Lecture

N & P Metabolism in Megacities

Graph Chat

Chat with Graph Search

Ask any question about EPFL courses, lectures, exercises, research, news, etc. or try the example questions below.

DISCLAIMER: The Graph Chatbot is not programmed to provide explicit or categorical answers to your questions. Rather, it transforms your questions into API requests that are distributed across the various IT services officially administered by EPFL. Its purpose is solely to collect and recommend relevant references to content that you can explore to help you answer your questions.

Description

This lecture explores the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) metabolism in megacities, focusing on the case study of Beijing. It covers the inputs of N and P in agriculture, their flow within the urban system, and the downstream effects on water quality and eutrophication. The discussion includes the pathways of P through food consumption, waste disposal, and wastewater treatment, highlighting the challenges of nutrient recycling and the environmental impact of urban nutrient cycles.

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Environmental science

Pollution: Water pollution

Related concepts (23)

Wastewater treatment

Wastewater treatment is a process which removes and eliminates contaminants from wastewater and converts this into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once returned to the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on the environment or is reused for various purposes (called water reclamation). The treatment process takes place in a wastewater treatment plant. There are several kinds of wastewater which are treated at the appropriate type of wastewater treatment plant.

Industrial wastewater treatment

Industrial wastewater treatment describes the processes used for treating wastewater that is produced by industries as an undesirable by-product. After treatment, the treated industrial wastewater (or effluent) may be reused or released to a sanitary sewer or to a surface water in the environment. Some industrial facilities generate wastewater that can be treated in sewage treatment plants.

Sewage treatment

Sewage treatment (or domestic wastewater treatment, municipal wastewater treatment) is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable to discharge to the surrounding environment or an intended reuse application, thereby preventing water pollution from raw sewage discharges. Sewage contains wastewater from households and businesses and possibly pre-treated industrial wastewater. There are a high number of sewage treatment processes to choose from.

Water quality

Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through treatment of the water, can be assessed. The most common standards used to monitor and assess water quality convey the health of ecosystems, safety of human contact, extent of water pollution and condition of drinking water.

Water treatment

Water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it appropriate for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, including being safely returned to the environment. Water treatment removes contaminants and undesirable components, or reduces their concentration so that the water becomes fit for its desired end-use. This treatment is crucial to human health and allows humans to benefit from both drinking and irrigation use.

Related lectures (64)

Water Protection: Surface and Groundwater

Explores the legal and practical aspects of safeguarding surface and groundwater, emphasizing sustainable water management practices.

Wastewater Treatment I

Explores wastewater treatment principles, BOD removal efficiency, and typical pollutant concentrations.

Water and Wastewater Treatment: Introduction

Covers the basics of water and wastewater treatment, including the history of wastewater treatment, undesirable pollutants, and treatment performance.

Microalgae: Wastewater Treatment

Delves into the use of microalgae in wastewater treatment and the challenges of sustainable growth and biomass harvesting.

Water Treatment: Lutry Production Plant