Waste to Energy from Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants: A Science Mapping

Juan Jesús De la Torre Bayo, Jaime Martín Pascual, Juan Carlos Torres Rojo and Montserrat Zamorano Toro ()
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Juan Jesús De la Torre Bayo: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Jaime Martín Pascual: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Juan Carlos Torres Rojo: Emasagra S.A., 18071 Granada, Spain
Montserrat Zamorano Toro: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 24, 1-25

Abstract: Energy recovery, according to circular economy and sustainable principles, has established itself as an inevitable field of action in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Energy costs are forcing the optimization of processes and increases in the development of applicable waste-to-energy (WtE) technologies. This study aims to analyze the existing knowledge on WtE research in municipal WWTPs using a systematic literature review and a bibliometric analysis from 1979 to 2021. For this purpose, Science Mapping Analysis Tool (SciMAT) and VosViewer, two softwares for analyzing performance indicators and visualizing scientific maps, were used to identify the most relevant figures in the research. The results show an exponential increase in the number of publications over time, which has yet to reach a stage of maturity. The analysis of the evolution of the topics exposes variability in the keywords over the years. The main field of WtE research has focused on sludge treatment, with technologies ranging from anaerobic digestion to more recently-emerging ones such as microalgae or membrane technologies. The analysis also identified the need for more publications on other wastes in WWTPs, which are necessary to achieve zero waste.

Keywords: municipal wastewater; domestic wastewater; waste to energy; energy valorization; energy production; energy recovery (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:24:p:16871-:d:1005067

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