From Linear Economy to Circular Bio-economy: A Paradigm Shift in Wastewater Management

Water waste has become a global problem today. Not only is its impact on environmental damage, but the management of the waste water is also expensive. Finding an effective, efficient, and innovative way of managing household waste water is the need of the hour. The current model of the economy, also known as the linear economy, has imperiled the interdependence of human beings with nature. Due to the enormous amount of waste water produced and the subsequent operational costs associated with proper waste water disposal, the traditional linear economic workflow—from raw materials to product production—along with waste that may take the form of byproducts, is not only detrimental to the economy but also wasteful due to the huge amount of waste generated and the subsequent operational costs associated with proper disposal of waste. To cope with this problem of the linear economy, the circular economic model is employed. Water treatment is a critical foundation of society. By expanding access to clean drinking water, safe water for home use, and recycled water for agricultural processes, wastewater treatment improves the quality of life and security of millions of people worldwide. Four common ways to treat waste water include physical water treatment, chemical treatment, biological water treatment; and sludge treatment. This chapter examines the circular bio economy’s potential and how wastewater management might contribute to it. A circular economy, which seeks to remediate waste water, redefines growth, and focuses on beneficial society-wide effects, looks beyond the present take-make-trash extractive technique or paradigm. It takes its cue from the bio geophysical world, where the planet is maintained as a stable, self-sufficient ecosystem by the nutrients that are created by other living systems after they die and are digested by life processes.