Environmental assessment and selection of indicators for urban and industrial wastewater treatment within a circular economy framework

Abstract

The growing concern about climate change and resource scarcity has driven technological progress in the wastewater treatment. sector towards the recovery of wastewater constituents rather than their removal. While the implementation of valorisation practices is generally a sound strategy for promoting a more sustainable and circular sector, robust assessment methodologies are essential to validate their performance and prevent greenwashing. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to analyse the environmental and economic sustainability of low-maturity technologies applied to various types of wastewater, treatment scales and intended objectives. Additionally, a novel methodological framework using indicators was developed for application in wastewater treatment plants.