Context

From linear to circular

Towards a more sustainable resources management: nutrient recovery and reuse is a double win

The exponential growth of the human population and economy causes wide-scale pollution with long-lasting effects and implies each time more intense consumption of limited natural resources.

In this context, one of the most effective ways to minimize environmental impacts is to transform the economy built upon produce, use and throw away basis into a circular one, the one that seeks to maintain the value of materials and products for as long as possible by reusing, recycling and recovering. In many cases, in order to find out the most efficient and sustainable solutions it is necessary even to act across the sectorial boundaries.

This is precisely the way the LIFE ENRICH plays. Following compare the conventional flows of Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (N) in both waste water treatment plants and agriculture with an innovative LIFE ENRICH approach:

Conventional flow of N and P in Wastewater Treatment Plants

Conventional flow of N and P in Wastewater Treatment Plants

The LIFE ENRICH approach: towards a circular flow of N and P