New synthesis report on recycling and reuse of resources from wastewater

Wastewater contains many valuable resources that can be reused in households, agriculture and industry. Circular resource management is an important step towards a sustainable society and in increasing society's self-sufficiency and crisis preparedness. Although technologies in this area have been developed, they are not yet widely used in Sweden, according to a new report.

"In Sweden, wastewater is still treated mainly as a waste product. We need to change this, if we are to meet the various challenges regarding resource flows and supply in society", says Christian Baresel, project manager at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute.

To meet growing challenges such as water scarcity and the degradation of our surface and groundwater resources, caused among other things by climate change, rising costs of providing drinking water, and increasingly stringent wastewater treatment requirements, also in Sweden we need to recycle and reuse resources from wastewater to a greater extent.

"The wastewater treatment industry faces major investment needs in the coming decades. The project's results show that new solutions can also utilize wastewater as a resource, thereby increasing society's resilience and ability to adapt to changes in the world around us", says Maximilian Lüdtke of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.

The report, produced by experts at IVL, RISE and the Stockholm Environment Institute, summarizes the available knowledge and experience in Sweden on the recycling and reuse of resources from wastewater. Using results from various projects, surveys and statistics, and through dialogue with various stakeholders in government agencies, municipal water and wastewater organizations, universities and others, it describes forecasts of future needs but also obstacles, acceptance and risks associated with the use of resources from wastewater.

Technologies and solutions for recycling and reusing various resources from wastewater already exist. In addition, a great deal of research and development is underway on technology optimisation and innovation which, with a clear investment, could give Sweden a head start in the transition process that several countries have initiated. Acceptance for the use of resources extracted from sewage already exists to a large extent, but implementation is still slow, the project found.

"Although the regulatory framework already supports the increased use of wastewater resources at an overall level, there are legal uncertainties and insufficient guidance. A lack of knowledge, funding, human resources, and uncertainty about risks and benefits are also impeding development", says Elin Kusoffsky, project manager at RISE.

No single solution or technology is deemed to fit everywhere, and therefore regulations and policies need to be supportive and enable several different types of solutions, according to the authors.

The project team proposes a socially adapted combination of source separation systems and resource facilities that are developed in line with society's transition to a higher degree of resource recovery. By utilizing resources from wastewater, you also encounter challenges, for instance related to water supply in a changing climate and other negative environmental impacts. Collaboration between different national government agencies and other stakeholders is crucial to successfully increasing the reuse of water and other resources.

"The droughts of recent years have highlighted the need for measures to strengthen water management. Technical innovations to reduce water use and increase the recycling of wastewater for technical water, for example, are important measures to reduce the pressure on our water resources", says Margareta Lundin Unger, senior analyst at the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management.

Download the report (in Swedish, with summary in English): Återvinning och återanvändning av resurser från avlopp External link, opens in new window.

For more information, contact:
Christian Baresel, christian.baresel@ivl.se, tel. +46 (0)10-788 66 06