The scientific evidence contained in the three volumes of the 6th IPCC report (AR6), published between August 2021 and April 2022, are another reminder of the urgent need to respect the 2015 Paris Agreement. 195 countries agreed to the goal of limiting long-term global temperature increase to “well below 2°C” compared to pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C by massively reducing their emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs).

 Water and climate questions are usually addressed from the perspective of adaptation to climate change. For urban water services the mitigation aspect has been less studied up till now. These considerations fit into the broader context of the interdependence of energy and water (Water-Energy Nexus). This report approaches the question from the angle of energy use in the water sector rather than the better-known water requirements for the energy sector. Reducing GHG emissions in urban water management requires reducing both fossil energy requirements and direct emissions of nitrous oxide and methane. Finally, it must be said that the need to reduce the GHG emissions of water and sanitation services goes with the growing demand for water. It should increase by 50% between now and 2030 worldwide due to the combined effects of population growth, economic development, and the shift in consumer patterns.

 This synthetic report aims to provide an overview of possible levers to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of water and sanitation services and provides an analysis of how adaptation measures can embrace this low-carbon approach.

This book is a compilation of the knowledge shared and generated so far in the IWA Digital

Water Programme. It is an insightful collection of white papers covering best practices, linking academic and industrial studies/insights with applications to give real-world examples of digital transformation. These White Papers are designed to help utilities, water professionals and all those interested in water management and stewardship issues to better understand the opportunities of digital technologies.

This book covers a plethora of topics including:

Instrumentation and data generation

Artificial intelligence and digital twins

The digital transformation and public health

Mapping the digital transformation journey into the future

With these topics, the aim is to present an all-encompassing reference for practitioners to use in their day-to-day activities.

Through the Digital Water Programme, the IWA leverages its worldwide member expertise to guide a new generation of water and wastewater utilities on their digital journey towards the uptake of digital technologies and their integration into water services.

This is the Persian translation of Smart Water Utilities: Complexity Made Simple. Open Access eBook only. 

Translated by Zeinab Amiri.

Today there is increasing pressure on the water infrastructure and although unsustainable water extraction and wastewater handling can continue for a while, at some point water needs to be managed in a way that is sustainable in the long-term.  We need to handle water utilities “smarter”.

New and effective tools and technologies are becoming available at an affordable cost and these technologies are steadily changing water infrastructure options.  The quality and robustness of sensors are increasing rapidly and their reliability makes the automatic handling of critical processes viable. Online and real-time control means safer and more effective operation.

The combination of better sensors and new water treatment technologies is a strong enabler for decentralised and diversified water treatment. Plants can be run with a minimum of personnel attendance.  In the future, thousands of sensors in the water utility cycle will handle all the complexity in an effective way.

Smart Water Utilities: Complexity Made Simple provides a framework for Smart Water Utilities based on an M-A-D (Measurement-Analysis-Decision).  This enables the organisation and implementation of “Smart” in a water utility by providing an overview of supporting technologies and methods.

The book presents an introduction to methods and tools, providing a perspective of what can and could be achieved. It provides a toolbox for all water challenges and is essential reading for the Water Utility Manager, Engineer and Director and for Consultants, Designers and Researchers.

In recent years, the knowledge and understanding of membrane filtration for water treatment and desalination application have advanced extensively, embracing chemistry, microbiology, physical and bioprocess engineering, often involving advanced experimental laboratory work and techniques. Many of these experimental methods are now applied as reliable tools in field research and practice at piloting, design and operational stages.

Information on innovative experimental methods is scattered across scientific literature and only partially available in the form of scientific papers or guidelines. This book aims to give a comprehensive overview of all relevant methods, presenting innovative experimental methods developed by research groups and practitioners around the world and broadly applied in research and practice into one extensive book.

With contributions by researchers/experts from both academia and industry in more than 12 countries all over the world, the book will cover experimental methods in membrane processes such as: microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, forward osmosis, membrane distillation as well as methods and tools for assessing fouling (particulate, organic, inorganic, biological), scaling, CFD modelling, and membrane autopsies.

The book targets undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, laboratory staff, plant operators, engineers, consultants, and other sector professionals.

The publication is supported by IHE-Delft and Poul Due Jensen Foundation.

Acknowledging that resource efficiency as well as ecosystem protection are crucial goals to tackle has led to a deep rethinking in the way wastewater has been dealt with up to the 20th century. Indeed, pollution reduction to harmless levels has been the main focus of conventional wastewater treatment plants which have deployed effective and reliable solutions to get rid of suspended and dissolved pollutants. Nowadays, those same wastewaters are looked at as a mine of valuable resources that are to be harvested from the sewage through efficient technologies operated within water and resource recovery facilities (formerly known as wastewater treatment plants).

Rethinking the way we deal with wastewater has become the new challenge and a key tool to implement the Circular Economy Action Plan, to address numerous UN Sustainable Development Goals, as well as to provide support tools to improve resilience to environmental and global threats, including climate change, water and food security, epidemic outbreaks and political instability.

To tackle these challenging goals, new technologies as well as multidisciplinary tools are needed to pave the way toward a new water-economy, including: innovative technologies, integrated and risk-based approaches, and adequate regulatory and economic guidelines to promote technological uptake and societal acceptance.

