4 - Circular economy in selected wastewater treatment techniques

Abstract

Water shortage, due both to economic development and to greater urbanization and climatic variability, increasingly pushes societies to reduce the pressure on water resources. This can mainly be done by reducing the demand for water. However, this practice alone is not enough. In this context the water reuse strategy has been gaining momentum for some time and has recently found a more general context within the idea of the circular economy (CE). The two key aspects of the CE are the rational use of resources and the waste management. If these improvement actions should affect resources and waste of any sector, in reality a more rational use of water resources and more sustainable wastewater practices are expected precisely in the field of water. In this chapter the role of membrane engineering in water reclamation schemes is illustrated.