O. Jovanovic
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6 records found
1
Journal article
(2025)
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Anurag Bhambhani, Oriana Jovanovic, Hamse Kjerstadius, Daniele Di Trapani, Giorgio Mannina, Jan Peter van der Hoek, Zoran Kapelan
There is a trend towards decentralized source separation (DSS) for wastewater treatment and resource recovery. An assessment framework is required to assess whether implementing a DSS treatment over a conventional centralized one is advantageous. This framework needs to account for the performance of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and the effect that resource recovery has on closely-linked sectors such as food and energy production. A framework is lacking that covers the economic dimension, the circularity, the nature reciprocity of resource recovery and that can be applied to real-life cases. A novel WFE framework has been developed here to compare a conventional centralized and a DSS-based WWTP. This novel WFE framework contains assessment methods that are reproducible, and applicable to real-life cases. It also accounts for the local climatic conditions that determine irrigation water requirements. The comparison results revealed that the need to construct new DSS infrastructure leads to a lower economic efficiency of water treatment. Further, chemical-intensive treatment reduces the DSS's material resource circularity and efficiency. Using heat pumps increases the energy use of the DSS WWTP, causing a reduction in water treatment energy efficiency. However, the advantages of DSS show up in the freshwater and nutrient efficiency of food production as well as in the energy self-sufficiency of the WWTP. The novel WFE framework contains indicators specific to water treatment and the food production sectors to improve inter-sectoral communication. Also, including the nature reciprocity assessment can help demonstrate the issue with treated wastewater discharge, especially in arid regions with low stream flows. It can potentially help improve the acceptance of treated wastewater-based reuse. To conclude, the novel framework helps to assess real-life case studies in a more integrated and holistic way. It can help make decisions related to decentralization and source separation by simultaneously considering the water treatment, energy production, and food production sectors.
...
There is a trend towards decentralized source separation (DSS) for wastewater treatment and resource recovery. An assessment framework is required to assess whether implementing a DSS treatment over a conventional centralized one is advantageous. This framework needs to account for the performance of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and the effect that resource recovery has on closely-linked sectors such as food and energy production. A framework is lacking that covers the economic dimension, the circularity, the nature reciprocity of resource recovery and that can be applied to real-life cases. A novel WFE framework has been developed here to compare a conventional centralized and a DSS-based WWTP. This novel WFE framework contains assessment methods that are reproducible, and applicable to real-life cases. It also accounts for the local climatic conditions that determine irrigation water requirements. The comparison results revealed that the need to construct new DSS infrastructure leads to a lower economic efficiency of water treatment. Further, chemical-intensive treatment reduces the DSS's material resource circularity and efficiency. Using heat pumps increases the energy use of the DSS WWTP, causing a reduction in water treatment energy efficiency. However, the advantages of DSS show up in the freshwater and nutrient efficiency of food production as well as in the energy self-sufficiency of the WWTP. The novel WFE framework contains indicators specific to water treatment and the food production sectors to improve inter-sectoral communication. Also, including the nature reciprocity assessment can help demonstrate the issue with treated wastewater discharge, especially in arid regions with low stream flows. It can potentially help improve the acceptance of treated wastewater-based reuse. To conclude, the novel framework helps to assess real-life case studies in a more integrated and holistic way. It can help make decisions related to decentralization and source separation by simultaneously considering the water treatment, energy production, and food production sectors.
Journal article
(2025)
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Camillo Bosco, Karen Nessler Seglem, Edvard Sivertsen, Oriana Jovanović, Herman Helness
The transition to a circular economy in the water sector is challenged by the lack of comprehensive tools to assess and compare the performance of innovative solutions across multiple sustainability dimensions. This study aims to develop a structured framework of indicators to support such assessments and guide the sector toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The framework was co-developed with stakeholders and encompasses technical, social, environmental, economic, and governance dimensions. It is organized into four hierarchical layers: dimensions, objectives, criteria, and indicators. Objectives were designed to be broadly applicable, while criteria and indicators were formulated to assess alignment with these objectives and capture the multifaceted nature of “water smartness.” The framework was tested and validated through workshops and structured engagement activities across six demonstration cases. Results from exploratory data analysis confirmed the framework's relevance for decision-making, highlighting its capacity to compare alternatives under diverse scenarios and its alignment with the SDGs. Additionally, the testing process pointed out the differentiated responsibilities of involved stakeholders, offering practical insights for advancing full-scale implementation of circular economy models in the water sector.
...