In Focus – a book series that showcases the latest accomplishments in water research. Each book focuses on a specialist area with papers from top experts in the field. It aims to be a vehicle for in-depth understanding and inspire further conversations in the sector.

Translated into Chinese by Dr James Pingjian Yang, Department for Environmental Sociology Studies, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, China.

The water sector is in the middle of a paradigm shift from focusing on treatment and meeting discharge permit limits to integrated operation that also enables a circular water economy via water reuse, resource recovery, and system level planning and operation. While the sector has gone through different stages of such revolution, from improving energy efficiency to recovering renewable energy and resources, when it comes to the next step of achieving carbon neutrality or negative emission, it falls behind  other infrastructure sectors such as energy and transportation. The water sector carries tremendous potential to decarbonize, from technological advancements, to operational optimization, to policy and behavioural changes.

This book aims to fill an important gap for different stakeholders to gain knowledge and skills in this area and equip the water community to further decarbonize the industry and build a carbon-free society and economy. The book goes beyond technology overviews, rather it aims to provide a system level blueprint for decarbonization. It can be a reference book and textbook for graduate students, researchers, practitioners, consultants and  policy makers,  and it will provide practical guidance for stakeholders to analyse and implement decarbonization measures in their professions. 

Intermittent Water Supply is common in the majority of countries in South Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. There are different factors that cause intermittency in water systems such as natural, technical and financial scarcity as well as user behaviour and institutional aspects.  Intermittent access to water can have consequences on public health and social equity. Intermittent Water Supply systems are considered as failing systems that are not sustainable in the long-term. A lot of work has been done by researchers and practitioners to better understand these systems, to improve their operation and management, and eventually their conversion to continuous water supply systems.

This book addresses the challenges, opportunities and solutions of IWS systems. Authors highlight the importance of these topics and provide innovative solutions to the challenges facing IWS systems. The book is an important contribution to the ongoing efforts to address the challenges of IWS systems and the chapters within it provide valuable insights for researchers and practitioners.

In Focus – a book series that showcases the latest accomplishments in water research. Each book focuses on a specialist area with papers from top experts in the field. It aims to be a vehicle for in-depth understanding and inspire further conversations in the sector.

The contribution of this book lies in the historical comparison of infrastructural systems that normally are dealt with separately. The synthesis has been achieved mainly by an extensive literature review of research from a wide range of various fields and by using prime sources to some extent. The comparative and long-term perspective allows similarities and differences to be discovered in the development of arrangements around streets, water, and sanitation. By using the analytical lens of publicness, the author challenges the common belief that these three areas have always been public concerns or obligations. An assumption that relies on the fact that presently they indeed are public infrastructural systems. Furthermore, it is shown that the evolution of municipal streets, water, and sanitation has left a historical legacy which is still affecting the way these infrastructural systems are managed today.

This book provides comprehensive insights on existing technologies and up-to-date advances in the field of waste management and treatment using algal based technologies via different approaches and systems.

Coverage includes:

• Process fundamentals of algae-based wastewater treatment, including metabolic modelling, algal species for resource recovery and algae/bacteria interactions.
• Critical insights on the status, major challenges and modern engineering solutions in microalgae-related wastewater treatment processes.
• Case studies for coculturing microalgae with methanotrophs for enhanced nutrient recovery from wastewater.
• Advanced ways for valorisation of algae-based processes by integrating them with other technologies such as anaerobic digestion, biogas upgradation and bioelectrochemical systems.
• Up-to-date information on modern biotechnological approaches for deriving value-added bioproducts and biopolymers from microalgae, including biofuels, pigments and nutraceuticals.

This is an essential textbook for both undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in environmental sciences, technologies, or engineering. Additionally, the book is equally useful for a broad audience, including researchers, engineers, and policy makers interested in the field of algal systems for waste and wastewater management. The book is also tailored to be used as an advanced manual for practitioners and consultancies working in the field of wastewater treatment and resource recovery.

In the quest for sustainable solutions, a groundbreaking innovation emerges: "Nanobiohybrids for Advanced Wastewater Treatment and Energy Recovery". This compelling title delves into the forefront of integrated environmental technology, exploring the synergistic potential of nanotechnology and biotechnology in revolutionizing the way we manage wastewater and harness energy.

Inside these pages, you'll:

• Find insightful explorations of process fundamentals of nanobiohybrids for water purification, microbial synthesis of nanocatalysts and energy storage devices. Grasp the mechanics of nanoparticle biosynthesis, biomolecule integration, and the dynamic interplay between nanotechnology and biology.
• Embark on fundamental components investigating environmental remediation for both wastewater treatment and energy recovery. Focusing on both components of nanobiohybrids: on the one hand organic, inorganic and magnetic nanoparticles, and on the other hand electroactive bacteria.
• Understand the implications of nanobiohybrids for environmental remediation, water and wastewater treatment to conserve resources and protect the environment. Explore how these solutions contribute to pollution control, resource recovery, sensing and photoelectrocatalysis.

This book is an indispensable resource for researchers, students, policymakers, and anyone intrigued by the intersection of nanoscience, nanotechnology and sustainability. As we stand at the brink of a new era in environmental engineering, this book empowers you to be at the forefront of change. Join the movement towards cleaner waters, abundant energy, and a brighter future with nanobiohybrids.