Wastewater and Nutrient Reuse from an Office Building - The HUBER ReUse Concept

Abstract

The HUBER ReUse concept is based on the idea of sustainable decentralized wastewater treatment and reuse. The objective of the ReUse concept is to recover and reuse the valuable material contained within the individual wastewater flows and close the material loops on a small scale. A unique pilot plant for demonstration of this innovative ReUse concept was established at the HUBER office building in Berching, Germany. At the HUBER office all stages of domestic wastewater separation are possible. The different wastewater flows (yellow, brown and gray water) are collected separately by a special sanitary system with NoMix toilets and waterless urinals and can be combined as desired. Different technologies such as membrane bioreactors (MBR), precipitation and stripping columns, and an anaerobic biogas reactor are available for specific treatment of the individual wastewaters in the Recovery Plant. The ultimate aim is the production of safe water and nutrients for agricultural purposes. To demonstrate the reuse options, the differently treated wastewater flows are used for irrigation of the company park and for a fish pond in the park. Moreover, the nutrient cycle can be closed on a small scale by applying the recovered materials as fertilizer to various crops at the HUBER ReUse Park.