How Instrumentation Powers The Circular Water Economy

By Krishna Prashanth

What if we could use water in a way that waste and pollution were never created in the first place? This is what the Circular Water Economy (CWE) is about, a concept with huge potential impact on water sustainability compared to the Traditional Water Economy.  

Traditionally, water is abstracted from a source, treated, used, treated, and disposed - a very linear process. This model, however, leads to waste and pollution and puts a strain on natural resources.  

The Circular Water Economy is an innovative approach to managing water resources sustainably and efficiently. It aims to mimic the circular principles found in nature, where resources are continuously recycled and reused. In contrast, the Traditional Water Economy is the conventional linear approach, where water is used once and then discarded as wastewater without much consideration for recycling or conservation. 

The Circular Water Economy is built on the so-called six Rs: "Reduce," "Reuse," "Recycle," "Reclaim," "Recover," and "Restore". The six elements represent different strategies aimed at sustainable water management and conservation.