Nature-based units as building blocks for resource recovery systems in cities

Van Hullebusch, Eric D. (author), Bani, Aida (author), Carvalho, Miguel (author), Cetecioglu, Zeynep (author), De Gusseme, Bart (author), Di Lonardo, Sara (author), Djolic, Maja (author), Van Eekert, Miriam (author), Griessler Bulc, Tjaša (author), Haznedaroglu, Berat Z. (author), Istenič, Darja (author), Kisser, Johannes (author), Krzeminski, Pawel (author), Melita, Sanna (author), Pavlova, Dolja (author), Płaza, Elżbieta (author), Schoenborn, Andreas (author), Thomas, Geraldine (author), Vaccari, Mentore (author), Wirth, Maria (author), Hartl, Marco (author), Zeeman, Grietje (author)

Cities are producers of high quantities of secondary liquid and solid streams that are still poorly utilized within urban systems. In order to tackle this issue, there has been an ever-growing push for more efficient resource management and waste prevention in urban areas, following the concept of a circular economy. This review paper provides a characterization of urban solid and liquid resource flows (including water, nutrients, metals, potential energy, and organics), which pass through selected nature-based solutions (NBS) and supporting units (SU), expanding on that characterization through the study of existing cases. In particular, this paper presents the currently implemented NBS units for resource recovery, the applicable solid and liquid urban waste streams and the SU dedicated to increasing the quality and minimizing hazards of specific streams at the source level (e.g., concentrated fertilizers, disinfected recovered products). The recovery efficiency of systems, where NBS and SU are combined, operated at a micro- or meso-scale and applied at technology readiness levels higher than 5, is reviewed. The importance of collection and transport infrastructure, treatment and recovery technology, and (urban) agricultural or urban green reuse on the quantity and quality of input and output materials are discussed, also regarding the current main circularity and application challenges.

• Language: English
• Keywords: circularity challenges, nature-based solutions, supporting units, urban streams, circular cities
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: ZF - Faculty of Health Sciences; FGG - Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Submitted for review: 30.09.2021
• Article acceptance date: 30.10.2021
• Publication date: 09.11.2021
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: Str. 1-52
• Numbering: Vol. 13, iss. 22, 3153
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-133174
• UDC: 502.131.1:711.4
• ISSN on article: 2073-4441
• DOI: 10.3390/w13223153
• COBISS.SI-ID: 84887555
• Publication date in RUL: 15.11.2021

VAN HULLEBUSCH, Eric D., BANI, Aida, CARVALHO, Miguel, CETECIOGLU, Zeynep, DE GUSSEME, Bart, DI LONARDO, Sara, DJOLIC, Maja, VAN EEKERT, Miriam, GRIESSLER BULC, Tjaša, HAZNEDAROGLU, Berat Z., ISTENIČ, Darja, KISSER, Johannes, KRZEMINSKI, Pawel, MELITA, Sanna, PAVLOVA, Dolja, PŁAZA, Elżbieta, SCHOENBORN, Andreas, THOMAS, Geraldine, VACCARI, Mentore, WIRTH, Maria, HARTL, Marco and ZEEMAN, Grietje, 2021, Nature-based units as building blocks for resource recovery systems in cities. Water [online]. 2021. Vol. 13, no. 22, 3153, p. 1–52. [Accessed 15 August 2025]. DOI 10.3390/w13223153. Retrieved from: https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?lang=eng&id=133174

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Water
• Shortened title: Water
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-4441
• COBISS.SI-ID: 36731653

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 09.11.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: izzivi krožnosti, naravne rešitve, podporne enote, mestni tokovi, krožna mesta

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: COST Action
• Project number: CA17133
• Name: Implementing nature-based solutions for creating a resourceful circular city