Greywater for REuse: Where, why and how? (2022-2027)

In this project we investigate greywater reuse focusing on the sustainability transition process in utilities, micropollutant occurrence and removal for safe reuse and decision support in form of systems analysis. The work is funded by The Swedish Research Council (Formas).

There is a growing understanding of water as a resource and the necessity to reduce water consumption and increase water reuse. Alternative water sources can be used as raw water into potable water production but also for fit-for-purpose non-potable water use. Treated greywater (from kitchen, showers and laundry) represents a continuously available source of water for reuse. Separate collection and treatment of greywater is needed for this source to be available. The physical window-of-opportunities to transition infrastructure-wise to separate collection and treatment of greywater within the coming 20 years for municipalities are in upcoming new urban developments, a transition for which an early and comprehensive cooperation between utilities, other municipal actors and politics is needed. Circular approaches and reuse should aim to recycle resources but not pollutants. For safe greywater reuse micropollutants need to be removed in treatment processes to ensure safe potable and non-potable reuse. GREW is an inter-disciplinary research project, where researchers from several disciplines (urban water engineering, environmental engineering, political science and chemistry) are coming together with key stakeholders (municipalities) to produce research results in relation to: the sustainability transition process in utilities, micropollutant occurrence and removal for safe potable and non-potable reuse and decision support in form of systems analysis.

The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration of Luleå University of Technology (Urban Water Engineering and Political Science), the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

Inga Herrmann, Annelie Hedström, Elisabeth Kvarnström, Brenda Vidal, Levien Melse and Maria Viklander