical analysis. Methods. I employ general scientific methods of research. Results. The analysis of the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy enabled to conclude that the results of the recent research in circular economy barriers, eco-innovation, technology and infrastructure were successfully integrated into the framework of this document. Understanding the root causes holding back the circular economy development and the balanced combination of economic and administrative incentives strengthened the Action Plan, and it contributed to the circular economy development in the EU. Conclusions. The measures to stimulate the development of the circular economy proposed in the European Action Plan can be viewed as a prototype for designing similar strategies in other countries, including Russia. Meanwhile, a more detailed analysis of barriers to the circular economy at the level of individual countries and regions is needed.

scholarly journals Circular Bioeconomy Business Models to Overcome the Valley of Death. A Systematic Statistical Analysis of Studies and Projects in Emerging Bio-Based Technologies and Trends Linked to the SME Instrument Support

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1899
Author(s):  
Fabiana Gatto ◽  
Ilaria Re
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Future Perspective ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Strategic Orientations ◽  
Start Ups ◽  
Valley Of Death

Reducing the environmental pressure along the products life cycle, increasing efficiency in the consumption of resources and use of renewable raw materials, and shifting the economic system toward a circular and a climate-neutral model represent the heart of the current macro-trends of the European Union (EU) policy agendas. The circular economy and bioeconomy concepts introduced in the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan and the Bioeconomy Strategy support innovation in rethinking economic systems focusing on market uptaking of greener solutions based on less-intensive resource consumption. In recent decades, industrial research has devoted enormous investments to demonstrate sustainable circular bio-based business models capable of overcoming the “Valley of Death” through alternative strategic orientations of “technological-push” and “market-pull”. The study highlights industrial research’s evolution on bio-based circular business model validation, trends, and topics with particular attention to the empowering capacity of start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to close the loops in renewable biological use and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The research methodology involves a bibliographic search based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach and the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Data Hub investigation to understand SMEs’ key success factors and start-ups of the circular bioeconomy sector. Eco and bio-based materials, nutraceuticals, and microalgae represent the most sustainable industry applications, leading to circular bioeconomy business models’ future perspective.

scholarly journals MEASURING THE PROGRESS TOWARDS CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-35
Author(s):  
Nicolae Pintilie ◽  
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
European Union Countries ◽  
Continuous Actions ◽  
Consumption Waste

This paper aims to create an image of progress towards circular economy registered by European Union countries through specific indicators. In this way, this paper is based on the study and analysis of the 13 indicators, grouped on 4 pillars: Production and consumption, Waste management, Secondary raw materials, Competitiveness and innovation. After the presentation of the methodology, the paper develops an analysis in time and space of the selected indicators, then an analysis of the countries with their grouping on clusters, creating a map of them and highlighting the current situation of circular economy in the European Union. Moreover, the paper also presents the evolution of the countries regarding circular economy, which has a big importance taking into account that in the European Union the preoccupations for this concept is higher from one period to another. Among the most interesting results are: (1) a massive concentration of countries with problems for Waste management pillar; (2) Europe is one of the regions with the largest contribution in terms of circular economy, but the concept is developing differently from one country to another; (3) The scoreboard evolution is particularly useful in revealing the continuous actions adopted by countries in order to facilitate the conversion to circular economy. Finally, the paper presents possible limits of the research, but also future directions of its development.

scholarly journals Sewer Mining as a Distributed Intervention for Water-Energy-Materials in the Circular Economy Suitable for Dense Urban Environments: A Real World Demonstration in the City of Athens

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 2764
Author(s):  
Argyro Plevri ◽  
Klio Monokrousou ◽  
Christos Makropoulos ◽  
Christos Lioumis ◽  
Nikolaos Tazes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Water Reuse ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Treatment Unit ◽  
Plant Nursery

Water reuse and recycling is gaining momentum as a way to improve the circularity of cities, while recognizing the central role of water within a circular economy (CE) context. However, such interventions often depend on the location of wastewater treatment plants and the treatment technologies installed in their premises, while relying on an expensive piped network to ensure that treated wastewater gets transported from the treatment plant to the point of demand. Thus, the penetration level of treated wastewater as a source of non-potable supply in dense urban environments is limited. This paper focuses on the demonstration of a sewer mining (SM) unit as a source of treated wastewater, as part of a larger and more holistic configuration that examines all three ‘streams’ associated with water in CE: water, energy and materials. The application area is the Athens Plant Nursery, in the (water stressed) city of Athens, Greece. SM technology is in fact a mobile wastewater treatment unit in containers able to extract wastewater from local sewers, treat it directly and reuse at the point of demand even in urban environments with limited space. The unit consists of a membrane bioreactor unit (MBR) and a UV disinfection unit and produces high quality reclaimed water for irrigation and also for aquifer recharge during the winter. Furthermore, a short overview of the integrated nutrient and energy recovery subsystem is presented in order to conceptualise the holistic approach and circularity of the whole configuration. The SM technology demonstrates flexibility, scalability and replicability, which are important characteristics for innovation uptake within the emerging CE context and market.

scholarly journals EMISSIONS MONITORING OF HEAVY METALS AND THEIR COMPOUNDS RESULTED FROM COMBUSTION PROCESSES IN CLINKER KILNS IN ROMANIA

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
CRISTIAN CIOBANU ◽  
GHEORGHE VOICU ◽  
MAGDALENA – LAURA TOMA ◽  
PAULA TUDOR
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Contaminated Soil ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Cement Plant ◽  
Combustion Gases ◽  
Waste Oils ◽  
Industrial Sources ◽  
Combustion Processes

<p>With the dust arising from the clinker kilns and grill coolers (the major pollution sources in a cement plant), also heavy metals and their compounds (in the form of powders and vaporous), originating from fuels and raw materials, are pumped into the air. The paper presents some aspects regarding the monitoring of heavy metals contained in the combustion gases from a Romanian cement factory. The fuels used in the incinerator varied from coal/petroleum coke, refuse oils (from waste oils and their emulsions, up to sludge, paraffin, tars, contaminated soil), rubber (including whole used tires), plastic, paper, leather, textiles, wood (including sawdust), as such or impregnated/contaminated with various substances from industrial sources or sorted household wastes, sludge (previously dried) from wastewater treatment plants. In addition, the list of over 100 types of waste that can be co-processed can be found in integrated authorizations of cement plants. However, the level of heavy metals in the combustion gases was in allowed limits.</p>

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