On a global scale, less than half of all wastewater is collected and less than one fifth is treated. This has led to severe environmental degradation of many inland and sea waters around the world. Increasing water scarcity and population growth underline the importance of treating and understanding the value of wastewater.

-Download white pater: Unlocking the Potential of Wastewater – Using Wastewater as a Resource while Protecting People and Ecosystems.

The new white paper publication, developed by State of Green and Danish Water Forum in close collaboration with Aarhus Vand, COWI og VCS Denmark, aims to share some of Denmark’s solutions on how to reap the benefits of resource recovery from wastewater. By gathering a selection of case examples, each demonstrating opportunities and lessons learned from different industrial sectors, the publication provides insight into developing a sustainable society by e.g. moving towards an energy neutral water cycle, a successful approach to industrial wastewater and the most cost-efficient design of wastewater infrastructure:

“We need efficient treatment of our wastewater to protect our health and natural environment. The good news is that with the right technology, wastewater can become a valuable resource. For instance, sludge from treated wastewater can be made into a useful source of energy,” says Esben Lunde Larsen, Minister for Environment and food, Denmark.

Launched at VandTek
The white paper was launched at the conference VandTek 2016, a Danish trade fair with a specific focus on water environment. Here, the white paper was present at the opening of the conference performed by the Minister for Environment and food, Denmark.

Together with topics like ‘Industrial usage of water’, ‘Clean drinking water’, and ‘Climate change resilience’, ‘Wastewater’ was one of the key topics of the trade fair, reflecting the extensive and growing focus on water resources in relation to water scarcity.

-Read more about wastewater

Cases in the white paper
The cases found in this publication are already implemented, underlining the fact that many technologies to undertake a green transition are already available, and more to the point that the solutions are sustainable, not only in terms of the environment, but in terms of economics as well:

- Aarhus Vand: Achieving 153% energy self-sufficiency at WWTP
- Rambøll, EnviDan, BIOFOS: Construction of two new thermophilic digesters
- VCS Denmark: Maximising the value of wastewater
- NIRAS: Becoming energy self-sufficient, Esbjerg, Denmark
- Herning Water, Aarhus Vand, Stjernholm, Grundfos, Norconsult, Suez and SEGES: Phosphorus recovery from wastewater, Herning and Aarhus, Denmark
- Billund Vand and Krüger: Resource recovery for the future, Billund, Denmark
- COWI: Wastewater for irrigation, Malta
- Unisense Environment, DHI, VCS Denmark, Aarhus Vand with financial support from VTUF and the Danish: Eco-Innovation Programme: Towards climate neutral wastewater treatment, Odense and Aarhus, Denmark
- Sorbisense: Tracing contaminants to the source with SorbiCell, Viborg, Denmark
- Aalborg University, Aalborg Kloak AS and Aarhus Vand: Understanding microbial communities in engineered systems is essential for process optimisation, Aalborg and Aarhus, Denmark
- Aarhus Vand and COWI: Structural analysis of wastewater infrastructure, Aarhus, Denmark
- Grundfos: Reducing energy costs for centralised wastewater treatment, St. Petersburg, Russia
- Per Aarslef: Construction of new centralised WWTP, Rezekne, Latvia
- BioKube: Decentralised solution for luxury hotel, Mombasa, Kenya
- BioKube: City hall treatment solution, Nonthaburi Thailand
- DHI and Grunfos: Treating hospital wastewater, Herlev, Denmark
- Aquaporin, DHI, NEWRI and Singapore Membrane Technology Centre at Nanyang Technological University: Reuse of laundry wastewater through Forward Osmosis, Singapore
- Envotherm and AAO Steel A/S: Reuse of 95% of industrial wastewater from metal machining company, Horsens, Denmark