1. From where do resources come, and where do they end up?
Resource Flows
From where do resources come, and where do they end up?
Loop
versus
Linear flow
Loop
Learning objective: to grasp how resource flows are created and manipulated, and to become familiar with methods of analysing resource flows and the challenges they pose .
Jan-Olof Drangert, Linköping University, Sweden

2. Features of present policies and practices – and an anticipated paradigm shift
Prime fertile soils converted to town areas
Reduced recycling of organic material
Less urban agriculture, etc.
More linear flows
while we instead need more short loops for substances
J-O Drangert, Linköping University, Sweden

3. What comes in …… Water  Food  house- hold Consumer goods  Energy 
kg/p/day
Food 
1-2 kg/p/day
house-
hold
Consumer goods 
1- ? kg/p/day
Energy 
> 1 kg/p/day
Jan-Olof Drangert, Linköping University, Sweden 3

4. … must go out Urine Faeces Greywater  house- Solid waste hold
1.5-3 kg/d/p
Faeces
0.3 kg/d/p
pollutants
Greywater 
kg/p/day
house-
hold
Solid waste
1 - ? kg/d/p
Jan-Olof Drangert, Linköping University, Sweden 4

5. The trick is to bend today´s many linear resource flows
Solid waste is the most visible output. It may be discarded or sorted and recycled. Scavengers perform an important service
Faecal matter is very small in volume, but is a major health threat unless treated and used wisely
Urine (urine) volumes are small. Bad odour may be a problem unless urine is returned to the soil
Greywater is voluminous and a major challenge in dense areas but can be a useful product if handled well
Stormwater may be a serious problem but harvesting it can augment household and irrigation water supplies
Energy is invisible but heat may be recovered
Jan-Olof Drangert, Linköping University, Sweden

6. Water and nutrient ’kretslopp’
Wastewater = (greywater, urine, and faeces)
Rural home
food
City with linear flows
food
Wastewater
WWTP
water
Leaking pipes
chemicals
Sorting
city
J-O Drangert, Linköping University, Sweden

7. Three examples of ’kretslopp’ thinking
Fraction:
Solid ‘waste’
Organic ‘waste’
Faecal matter
Urine (urine)
Greywater
Stormwater
In Stockholm
sorted in 8 fractions, collected and reused
organics composted together with hygien- ised dry faecal material
collected and trucked to farm
in situ after biological treatment
infiltration (no heavy rains)
In Kimberley
No sorting, collected and put on landfills
dried and composted
used in situ or by truck to council gardens
Greywater to pond after biological treatment, and rainwater to the same pond. Little rain.
In Kampala
No sorting, burnt in situ, the rest to landfill
banana peels etc to animal feed
dried and composted
in situ or collected
Infiltrated in situ and to drains
In drains but flooding due to heavy rains
Provides heating/energy
Soil conditioner
Provides soil conditioner
Soil conditioner
Soil conditioner
Liquid fertiliser
Liquid fertiliser
Liquid fertiliser
Irrigation water and biogas
Groundwater recharge
Jan-Olof Drangert, Linköping University, Sweden

8. Interpretation of the ’waste hierarchy’
Where do we go from here?
- protecting & promoting human health,
- not contributing to environmental degradation or depletion of resource base,
- being technically and institutionally appropriate, economically viable and socially acceptable
NEW! Reduce generation and polluting content in goods
Sustainabi l i ty
Solid
waste
Reuse/recycle
Land
fill
Incinerate
Interpretation of the ’waste hierarchy’
Sludge
Liquid
waste
Reuse/recycle
Polluting
discharges
Jan-Olof Drangert, Linköping University, Sweden

9. Material Flow Analysis for human settlements
MFA uses the principle of mass balance:
input = output + accumulated stock in the system
and provides a systematic description of the flow of goods, materials or substances through various processes and out of the system.
output
Process 1
input
Process 3
Process 2
output
Jan-Olof Drangert, Linköping University, Sweden

