The Reuse Of Wastewater Enhances Nutrient Recycling And Conserves Potable Water

The recycling of essential nutrients for plants, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, as well as the reuse of water from municipal wastewater requires improvement. The goal of the project coordinated by the University of Turku, "Reuse of Nutrients and Water from Human Based Sludge (ReNuW-Hubs)”, is to tackle this problem concretely.

The ReNuW-Hubs project investigates how nutrients and water can be better recovered by using physical-chemical hygienizing treatment technology, which is placed in a six-meter-long portable shipping container. The mobile technology provides a flexible solution for remote areas that lack adequate treatment capacity due to the large seasonal variations in wastewater, such as popular tourist destinations.

Utilizing recycled nutrients reduces the need for fertilizers, and correspondingly, the reuse of water decreases the use of potable water for irrigation. The project promotes the reuse of recycled nutrients and recovered water among farmers, gardeners, and municipal green departments, aiming to put both recycled resources to genuinely commercial use.

In addition to the necessary technological development, the project also explores consumer attitudes towards recycled resources. The initiative seeks to raise awareness and develop sustainable uses for wastewater and nutrients.

A three-year international collaboration project
The ReNuW-Hubs project is implemented by a consortium with partners from Finland, Latvia and Estonia and coordinated by Finland Futures Research Centre at the University of Turku. Project partners include Keep Archipelago Tidy Association, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., University of Latvia, Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technology, and Estonian University of Life Sciences.

The project, funded by the EU's Interreg Central Baltic program, lasts for three years starting from May 2025, with a budget of €2.08M, of which the EU funding share is €1.67M.