Introduction

We are now facing many resources supply and waste assimilation challenges. To cope with that, the European political discourse addresses the application of the circular economy and calls for a focus on innovation in relation to business and especially industry. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) can be an important part of circular sustainability due to integration of energy production and resource recovery during clean water production. In the near future WWTPs are to become “ecologically sustainable” technological systems. Lately, many initiatives and start-ups related to the Circular Economy have increased considerably.

In this module we address one of the main challenges in the field of wastewater: converting wastewater into different resources through initiatives that promote the circular economy.

The purpose of this module is to present the application of new concepts and technologies to improve the long-term sustainability of wastewater management. Innovative experiences of applying the circular economy to the wastewater area are presented to improve the knowledge of entrepreneurs and start-ups and inspire them for their application.

In this module we present common approaches between Circular Economy Initiatives and Wastewater, explore areas of common opportunity and how applying circular economy ideas can generate greater value. We also identify projects, approaches, and goals that are aligned to both Sustainable Water Management and Circular Economy.

By the end of this module, you will learn:

• The principles of Circular economy and Wastewater treatment plants
• The main wastewater treatment processes
• The application of Circular economy in a WWTP: Challenges and barriers
• At the end of the module, we have included 3 case studies that are analysed in deeper detail.

For a complete understanding of this module, we recommend having some prior knowledge on the subject.