Leading an international team of 17 experts from six countries, Professor Zhiguo YUAN published a review paper titled “Pathways to Advanced Resource Recovery from Sewage” in Nature Sustainability on 9 September 2024.

The on-going paradigm shift in sewage management from pollution control to resource recovery is an integral part of a circular economy and aligns well with the goals of sustainable development and carbon neutrality. Recent years have witnessed substantial endeavours from both the water industry and the scientific community to foster innovative methodologies that facilitate resource recovery from wastewater. These efforts have traditionally concentrated on the recovery of organic carbon as bioenergy, and nitrogen and phosphorus as nutrients. In the past decade, however, technologies have been developed to recover high-value commodities. Simultaneously, innovative processes have been proposed to produce chemical agents that can be immediately reused in the sewage system to facilitate sewage management including the enhanced recovery of other resources.

This paper reviewed these latest developments and the underpinning scientific discoveries, identified the key challenges, and outlined a roadmap towards greener and more sustainable sewage management.

Professor YUAN sincerely thanks his collaborators comprising both internationally renowned leaders in the field and young rising talents, as well as Professor Bruce Rittman (Arizona State University) and an anonymous reviewer, and the Handling Editor, Dr Yin YE, for their great help to elevate the review to an even higher standard.