Biorefinery paradigm in wastewater management: resource recovery from aerobic granular sludge systems

废水不再被认为是一种需要处理和排放的污染物，相反，它已经成为可再生能源、清洁水和更重要的原材料的宝贵来源。因此，废水处理厂目前被设计为嵌入循环城市的废水资源厂(WRF)，以实现可持续性。拟议与巴西塞拉联邦大学安德烈·贝泽拉·多斯桑托斯教授的合作旨在建设加拿大从处理城市污水的好氧颗粒污泥中回收增值产品的能力，从而促进向循环经济的过渡。这一合作还将在与资源回收有关的关键领域培训高素质人员(HQP)。在培训结束时，HQP将获得重要技能，如批判性思维、实验室实验设计、生物反应器操作、废水和生物量分析、系统控制和性能分析、项目管理以及科学交流(演讲和技术写作)技能。这一合作的长期影响可能包括废水处理厂设计方面的突破性进展，并导致采用WRF。合作的重点将是废水管理方面的可持续做法，以减少对环境的影响，并促进加拿大及其他地区的经济繁荣。它将为从国际合作者那里获得可用于加拿大设施的废水管理行业的资源回收协议和可持续做法方面的新知识提供绝佳的机会。资源回收将为经济成功开辟新的市场，并为当地废水管理行业创造竞争优势。通过帮助加拿大最大限度地发挥其资源回收潜力，拟议的研究将极大地促进加拿大在环境保护和可持续发展方面的努力。所开发的专业知识将促进训练有素的HQP的发展，这些HQP将以重要方式为加拿大劳动力做出贡献。

Wastewater is no longer considered a pollutant to be treated and discharged, rather it has become a valuable source of renewable energy, clean water and more importantly raw material. Thus, wastewater treatment plants are presently being designed as wastewater-resource factories (WRF) inserted into circular cities to achieve sustainability. The proposed collaboration with Prof. André Bezerra dos Santos (Federal University of Ceará, Brazil) seeks to build Canadian capacity in the recovery of value-added products from aerobic granular sludge treating municipal wastewater, thus facilitating the transition to a circular economy. This collaboration will also train highly qualified personnel (HQP) in critical areas relating to resource recovery. At the end of the training, the HQP will obtain salient skills such as critical thinking, laboratory experimental design, bioreactor operation, wastewater and biomass analyses, system controls and performance analyses, project management, and scientific communication (presentations and technical writing) skills. Long-term impacts of this collaboration may include ground-breaking advances in wastewater treatment plant design and result in the adoption of WRF. The collaboration will focus on sustainable practices in wastewater management that will reduce impacts on the environment and enhance economic prosperity in Canada and beyond. It will provide outstanding opportunities for gaining new knowledge from the international collaborator on resource recovery protocols and sustainable practices in the wastewater management industry that can be utilized in Canadian facilities. Resource recovery will open a new market for economic success and create a competitive advantage for local wastewater management industries. By helping Canada maximize its resource recovery potential, the proposed research will greatly contribute to Canada's efforts in environmental protection and sustainability. The expertise developed will facilitate the development of highly trained HQP who will contribute in significant ways to the Canadian workforce.