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Updated: May 26, 2026
08:24
Mesocosm-Scale Constructed Wetland Design for Wastewater Treatment
Published on: May 2, 2025
Water recovery from sewage using forward osmosis
Kerusha Lutchmiah1, Emile R Cornelissen, Danny J H Harmsen
1KWR Watercycle Research Institute, The Netherlands. kerusha.lutchmiah@kwrwater.nl
Summary
Sewer Mining extracts high-quality water from sewage using forward osmosis (FO) and reverse osmosis (RO). This sustainable approach also recovers energy from wastewater, transforming waste into a valuable resource.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Water Treatment Technologies
- Renewable Energy Recovery
Background:
- Conventional wastewater treatment focuses on disposal rather than resource recovery.
- There is a growing need for sustainable water management and energy generation solutions.
- The Sewer Mining project explores innovative approaches to wastewater valorization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of forward osmosis (FO) membranes for water recovery from raw sewage.
- To investigate membrane fouling characteristics during the FO process.
- To assess the potential for integrated water and energy recovery from wastewater.
Main Methods:
- Utilized forward osmosis (FO) with primary effluent as the feed solution.
- Integrated a reconcentration system, likely reverse osmosis (RO), for water recovery.
- Induced and analyzed membrane fouling to determine its impact and reversibility.
Main Results:
- Achieved stable FO water flux values exceeding 4.3 LMH with primary effluent.
- Observed apparent membrane fouling, but determined it to be non-irreversible.
- Demonstrated the feasibility of recovering both high-quality water and energy (biogas) from sewage.
Conclusions:
- Forward osmosis is an effective technology for water recovery from sewage.
- Sewer Mining offers a sustainable and economical wastewater treatment paradigm.
- Wastewater can be viewed as a resource for water and renewable energy generation.
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