Region of opportunity 3
Location:
Lower Saxony, Germany
Water reuse sector:
Nutrient and Energy recovery
Leading partner:
Background:
- In the Lower Saxony, there’s an imbalance in nutrient budgets, with significant inputs of organic fertilizers like manure and sewage sludge, despite local nutrient deficits. A national mandate requires phosphorus recovery from sludge by 2029. Moreover, there’s a local need for sustainable nitrogen management, as they operate in a nitrogen-surplus region.
-
With escalating energy and fertilizer costs, there’s growing interest in Circular Economy solutions for energy and nutrient management. Additionally, the state benefits from an established network of local stakeholders, including utilities, fertilizer distributors, farmers, water and agricultural authorities, and research and development entities
Expected benefits:
- Identify innovative WACES (Water Circular Economy Solutions).
- for nutrients and energy recovery from municipal wastewater.
- Increase adoption of WACES.
- through knowledge transfer from local Research and Development initiatives.
- Harmonize End-of-Waste criteria to streamline implementation and regulatory compliance.
