Water & Nutrient Cycle Perspective

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Water & Nutrient Cycle Perspective

Find technologies and socio-economic approaches to optimise your local water management and sanitation system.

This perspective is geared to help you find the ideal and sustainable solution to optimise your local water management and sanitation system. It comprises technical instruments and tools (hardwares) as well as economic, political and social approaches (softwares) relating to the main steps of the Water and Nutrient Cycle, namely Water Sources Management, Water Purification, Water Distribution, Water and Nutrient Use, Wastewater Collection, Wastewater Treatment as well as Reuse and Recharge of Nutrients and Water.

Find technologies and socio-economic approaches to optimise your local water management and sanitation system.

This perspective is geared to help you find the ideal and sustainable solution to optimise your local water management and sanitation system. It comprises technical instruments and tools (hardwares) as well as economic, political and social approaches (softwares) relating to the main steps of the Water and Nutrient Cycle, namely Water Sources Management, Water Purification, Water Distribution, Water and Nutrient Use, Wastewater Collection, Wastewater Treatment as well as Reuse and Recharge of Nutrients and Water.

Activated Sludge

An activated sludge process refers to a multi-chamber reactor unit that makes use of highly concentrated microorganisms to degrade organics and…
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Restrictions in Water Use

Restrictions and prohibitions are a part of command & control tools which are regulatory instruments that are direct and mandatory. Restrictions…
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Rotating Biological Contactors

Rotating biological contactors (RBC), also called rotating biological filters, are fixed-bed reactors consisting of stacks of rotating disks mounted…
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Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor (UASB)

The upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (UASB) is a single tank process. Wastewater enters the reactor from the bottom, and flows upward. A…
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Anaerobic Baffled Reactor (ABR)

An anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) is an improved [8217-septic tank] with a series of baffles under which the wastewater is forced to flow. The…
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Vertical Gardens

The term vertical garden refers to any kind of construction and support structure for growing plants in an upwards-directed, vertical way and thereby…
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Trickling Filter

A trickling filter, is a fixed-bed, biological reactor that operates under (mostly) aerobic conditions. Pre-settled wastewater is continuously ‘…
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Septic Tank

A septic tank is a watertight chamber made of concrete, fibreglass, PVC or plastic, through which blackwater and greywater flows for primary…
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Biosand Filter

The biosand filter (BSF) is a simple household water treatment device, which is an innovation on traditional slow sand filters specifically designed…
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Biogas Electricity (Small-scale)

Biogas is a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide, water and hydrogen sulphide produced during the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter. Biogas can…
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Biogas Electricity (Large-scale)

Biogas is a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide, water and hydrogen sulphide produced during the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter. Biogas can…
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Greywater Towers

A greywater tower is a circular bag, which is filled with soil, ash and/or compost mixture and a gravel column at the centre. It is used to treat and…
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Chlorination

Water disinfection by chlorination was massively introduced in the early twentieth century. It set off a technological revolution in water treatment…
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Colloidal Silver Filter

Colloidal Silver Filters (CSF) are simple household water treatment devices based on a physical treatment, which does not require energy supply. CSFs…
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Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage (HWTS)

Lack of improved access to safe drinking water together inadequate sanitation and hygiene are the overwhelming contributors to the 1.8 million annual…
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The graph shows the water and nutrient cycles and how they are interlinked. It is a simplified and idealised version of the water and nutrient loop that puts humans at the centre. Water coming from water sources is purified, distributed and used in agriculture, households and industry. By using water for these different purposes, nutrients are introduced into the water cycle (e.g. through wastewater, but also in runoff in agricultural systems, etc.). Wastewater, in order to be treated, is collected. The treated wastewater is reused or used to recharge water sources. Nutrients are reused beneficially to produce food or animal feed, thereby not polluting aquatic ecosystems. In this way, both the water and the nutrient loop are closed.

The Water and Nutrient Cycle Perspective recognizes that sectoral approaches are not going to solve the global water and sanitation crisis. Instead, holistic approaches that consider the entire water cycle from source to sea, and that look critically analyse the human influence thereupon are required. It compiles the hardware and software instruments for each step of the Water and Nutrient Cycle, that help you develop a sustainable sanitation and water management system.

The content of this perspective was compiled by seecon gmbh in collaboration with a number of partners:

SSWM Collaboration Partners