Wastewater Treatment for Nutrient Removal and Reuse

By the year 2025 many countries, particularly in Asia and Africa, will be water scarce. Hence, water reuse and recycle is unavoidable. On the other hand, in the developing countries, major water quality issues such as pollution by pathogens, organic matter pollution and eutrophication are primarily due to discharges of untreated or partially treated domestic or industrial effluents. This dilemma highlights the concept of wastewater treatment for nutrient removal and reuse, as it promotes nutrient recovery while making the treated wastewater suitable for reuse. Recent developments in biological processes for nitrogen and phosphorus removal as well as in appropriate technologies for integrated nutrient recovery have led to development of novel and innovative processes. Accordingly, the IWA International Specialized Conference on Wastewater Treatment for Nutrient Removal and Reuse (ICWNR ?04) focused primarily on recent developments in wastewater treatment processes with particular emphasis on nutrient removal and reuse. A total of 92 papers were presented in this conference on the range of topics such as novel processes for N and P removal, modeling, toxicity and inhibition, decentralized sanitation as well as appropriate technologies for integrated nutrient removal and reuse, and after peer review 43 have been chosen for these selected proceedings. With insights from researchers and practitioners from over 30 countries with diverse background ranging from environmental biotechnology to process engineering, these proceedings provide an excellent platform to review the recent developments and future prospects in this multi-disciplinary field.