Waste-Water-Energy nexus: a feasible, sustainable approach in climate-change affected Mediterranean regions

The purpose of this work is to propose a new model of industrial symbiosis (IS) that can close the loop between waste, wastewater, and energy from a sustainable point of view. Starting from the current scenario, the future management of waste, wastewater, and the associated energy recovery systems is devised from the perspective of IS with the aim of shifting from the current linear economy in waste and wastewater management to a circular economy through a holistic approach. Through it, large savings should be obtained in terms of new resources and energy, as well as a significant reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and toxic substances. The investigated model aims at integrating: 1) the existing wastewater treatment plant, 2) an enhanced anaerobic digestion plant for the contextual (not necessarily joint) treatment of OFMSW and sludge, and 3) a new WtE with the production of electricity and heat to recover the energy value of the residual waste and scraps from the selection.