Proposal to Support the International Water Association Resource Recovery Conference IRRC 2017, Linking Global Challenges, August 7th- 9th, 2017 | New York, NY

Columbia University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

This conference targets to contribute to defining the direction of engineered resource recovery from wastewater and sewage streams. The conference will provide a technical, economic and practical framework for implementation of resource recovery and identify current and future systems, processes and endpoints for resource recovery. This framework is a significant re-orientation compared to the removal paradigm practiced widely without heed to the benefits of appropriately designed and implemented resource recovery. The conference will expose researchers to the needs and developments from across the globe on topics related to resource recovery. Wastewater contains valuable resources such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. Whereas untreated wastewater threatens human health, ecosystems, biodiversity, food security and the sustainability of water resources, the carbon present in the wastewater can be recovered to generate energy while nitrogen and phosphorus recovery can supplement nutrient demand for agriculture. There are a number of innovative approaches and technologies for energy neutral, or even energy positive, nutrient removal and recovery. The drivers for resource and energy recovery include decreased energy demand and carbon emissions, marketable commodities, and improved efficiency at reduced cost.