WP 6: Quantifying N Pools and Recycling N Flows

Nitrogen compounds are embedded in many goods used by humans. They are being stored with other material in the settlements, forming N pools, but are largely also transferred in waste treatment. The aim of this work package is to develop guidance how to assess detailed information required to quantify N pools and fluxes related to consumption and storage of goods in private and public spaces.

• Quantification methods for the stocks and flows of N compounds in waste and wastewater will be developed and described.
• Methods developed for known N contents will be extrapolated to other compounds. Visual and textual methods of waste analysis will be used to assess N flows with lacking analytical information, and to estimate the uncertainty introduced.
• Waste and wastewater N as well as technology information on treatment methods will be used to quantify downstream fluxes (runoff, atmospheric release, groundwater seepage).
• Estimates of N content in human dwellings and constructions will be developed generally, again based on the available data on waste composition, in order to extrapolate N pools in the human sphere.
• The potentials for extracting valuable N compounds from the waste processing and returning them as a valuable raw material will be assessed using the respective waste flow for a circular economy.