Urine Separation

Black or Brown Water

HUBER Wastewater Separation

Reuse of Wastewater as Our Most Dependable Source of Water, Nutrients, Bio-Solids and Energy

On a positive note, in many industrialized countries it has become common practice to separate solid waste where it is generated to allow processing and beneficial reuse of the separated fractions.

However, we are still practicing blending and diluting all kinds of wastewater streams. At best we provide end-of-pipe treatment. Beneficial reuse of wastewater and its valuable ingredients is thus made very difficult and expensive.

Domestic wastewater is a blend of moderately polluted grey water (wash water from bathrooms and kitchens) and heavily polluted black water (toilet effluents comprised of urine, faeces and flush water). Black water can be separated into yellow water (pure urine without flush water) and brown water (faeces and flush water).

Grey water is only modestly polluted and can easily be treated for reuse as irrigation or service water, e.g. for toilet flushing and laundry washing.

Yellow water, the urine, is little polluted, but contains most of the nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. It contains few pathogens, but some micro-pollutants (residuals from pharmaceuticals and hormones that are also called endocrinic substances).

Faeces contain most of the organic carbon and energy. Highly polluted brown or black water can be blended with kitchen waste that also contains much energy. The energy can be recovered by anaerobic digestion, degradation of the organic solids and generation of biogas. The remaining bio-solids still contain stabilized organic carbon and are useful as fertilizer for soil improvement.

Recovery Plant at our headquarters for separate collection and treatment of yellow, brown and grey water

Reuse Park at our headquarters with orchards and fish ponds where water, nutrients and bio-solids are reused