Innovation in Water Utilization and Wastewater Treatment

This chapter explores innovative energy and environmental strategies in urban water systems to advance carbon neutrality. It highlights (i) the importance of integrating advanced water purification technologies such as riverbank filtration and reverse osmosis to remove emerging contaminants, (ii) the role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in optimizing wastewater treatment, (iii) the necessity of both engineering and non-engineering approaches to achieve greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in urban water systems, (iv) the increasing relevance of circular economy principles for recovering useful resources from urban water systems, and (v) the role of life cycle assessments to ensure environmental sustainability in the pursuit of resource recovery. Case study cities illustrate the progress in decarbonizing urban water systems, with a focus on the potential and challenges of GHG emissions management. A systems thinking approach is advocated for identifying system-wide GHG mitigation opportunities in urban water systems and for leveraging GHG mitigation with environmental co-benefits and trade-offs.