The transition to a circular economy in the water sector is challenged by the lack of comprehensive tools to assess and compare the performance of innovative solutions across multiple sustainability dimensions. This study aims to develop a structured framework of indicators to support such assessments and guide the sector toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The framework was co-developed with stakeholders and encompasses technical, social, environmental, economic, and governance dimensions. It is organized into four hierarchical layers: dimensions, objectives, criteria, and indicators. Objectives were designed to be broadly applicable, while criteria and indicators were formulated to assess alignment with these objectives and capture the multifaceted nature of “water smartness.” The framework was tested and validated through workshops and structured engagement activities across six demonstration cases. Results from exploratory data analysis confirmed the framework's relevance for decision-making, highlighting its capacity to compare alternatives under diverse scenarios and its alignment with the SDGs. Additionally, the testing process pointed out the differentiated responsibilities of involved stakeholders, offering practical insights for advancing full-scale implementation of circular economy models in the water sector.
Journal article
(2024)
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Anurag Bhambhani, Oriana Jovanovic, Arjen van Nieuwenhuijzen, Jan Peter van der Hoek, Zoran Kapelan
Resources recovery can improve the economic efficiency and reduce the negative environmental impacts of municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWWTP). The recovered resources can also actively benefit the natural environment enabling a reciprocal relationship between human society and nature. Focusing on these benefits can reveal new resources recovery opportunities. Moreover, for certain environmental impact categories such as emissions of reactive nitrogen, mere damage reduction is insufficient because these emissions are already beyond planetary limits. However, quantitative methods to assess nature benefits are lacking. A new method is developed to calculate the potential nature benefits in three categories: Freshwater restoration, biomass assimilation of nutrients, and soil organic matter sequestration and it is demonstrated on a real-life MWWTP. Focusing on resources recovery helps to purify the wastewater sufficiently for discharge and to benefit the natural environment. Treated wastewater discharge into a river can support freshwater restoration depending on the effluent quality. High quality is achieved by the sufficient removal of the nutrients and organic matter and discharging into a high-flow stream. The recovery of nutrients helps to close the nutrient cycle through biomass assimilation. To maximize this benefit, the nutrient recovery efficiency from the MWWTP must be maximized. But, increasing the nutrient uptake efficiency in agriculture is also crucial, especially for nitrogen. The wastewater sludge products can be applied to soil to sequester organic matter and the products with low volatile solids should be preferred. The development of the new method is a start to recognizing and assessing the potentially positive role of humans in nature.
...
Resources recovery can improve the economic efficiency and reduce the negative environmental impacts of municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWWTP). The recovered resources can also actively benefit the natural environment enabling a reciprocal relationship between human society and nature. Focusing on these benefits can reveal new resources recovery opportunities. Moreover, for certain environmental impact categories such as emissions of reactive nitrogen, mere damage reduction is insufficient because these emissions are already beyond planetary limits. However, quantitative methods to assess nature benefits are lacking. A new method is developed to calculate the potential nature benefits in three categories: Freshwater restoration, biomass assimilation of nutrients, and soil organic matter sequestration and it is demonstrated on a real-life MWWTP. Focusing on resources recovery helps to purify the wastewater sufficiently for discharge and to benefit the natural environment. Treated wastewater discharge into a river can support freshwater restoration depending on the effluent quality. High quality is achieved by the sufficient removal of the nutrients and organic matter and discharging into a high-flow stream. The recovery of nutrients helps to close the nutrient cycle through biomass assimilation. To maximize this benefit, the nutrient recovery efficiency from the MWWTP must be maximized. But, increasing the nutrient uptake efficiency in agriculture is also crucial, especially for nitrogen. The wastewater sludge products can be applied to soil to sequester organic matter and the products with low volatile solids should be preferred. The development of the new method is a start to recognizing and assessing the potentially positive role of humans in nature.
A new type of bio-composite material is being produced from water-recovered resources such as cellulose fibres from wastewater, calcite from the drinking water softening process, and grass and reed from waterboard sites. These raw materials may be contaminated with pathogens and chemicals such as Escherichia coli, heavy metals, and resin compounds. A novel risk assessment framework is proposed here, addressing human health risks during the production of new bio-composite materials. The developed framework consists of a combination of existing risk assessment methods and is based on three main steps: hazard identification, qualitative risk mapping, and quantitative risk assessment. The HAZOP and Event Tree Analysis methodologies were used for hazard identification and risk mapping stages. Then, human health risks were quantitatively assessed using quantitative chemical risk assessment, evaluating cancer and non-cancer risk, and quantitative microbial risk assessment. The deterministic and the stochastic approaches were performed for this purpose. The contamination of raw materials may pose human health concerns, resulting in cancer risk above the threshold. Microbial risk is also above the safety threshold. Additional analysis would be significant as future research to better assess the microbial risk in biocomposite production. The framework has been effectively used for chemical and microbial risk assessment.
