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Co-Generating Knowledge in Nexus Research for Sustainable Wastewater Treatment

Author

Listed:
  • Tamara Avellán

    (Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), United Nations University, 01067 Dresden, Germany)

  • Angela Hahn

    (Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), United Nations University, 01067 Dresden, Germany)

  • Sabrina Kirschke

    (Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), United Nations University, 01067 Dresden, Germany)

  • Andrea Müller

    (Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), United Nations University, 01067 Dresden, Germany)

  • Lucia Benavides

    (Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), United Nations University, 01067 Dresden, Germany)

  • Serena Caucci

    (Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), United Nations University, 01067 Dresden, Germany)

Abstract

Currently installed wastewater treatment systems in many developing countries are unsustainable, failing in either the social, economic or ecological dimension of sustainability. Nexus research looking at resources involved in wastewater treatment could support the transition towards more sustainable systems. Nexus thinking aims to overcome bio-physical systems thinking by including transdisciplinary research methods. Approaches for integrating results from different types of analysis and disciplinary backgrounds are scarce and have not been described extensively in nexus research. Transdisciplinary research suggests creating system, target and transformation knowledge as a common framework to describe meaningful transformations. Our goal is to show how a better understanding of the level of knowledge created by different types of analysis can pave the way towards integrating results for sustainability. In this article, three types of analysis, namely sustainability assessment, stakeholder perspective analysis and wickedness analysis, were applied in two pilot case wastewater treatment systems in Latin America. Through a three-step process, generated knowledge was assessed for each type of analysis individually while also highlighting synergies between them. The results demonstrate that structuring results by generated knowledge type can help combining outcomes in a meaningful manner. The findings show that technical flaws are present and fixable, and that issues relating to behaviours or values are more challenging to address but arguably more meaningful for systemic change.

Suggested Citation

  • Tamara Avellán & Angela Hahn & Sabrina Kirschke & Andrea Müller & Lucia Benavides & Serena Caucci, 2022. "Co-Generating Knowledge in Nexus Research for Sustainable Wastewater Treatment," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-25, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:11:y:2022:i:10:p:93-:d:938204
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Blackstock, K.L. & Kelly, G.J. & Horsey, B.L., 2007. "Developing and applying a framework to evaluate participatory research for sustainability," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(4), pages 726-742, February.
    5. Sabrina Kirschke & Lulu Zhang & Kristin Meyer, 2018. "Decoding the Wickedness of Resource Nexus Problems—Examples from Water-Soil Nexus Problems in China," Resources, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-15, October.
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