The background
The Rotterdam Cooperation in the Wastewater Cycle (Rotterdamse Samenwerking in de Afvalwaterketen, RoSA) is working towards a circular water cycle by 2050. On this journey, they have placed a pilot installation in the basement of BlueCity to collect the water from four toilets and a shower. This water is then treated in a way that allows for the extraction of raw materials and the reuse of the residual water. Copper8 developed a plan to enable interested parties to investigate the feasibility and scalability of this approach and brought together important stakeholders.
Context
Rotterdam will experience more and more problems due to extreme weather, sea level rise and increased water discharge through rivers. A circular water cycle could be an important solution to the problems the city will experience due to climate change. In this context, SEMilla Sanitation Hubs and RoSA connected with BlueCity, a circular incubator that’s always looking to maximize the application of circular principles. Together, they started this unique research project with a pilot installation to explore whether and how decentralized and circular wastewater treatment works at the building level, and what impact it has on the water cycle of a city like Rotterdam and its users. This involves answering technical as well as societal questions, for example in the areas of:
- Health and safety
- Acceptance and impact of decentralized wastewater purification
- The use of raw materials that can be extracted from wastewater
- Changes in regulaton
- Collaboraton between parties, including governmental
The question
Set up a research plan for the experiment ‘BlueCity Circular Water’ with which we can gain insight into the feasibility and scalability of local circular wastewater purification, whereby:
- Feasibility means the business case must be profitable and technically possible
- Scalability relates to the social pros and cons and the changing roles of the authorities involves
Current situation and future
The research plan has to connect with the research questions that RoSA developed in 2016 in its wastewater cycle strategy (Strategie afvalwaterketen RoSA). These questions are divided into four development paths:
- Use structures
- Separate flows
- Close loops
- Participation and society
This project mainly focused on paths 3 and 4.
The process
It was quickly clear what the technical task would be in this project. Through discussions and work sessions, we collected the interests and goals of each stakeholder. We then established a step-by-step plan to arrive at answers to the research questions, which was partly based on the steps in the installation process of SEMiLLA technology, and partly on the needs of different stakeholders. We set out a project budget on the basis of these steps.
The results
The process has led to an integral Plan of Action, which clarifies what the research process looks like towards 2030 and beyond, and what needs to happen to answer the different research questions. The Plan also provides insight into the financial aspect of the project.
In addition to this, and possibly even more importantly, we created greater mutual understanding between the different stakeholders (municipalities, water authorities, technology suppliers and sustainable contracters) in the transition to a circular water cycle. Meanwhile, the installation is officially in use, following its launch under the name BlueCity Circular Water.