...
A new type of bio-composite material is being produced from water-recovered resources such as cellulose fibres from wastewater, calcite from the drinking water softening process, and grass and reed from waterboard sites. These raw materials may be contaminated with pathogens and chemicals such as Escherichia coli, heavy metals, and resin compounds. A novel risk assessment framework is proposed here, addressing human health risks during the production of new bio-composite materials. The developed framework consists of a combination of existing risk assessment methods and is based on three main steps: hazard identification, qualitative risk mapping, and quantitative risk assessment. The HAZOP and Event Tree Analysis methodologies were used for hazard identification and risk mapping stages. Then, human health risks were quantitatively assessed using quantitative chemical risk assessment, evaluating cancer and non-cancer risk, and quantitative microbial risk assessment. The deterministic and the stochastic approaches were performed for this purpose. The contamination of raw materials may pose human health concerns, resulting in cancer risk above the threshold. Microbial risk is also above the safety threshold. Additional analysis would be significant as future research to better assess the microbial risk in biocomposite production. The framework has been effectively used for chemical and microbial risk assessment.
The concept of circular economy, aiming at increasing the sustainability of products and services in the water and other sectors, is gaining momentum worldwide. Driven by this concept, novel bio-composite materials produced by recovering resources from different parts of the water cycle are now manufactured in The Netherlands. The new materials are used for different products such as canal bank protection elements, as an alternative to similar elements made of hardwood. As much as these new materials are appealing from the sustainability point of view, they may leach toxic substances into the aquatic environment given some of their ingredients, e.g., cellulose recovered from wastewater treatment. Therefore, a methodology for the assessment of related environmental risks is needed and it does not exist currently. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by presenting a framework for this. The framework is based on European environmental risk assessment guidelines, and it includes four key steps: (i) hazard identification, (ii) dose–response modelling, (iii) exposure assessment and (iv) risk characterisation (i.e. assessment). As part of the first step, laboratory leaching tests were carried out to evaluate the potential release of specific chemical substances such as heavy metals and resin compounds into the aquatic environment. Laboratory test results were then used as input data to evaluate the risk of potential leaching from canal bank protection elements into surface water. A deterministic model was used first to identify the chemicals exceeding the guideline threshold. Subsequently, a stochastic model was applied to evaluate the environmental risks across a range of leachate concentrations and water velocities in the canal, thereby simulating a broader spectrum of possible situations. The risk analyses were conducted for four alternative bio-composite materials made of different ingredients, two different flow conditions (stagnant water and advective flow) in two types of canals (wide ditch and primary watercourse) and for two different water levels based on season conditions (summer and winter conditions). The results obtained from leaching tests identified Cu, Mn, Zn, styrene and furfuryl alcohol as potentially troublesome chemicals. In the case of stagnant water, the absence of a flow rate increases the residence time of the chemicals in the surface water, resulting in a higher PEC/PNEC (i.e. risk) value. However, under stagnant case conditions, environmental risks for all chemicals considered turned out to be below the safety threshold. In the advective case, the existence of a flow rate, even at low velocities simulating the conditions of ‘almost no flow,’ contributes to increased dilution, resulting in lower PEC/PNEC ratio values. The results presented here, even though representing real-case scenarios, are only indicative as these are based on laboratory leaching tests and a number of assumptions made. Additional field tests involving collecting and analysing water and sediment samples from the canal where the canal bank protection elements are located, over a prolonged period, are required to come up with more conclusive findings.
...
