Resource Recovery

Official Position Statement Approved by WEF

Date of Approval: October 6, 2022

Expiration Date: October 5, 2027

Natural resources are limited, and their recovery is essential to healthy, sustainable communities. Water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) provide the key to sustainable resource management for resources such as energy, carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen. The following are resource recovery options available to WRRF:

• Nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, are abundant in wastewater while in limited supply. Their recovery offers an opportunity to generate such valuable products as struvite, ammonia, and other fertilizers.
• WRRFs can recover renewable natural gas as well as more energy from biosolids than they can do today through drying, gasification, and incineration. Diversifying markets make available new end uses for biosolids in agriculture, horticulture, soil reclamation, and carbon sequestration.
• Wastewater contains chemical, thermal, and hydraulic energy and with today’s technology, a portion of these energy forms can be recovered at WWRFs and should be considered and evaluated for alternative end uses.
• Wastewater can be treated for indirect and direct potable use, as well as irrigation, groundwater recharge, and industrial uses.

READ WEF'S OFFICIAL POSITION STATEMENT ON RESOURCE RECOVERY