Key Question

How can infrastructure systems recover, reuse, and recirculate water that would otherwise be lost?

Questions Worth Exploring

How much water is currently lost from infrastructure systems?
What water recovery technologies are commercially available today?
Where do the greatest opportunities for water recovery exist?
Can water be recovered from cooling systems?
Can water be recovered from wastewater streams?
Can water be recovered from air?
How do water recovery technologies compare economically?
What role can water recovery play in supporting infrastructure resilience?
How should water recovery opportunities be evaluated within the broader ecosystem?
What emerging technologies may reshape future water management strategies?

What We Are Learning

Growing water demand, infrastructure expansion, and increasing resource constraints are driving interest in technologies capable of recovering water that would otherwise be lost.

Historically, infrastructure systems have often been designed around a linear model:

Water Source
→ Use
→ Discharge

Emerging technologies are increasingly enabling a circular approach:

Water Source
→ Use
→ Recovery
→ Reuse

One of the most important lessons emerging from stakeholder discussions is that significant quantities of water may already exist within infrastructure systems.

The challenge is often not identifying additional water sources.

The challenge is identifying opportunities to recover and reuse water that is already present within the ecosystem.

Water recovery opportunities may exist within:

Cooling systems
Wastewater systems
Industrial processes
Condensate streams
Atmospheric moisture
Thermal recovery systems
Resource recovery systems

As a result, water recovery is increasingly being evaluated as a strategic component of long-term infrastructure planning and resilience.

Observations

Significant Water Losses Exist Throughout Infrastructure Systems

Many infrastructure systems generate water streams that are discharged, evaporated, or otherwise lost.

Examples include:

Cooling tower evaporation
Cooling tower blowdown
Condensate discharge
Wastewater treatment losses
Industrial process water losses

Historically, many of these streams were viewed as unavoidable losses.

Emerging technologies suggest some of these losses may be recoverable.

Water Recovery Opportunities Exist at Multiple Points in the Water Cycle

Water recovery is not a single technology.

It is a collection of technologies and approaches that may be applied throughout an infrastructure system.

Potential recovery opportunities include:

Wastewater reuse
Condensate recovery
Cooling tower water recovery
Atmospheric water harvesting
Membrane technologies
Industrial water recycling

Each application presents unique technical and economic considerations.

Atmospheric Water Recovery Is Receiving Increased Attention

Recent advances in materials science have generated significant interest in technologies capable of recovering water directly from air.

Research involving:

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs)
Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs)
Sorbent materials

has demonstrated the potential to recover water from low-humidity environments.

Although many technologies remain in various stages of development and commercialization, they highlight new possibilities for decentralized water production and resilience.

Water Recovery Technologies Continue to Mature

Water recovery technologies vary significantly in maturity.

Some technologies are already widely deployed:

Reverse osmosis
Membrane filtration
Condensate recovery
Industrial recycling systems

Others remain emerging technologies:

MOF-based atmospheric water harvesting
COF-based water harvesting
Advanced adsorption systems

Understanding technology readiness is therefore an important component of infrastructure planning.

Water Recovery Is Often an Infrastructure Integration Challenge

Water recovery opportunities frequently emerge at the interfaces between systems.

Successful implementation often requires coordination among:

Utilities
Infrastructure operators
Technology providers
Municipalities
Regulators
Community stakeholders

This reinforces a recurring TIIM observation:

The greatest opportunities often emerge where systems intersect.

Water Recovery May Improve Infrastructure Resilience

Many discussions surrounding water focus on supply.

Water recovery introduces a different question:

How can existing resources be utilized more effectively?

In some situations, recovered water may:

Reduce freshwater demand
Improve drought resilience
Reduce wastewater discharge
Support infrastructure growth
Improve long-term sustainability

The value of recovery therefore extends beyond water conservation alone.

TIIM Perspective

Water recovery technologies should not be evaluated solely on gallons recovered.

They should be evaluated based on how they interact with:

Water resources
Wastewater systems
Energy systems
Infrastructure requirements
Community priorities
Technology maturity
Long-term resilience objectives

The question therefore becomes:

How can water recovery technologies be integrated into the ecosystem to improve overall infrastructure outcomes?

TIIM seeks to move the discussion beyond water scarcity alone and toward understanding how water recovery may influence resource resilience, infrastructure performance, and future opportunities.

Supporting Diagrams

Traditional Linear Water Model

Water Source
↓
Infrastructure Use
↓
Wastewater Discharge

Key Question:
How much water is required?

Circular Water Recovery Model

Water Source
↓
Infrastructure Use
↓
Water Recovery Technology
↓
Reuse Opportunity
↓
Reduced Water Demand

Key Question:
How much water can be recovered?

Ecosystem Water Recovery Framework

Water Source
↓
Infrastructure System
↓
Water Losses
↓
Recovery Technologies
↓
Resource Reuse
↓
Community & Infrastructure Outcomes

Key Question:
How can recovered water improve ecosystem resilience?

Supporting Research

Atmospheric Water Harvesting Using Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs)

Groundbreaking research demonstrating the ability of MOFs to harvest water directly from ambient air under low-humidity conditions.

Related Topics

Atmospheric Water Harvesting
Emerging Technologies
Infrastructure Resilience

Links

Water Production from Atmospheric Air Using Metal-Organic Frameworks: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aam8743
Metal-Organic Frameworks for Water Harvesting from Air: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.accounts.0c00686
Atmospheric Water Harvesting Review Using Sorbent Materials: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-023-00114-5

Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs)

Research examining COFs as a next-generation platform for atmospheric water capture and water recovery applications.

Related Topics

Advanced Materials
Atmospheric Water Recovery
Emerging Technologies

Links

Covalent Organic Frameworks for Atmospheric Water Harvesting: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.2c04515
Atmospheric Water Harvesting Using Covalent Organic Frameworks: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2023/ta/d3ta02362a

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

Research examining water treatment, desalination, water-energy nexus considerations, and resource recovery opportunities.

Related Topics

Water Recovery
Water-Energy Nexus
Infrastructure Planning

Links

Water Power and Resource Recovery Research: https://www.nrel.gov/water/
Water-Energy Nexus Research: https://www.nrel.gov/research/water-energy.html

U.S. Department of Energy

Research examining resource recovery, wastewater treatment, desalination technologies, and industrial water management.

Related Topics

Water Recovery
Resource Recovery
Infrastructure Resilience

Links

DOE Water Security Grand Challenge: https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/water-security-grand-challenge
DOE Resource Recovery Program: https://www.energy.gov/eere/amo/wastewater-resource-recovery

Membrane Technologies and Water Reuse

Research examining membrane-based treatment systems capable of recovering and reusing water from industrial and municipal sources.

Related Topics

Wastewater Reuse
Industrial Water Recovery
Water Treatment

Links

Membrane Technologies for Water Reuse: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369703X21000048
Water Reuse and Membrane Treatment Review: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/2/132

Industrial Water Recovery Systems

Research examining opportunities to recover water from industrial processes, cooling systems, and wastewater streams.

Related Topics

Industrial Water Management
Cooling Systems
Resource Recovery

Links

Water Recovery and Reuse in Industrial Applications (EPA): https://www.epa.gov/waterreuse/water-reuse-industrial-applications-resources
Industrial Water Reuse and Recovery Technologies Review: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/3/560