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In developing countries, there is often a lack of a comprehensive data set that supports 30 the development of coherent policies on resource recovery from wastewater treatment. 31 This paper aims to contribute to the elaboration of resource recovery projects by 32 providing accurate and updated data from wastewater treatment plants such as those 33 located in the region of the Macrometropolis of Sao Paulo. The authors discuss 34 possibilities of improvement of resource recovery for this illustrative example. 35 Comprehensive analyses were performed based on data from 143 municipal wastewater 36 treatment plants to understand the situation regarding resource recovery implementation 37 in this region. The results show that just 26% of the plants perform at least one resource 38 recovery practice. The predominant resource recovery practice is internal water reuse, 39 and recovery is concentrated more in large plants than in medium and small ones. The 40 sludge is disposed in landfills except for three plants, which perform sludge recycling 41 for compost. Some plant managers reported interest in recovering energy from biogas, 42 in expanding water reuse and in recovering sludge for fertilizer production or for 43 building materials. Several aspects that have been regarded as relevant to the 44 implementation of resource recovery processes in previous literature are discussed, such 45 as the size of the plant, related legislation as well as treatment technologies and 46 configurations. Finally, the authors propose a generic framework with several steps that 47 can help to achieve resource recovery implementation. Therefore, the results can 48 provide support for planning of resource recovery projects for large cities in developing 49 countries.

Currently, it is important to develop strategic frameworks to support the selection of sustainable resource recovery solutions. This study applies a new framework for planning, implementation, and assessment of resource recovery strategies for a full-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in São Paulo megacity. The framework comprises several steps based on case study-specific data and information from current literature. Data were collected from various sources: a survey with a wastewater treatment utility, national and regional databases, and review of local regulations and international literature. Treatment configuration, wastewater and by-products composition, potential demand (for water, energy, and phosphorus), stakeholder identification, and local legislation were thoroughly discussed regarding decision-making on resource recovery. Scenario analysis was used to explore suitable nutrient and energy recovery measures based on indicators. Biogas recovery and sewage sludge composting showed more favorable conditions due to similar experiences in the area and robust legislation. The proposed framework is a simplified tool, and its application can support managers to get information on resource recovery and how to plan such initiatives in easier ways to facilitate wiser decision-making, and better operation and management. The results on framework use and refinement can guide potential applications in other contexts and stimulate public policy formulation and further research.

Separately collected urine is an attractive potential fertilizer because of its high nutrient content, low cost, and inherent linkage of urban wastewater management and peri-urban agriculture. Urine from waterless urinals was applied to corn and lettuce plants to examine the impact of urine application rates and frequency on plant growth and soil parameters. In both corn and lettuce experiments, urine application significantly (p < 0.05) increased growth and leaf production relative to control plants. More frequent applications led to lower soil cation exchange capacities for corn and higher soil nitrogen content for both crops. Based on preliminary implementation calculations, waterless urinals at the University of São Paulo (USP), School of Arts, Sciences, and Humanities campus could lead to over 1,500 m 3 of water saved and 360 m 3 of urine produced on an annual basis. These experiments and modeling results are discussed in the context of scaling up urban urine collection, transport, and fertilization in São Paulo, Brazil.

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Atualmente, os veículos elétricos (VE) têm sido apontados como tendência futura da indústria automotiva. Dentre as motivações dos países para isto estão: reduzir a dependência de petróleo e seus derivados, promover o uso mais eficiente de energia e causar menores impactos ambientais, em especial os correlatos à emissão de Gases de Efeito Estufa (GEE). Os automóveis híbridos e elétricos não representam uma inovação tecnológica recente, apesar disso os mesmos contam com uma participação marginal na história do automóvel desde a década de 30. Aliás, vale ressaltar que os VE não são isentos de impactos ambientais, sobretudo na etapa de produção dos mesmos. Neste artigo, espera-se contribuir com informações acerca de características do desempenho ambiental de VE em relação aos veículos convencionais movidos à combustão interna (MCI), analisando quais suas vantagens e desvantagens, quais os impactos ambientais causados em todo o ciclo de vida e como essa tecnologia poderia contribuir para a mitigação das mudanças climáticas. Além disso, também se discute quais os impactos da expansão dos VE na demanda de energia final. Para tanto, empreendeu-se revisão da literatura sistêmica com base em pesquisas recentes e naquelas basilares focadas nos VE. Um dos resultados principais indicou que, quanto maior a participação de energias renováveis na oferta de energia elétrica, maior será a redução das emissões de GEE pelos VE, sendo que em alguns casos pode haver um aumento das emissões no balanço total do ciclo de vida desta tecnologia comparada à convencional.