Sustainability

26Sustainability and Energy Management in Facilities for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse

Joseph Sebastian, Pratik Kumar, Krishnamoorthy Hegde, Satinder K. Brar, Mausam Verma, and Rao Y. Surampalli

INRS, Université du Québec, Québec, Canada

Joseph Sebastian and Pratik Kumar have contributed equally.

26.1 Introduction

Sustainability lacks a clear definition, but it strives for economic wellbeing, environmental protection and prudent use of natural resources. The social progress of individuals, communities and the environment, in addition to economic development, is given importance in the case of sustainable development (Muga and Mihelcic 2008). It has been proven that focusing only on economic development is not sustainable. Hence, the focus has to shift toward sustainable development, which takes into consideration economic, social and environmental impacts. It is necessary to recognize that human and industrial systems need to be designed in such a way that the current use of natural resources does not lead to diminished quality of life for future generations. This approach to development is essential for fulfilling the requirements for the wellbeing of humans as well as for other organisms, especially in an urban and industrial atmosphere (Mihelcic et al. 2003).

One of the main resources that have been exploited extensively is water. Water is essential for life on this planet, but human activities, such as urbanization and industrialization, have stressed the available water ...