Integrated Decentralised Wastewater Treatment for Rural Areas with a Focus on Resource Recovery

Abstract

The most appropriate and sustainable solution for wastewater management in any setting is eco-nomically, environmentally, and technically sound, as well as socially acceptable for the specific community. Centralised wastewater collection and treatment systems are criticised for being re-source intensive and technically too complex, especially for sparsely populated regions with dis-persed settlements. Alternatively, the approach of decentralised wastewater treatment appears as a sustainable solution to address these issues related to rural wastewater management. This paper presents a review of the advantages and limitations of various centralised and decentralised ap-proaches to wastewater treatment and management in rural settings. A sustainable solution to wastewater management in rural areas based on the concept of ecological sanitation, with focus on water and nutrients recovery is presented. Based on research and case studies, the potential of an integrated decentralised wastewater system for rural areas is examined from a technical, economic and environmental viewpoint.