Sustainable wastewater treatment in an urban context
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have dramatically improved water sanitation worldwide, in the context of mounting urbanization and industrialization. The century-old activated sludge (AS) process for microbiological treatment of influent sewage now faces the emblematic challenges of the Anthropocene. Greenhouse gas emissions (methane and nitrogen oxides), energy efficiency, valorization of resources such as sludge and minerals in a circular economy perspective, treatment of micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals or phytosanitary products and their release to downstream ecosystems, now all need to be taken into account in a context of climate change characterized by increased frequency of drought periods and high-intensity storms. The WWTP of Strasbourg Eurometropolis (EMS), currently operated by Veolia, handles the sewage of 1 million inhabitant equivalents. It illustrates locally the global challenges in the domain of the WWTPs. Applying approach to co-design innovative, integrative and interdisciplinary solution to improve water handling, treatment and management, position this Living Lab as a forerunner in addressing the major WWTP challenges of the 21st century.
How the living lab [e1] will help to tackle key issues
The living lab ambitions to promote synergistic collaborative work between academic research (e.g. CNRS, University of Strasbourg, ENGEES), public bodies (e.g. EMS) and the private sector (e.g. Veolia) along the science-society continuum. More than an observatory, it aims at i) the co-creation of knowledge for a better and holistic understanding of urban metabolism, ii) joining forces to minimize human impacts on water resources, and iii) continuously improving water treatment performances to align with downstream socio-ecosystem requirements. At the interface of the research theme ‘Urban Sustainability’ and ‘Water Sustainability’[e2] , it will co-define and co-construct a shared roadmap for the transition of modern societies towards the best possible sustainable management of water resources. In the short term, this will specifically involve the development of:
- integrated approaches for pollutant and biodiversity monitoring upstream, on-site and downstream of WWTPs
- microbial biodegradation of micropollutant treatment in WWTPs
- microbial bioindicators of ecosystem functioning for WWTPs and upstream and downstream ecosystems
- an integrative, socio-ecosystemic level vision of water care integrating urban metabolism and downstream ecosystems