Circling the drain: A systems analysis of opportunities for enhanced sewer self-purification technologies in wastewater management

Abstract

The shift of discussions on wastewater management to realize a circular water economy requires rethinking of how the existing systems are managed. The collection system, a physical infrastructure that collects and transports wastewater, is often overlooked in innovation studies in wastewater management. Hence, a review of the collection system is required to realize overlooked innovation points, especially those of its functions and configurations. In this paper, we highlight the possibility of the collection system to contribute to wastewater management, not only to collect and transport wastewater, but to treat wastewater through enhancing sewer self-purification. To realize this, a systems analysis of the forms and functions of the collection system was first conducted to see how the collection system supports different wastewater management systems. It was found that emphasis on the collection system's function to treat wastewater is beneficial because of the transition of wastewater management towards a circular water economy. Second, a scenario analysis of applying enhanced sewer self-purification technologies was conducted to determine communities which would most benefit from using the collection system to treat wastewater. The findings highlight that communities with as much as 100 cap ha-1, typical of urban peripheries, could have their pollutant load reduced to about half if the pipe length per capita is 5 m. It was seen in this study that while the collection system supports wastewater management by functioning to collect and transport wastewater, it can further be elevated into a treatment technology within appropriate localities and thus, contribute to a circular water economy.

Keywords: Collection system; Sewer self-purification; Wastewater management.