Resource recovery in sanitation planning: What can decision support tools do for you?

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Our paper “A review of how decision support tools address resource recovery in sanitation systems” has just been published, the result of a collaborative effort with colleagues Kim Andersson, Sarah Dickin, Elisabeth Ekener and Göran Finnveden. In this paper, we review 24 decision support software tools used for sanitation planning, and provide insights into how they address resource recovery across the sanitation service chain with regards to analysis of material flows, integrating resource recovery technologies and products in the design of sanitation systems, and assessing the sustainability implications of resource recovery.

Alas, we did not find one “super tool” that can address “all” planning questions and needs! However, we make recommendations for which tools are suitable for tracking material flows, for assessing demand for resource recovery products, for resource recovery technology selection and design functions, and for the assessment of sustainability implications of resource recovery.

We also point out some aspects that existing tools do not address adequately such as quantifying the demand for and value of resource recovery products, addressing retrofitting of existing sanitation infrastructure for resource recovery and assessing social impacts of resource recovery from a life cycle perspective.

This paper is one attempt to create awareness about existing tools, their functions and how they address resource recovery. Hopefully, it can contribute to further integrating the available tools into infrastructure planning and programming processes so that they can create value for planners, engineers, resource recovery practitioners, and other stakeholders in planning regimes and procedures.

If you are interested in learning more about our paper, you can access it for free here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118365