The concept of circular economy, aiming at increasing the sustainability of products and services in the water and other sectors, is gaining momentum worldwide. Driven by this concept, novel bio-composite materials produced by recovering resources from different parts of the water cycle are now manufactured in The Netherlands. The new materials are used for different products such as canal bank protection elements, as an alternative to similar elements made of hardwood. As much as these new materials are appealing from the sustainability point of view, they may leach toxic substances into the aquatic environment given some of their ingredients, e.g., cellulose recovered from wastewater treatment. Therefore, a methodology for the assessment of related environmental risks is needed and it does not exist currently. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by presenting a framework for this. The framework is based on European environmental risk assessment guidelines, and it includes four key steps: (i) hazard identification, (ii) dose–response modelling, (iii) exposure assessment and (iv) risk characterisation (i.e. assessment). As part of the first step, laboratory leaching tests were carried out to evaluate the potential release of specific chemical substances such as heavy metals and resin compounds into the aquatic environment. Laboratory test results were then used as input data to evaluate the risk of potential leaching from canal bank protection elements into surface water. A deterministic model was used first to identify the chemicals exceeding the guideline threshold. Subsequently, a stochastic model was applied to evaluate the environmental risks across a range of leachate concentrations and water velocities in the canal, thereby simulating a broader spectrum of possible situations. The risk analyses were conducted for four alternative bio-composite materials made of different ingredients, two different flow conditions (stagnant water and advective flow) in two types of canals (wide ditch and primary watercourse) and for two different water levels based on season conditions (summer and winter conditions). The results obtained from leaching tests identified Cu, Mn, Zn, styrene and furfuryl alcohol as potentially troublesome chemicals. In the case of stagnant water, the absence of a flow rate increases the residence time of the chemicals in the surface water, resulting in a higher PEC/PNEC (i.e. risk) value. However, under stagnant case conditions, environmental risks for all chemicals considered turned out to be below the safety threshold. In the advective case, the existence of a flow rate, even at low velocities simulating the conditions of ‘almost no flow,’ contributes to increased dilution, resulting in lower PEC/PNEC ratio values. The results presented here, even though representing real-case scenarios, are only indicative as these are based on laboratory leaching tests and a number of assumptions made. Additional field tests involving collecting and analysing water and sediment samples from the canal where the canal bank protection elements are located, over a prolonged period, are required to come up with more conclusive findings.
The increasing focus on sustainability and circularity is driving the global production of environmentally friendly products. The Netherlands started producing new bio-composite materials which are created by reclaiming resources from various sectors of the water industry. These materials can be used for a variety of applications including façade elements in buildings. However, their potential environmental impact, particularly with regard to leaching of potentially harmful substances into surface water, necessitates further evaluation. To address this issue, a systematic environmental risk assessment methodology combined with novel experimental data is presented here. To collect this data, façade panels made of two different bio-composite materials were first subjected to a series of laboratory tests, including analysis in both new and weathered forms, the latter subject to a cyclic UV radiation and high humidity, in order to simulate the effects of aging. Leaching tests were then conducted to determine the potential release of specific chemical substances such as heavy metals and resin compounds, under two different rainfall conditions (every day and more extreme). The data generated this way was used to perform the risk assessment using the existing European ERA framework. The results obtained reveal different leaching behaviour of the new and weathered samples, as well as between the two analysed bio-composite materials, depending on the rain intensity. To overcome the uncertainties caused by the limited input data, a sensitivity analysis was carried out whereby leaching concentrations and rainfall intensities were varied and their influence on the environmental risk was assessed. The results obtained demonstrated that, despite some variability, both materials appear safe to use, i.e., with estimated risks below the established safety threshold. While these findings provide a preliminary indication, they are based on laboratory conditions and assumptions hence further field studies are recommended to obtain more definitive conclusions.
...
The increasing focus on sustainability and circularity is driving the global production of environmentally friendly products. The Netherlands started producing new bio-composite materials which are created by reclaiming resources from various sectors of the water industry. These materials can be used for a variety of applications including façade elements in buildings. However, their potential environmental impact, particularly with regard to leaching of potentially harmful substances into surface water, necessitates further evaluation. To address this issue, a systematic environmental risk assessment methodology combined with novel experimental data is presented here. To collect this data, façade panels made of two different bio-composite materials were first subjected to a series of laboratory tests, including analysis in both new and weathered forms, the latter subject to a cyclic UV radiation and high humidity, in order to simulate the effects of aging. Leaching tests were then conducted to determine the potential release of specific chemical substances such as heavy metals and resin compounds, under two different rainfall conditions (every day and more extreme). The data generated this way was used to perform the risk assessment using the existing European ERA framework. The results obtained reveal different leaching behaviour of the new and weathered samples, as well as between the two analysed bio-composite materials, depending on the rain intensity. To overcome the uncertainties caused by the limited input data, a sensitivity analysis was carried out whereby leaching concentrations and rainfall intensities were varied and their influence on the environmental risk was assessed. The results obtained demonstrated that, despite some variability, both materials appear safe to use, i.e., with estimated risks below the established safety threshold. While these findings provide a preliminary indication, they are based on laboratory conditions and assumptions hence further field studies are recommended to obtain more definitive conclusions.