The Water-Hub project is a pre-feasibility study that applies an integrated Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus approach to examine appropriate nature-based technologies for sustainable development of a (peri-)urban environment in a semi-arid region. TUM is collaborating with the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa, who has established The Water-Hub, a research site in Franschhoek, Western Cape, South Africa, in 2017, where the project is located. The project is supported by the Western Cape Government, Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA & DP) as a close partner and funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection (StMUV) in Germany.

The project expands the scope of the current activities at the Water-Hub to recover reclaimed water from a stream that is highly contaminated by surface run-off and discharge of untreated wastewater by an informal settlement further upstream. The nature-based treatment technologies (biofilters) have been modified to a multi-media horizontal-flow biofilter with a subsequent aeration and infiltration into an engineered bioreactor to establish an adaptation of the Sequential Managed Aquifer Recharge Technology (SMART) developed at the Chair of Urban Water Systems Engineering. 

Higher removal of trace organic contaminants and pathogens leading to an increased final water quality are expected. Monitoring of water quality and the effectiveness of individual process steps are key focus points, which are essential for reuse applications. The project will assess the potential for energy recovery through anaerobic co-digestion of locally available feed stocks, from businesses (restaurants, farms, supermarkets, etc.) and households. This will support the development of business plans for entrepreneurship opportunities from organic (food) waste-to-energy streams, nutrient recovery (organic fertilizer) etc., and serving local markets. Knowledge dissemination and capacity building among project partners and stakeholders will be fostered through the Living Lab concept of the Water Hub. The project will contribute to improving water, energy, and food security in the Western Cape Province while protecting the environment and regenerating ecosystem services, contributing to achieve the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs). The project’s Nexus approach will use WEFE as the starting point, but explicitly includes other relevant sectors such as waste and ecosystem services as a basis for a just transition to a circular economy.