To separate or not? A comparison of wastewater management systems for the new city district of Hiedanranta, Finland

In this study, life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) methods were applied for the new city district of Hiedanranta, where source-separating sanitation systems are being considered. Two source-separating systems were compared to the conventional sanitation system with a centralized wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). With a separating system, three to 10 times more nitrogen could be recovered compared to the conventional system. If the nutrient potential of the reject water of the sludge digestion were to be utilized, the recovery rate would be even higher. For phosphorus, the recovered amount would be at the same level for all the alternatives. However, the plant availability of phosphorus is higher in separating systems. Based on the environmental impacts of separating systems with improved nutrient recovery, the climate and eutrophication impacts could be reduced, but the acidification impact may be higher. However, the actual climate benefits depend on how the avoided emissions will be realized, which is highly dependent on the policy and decision-making processes in the society. The life cycle costs of the alternative source-separating systems are higher at current prices. Source-separating sanitation produces new recycled nutrient products of human origin that contain fewer contaminants and could therefore be more easily accepted for end use when certain boundary conditions are met

Upcycling of waste paper and cardboard to textiles

In continuation of previously reported results, the ionic liquid 1,5-diazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-5-ene-1-ium acetate was also found to be a powerful non-derivatizing solvent for cellulosic waste such as paper and cardboard. The ionic liquid could dissolve all the present bio-polymers (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) in high concentrations, resulting in solutions with visco-elastic properties that were suitable for dry-jet wet fiber spinning. The cellulosic raw materials were refined gradually to identify the influence of residual components on the spinnability of the respective solution. Polymer degradation and losses in the spinning process could be avoided nearly entirely. With the exception of virtually unrefined cardboard, all the samples showed excellent spinnability, resulting in fibers with high tensile strength. Prototype textiles were produced to validate the quality of the fibers and demonstrate the possibility of using residual lignin in cardboard as a natural dye

Application of the NBS impact evaluation framework: NBS performance and impact evaluation case studies

Selecting appropriate indicators of NBS performance and impact can bechallenging, and is context-dependent. In this chapter, we present case studiesfrom a variety of NBS demonstrations across Europe and Asia that illustrate theapplication of the NBS indicators and methods presented in Chapter 4 andthoroughly described in Evaluating the Impact of Nature-Based Solutions:Appendix of Methods. Each case study presents a brief NBS description, reasonsfor the selection of specific indicators for that particular NBS and a brief overviewof the ways the indicators are applied and/or monitored. The case studiesdescribe the stakeholders involved in co-design and co-monitoring of NBS anddiscuss the barriers and lessons learned during or after the process. Each casestudy provides key references for further reading.The case studies in this chapter focus on the selection of recommended indicatorsfor NBS performance and impact, which are generally of primary importancewhen creating NBS monitoring and evaluation plans. The case studies furtherdemonstrate how and why additional indicators can be selected to reflectparticular objectives of projects and local challenges