10. A resource flow model for a hamlet10
Courtesy of Jenny Aragundy, Ecuador 10

11. The Stockholm model to improve sustainability
Courtesy of Stockholm Water Company

12. Modelling the situation (MFA)
Select the material, product or chemical you are interested in
Include all the flows, uses, losses and disposals
Find estimates for all flows and stocks
Decide the boundaries of your system (dashed line)
agriculture
livestock
urine
faeces
waste
handling
deposit/
landfill
food
consumption
4 STEPS in modelling:
(1) Description of the system
(2) Formulation of model equations, (3) Calibration, and
(4) Simulation incl. sensitivity and uncertainty analysis
hydrosphere
Jan-Olof Drangert, Linköping University, Sweden

13. Example 1: Actual reuse of nutrients from urban households in agriculture
Proportion being reused
100%
Glass, tins, ceramics
Heavy metals
50%
waste pits
+urine diversion
+WC
stop
only WC
+WWTP
1870
1910
1950
2000
Jan-Olof Drangert, Linköping University, Sweden

14. Ex. 1 cont.: Examples of ranges for parameters
Neset and Drangert, 2010

15. Ex. 1 con´t Sensitivity analysis
Phosphorus reuse and phosphorus losses
The filled curves represent calculated averages, while coloured areas between the dotted curves indicate uncertainty ranges due to estimated input data
(in kg phosphorus per capita per year)
Source: Neset and Drangert, 2010 15

16. Example 2: Eutrophication of Lake Dianchi, China
Production
Consumption
45% of TP
Farmland P leakage
385 tonnes
55% of TP
Lake
Dianchi
33 tonnes
river downstream
Kunming city
Jan-Olof Drangert, Linköping University, Sweden

17. Ex. 2 Con't Urban P flow to Dianchi Lake, China
roof runoff
street runoff
denitrification
runoff
separate storm water drainage
industrial
discharge
storm sewer
wrong connection
sludge
bath
kitchen
treated wastewater HH
laundry
comb. sewer
WWTP
urine flush
overflow out of CSO tank
CSO
tank
faeces flush
overflow out of combined sewer
infiltration incl. river water
exfiltration
Source: Huang et al., 2007

18. Ex 2 Con't Outcome to guide a new strategy
1. A major problem is that during heavy rains the wastewater bypasses the WWTP and washes all wastewater straight into the lake.
2. Groundwater and stormwater enter the poor-quality sewers and make up a large portion of the water coming to the WWTP
3. Even with the best available treatment technology (BAT with 98% P removal etc.) the discharge would still be twice what the lake can accommodate.
4. Source-control measures such as urine-diversion toilets and P-free detergents and body care products are required to avoid discharging untreated wastewater downstream the lake and, thus, just moving the environmental problems.
Do not mix waste streams
Infiltrate rainwater locally
Source separate urine
Source: adjusted from Huang et al., 2007

19. Example 3 : P flows through Hanoi City
Source: Montangero et al., 2004

20. Ex. 3 con't Phosphorus flows in Hanoi City
Organic waste
collection
Water
supply
On-site
sanitation
House-
holds
Landfill
Sewerage
& drainage
Market
Composting
Agriculture
Courtesy of Agnes Montangero, 2007

21. Ex. 3 con't: Feeding the people of Hanoi - a sensitivity analysis
2007
(3 M)
Business as usual
No septic
tanks
No-meat
diet
(5 M residents)
Source: Montangero et al., 2007

22. Example 4: Nutrients and food security- a simplified global mass balance
Source: Clift and Shaw 2011, based on Cordell and others

23. The future is not all dark!
Ex 4 con't
Securing a sustainable phosphorus future
Business as usual
The future is not all dark! 23 23

24. Strategies for sanitation improvements
Principle:
Organic ≠ other solid waste
Stormwater ≠ sewage
Industrial ≠ household wastewater
Black toilet water ≠ greywater
Faeces ≠ urine
mix as few flows as possible
Jan-Olof Drangert, Linköping University, Sweden 24