Researchers have developed a new framework that uses artificial intelligence to monitor wastewater treatment in real time, ensuring environmental safety while maximizing resource recovery. This "twin transition" approach allows facilities to predict system health and optimize energy use simultaneously.
Clean water management is no longer only about removing pollutants from wastewater. Today, wastewater treatment must also respond to climate change, carbon reduction, resource recovery, and the growing demand for smarter infrastructure.
Among different pollutants, ammonia-nitrogen is especially important because it is both an environmental concern and a potential resource. If it is not properly controlled, it can damage aquatic ecosystems and increase treatment burden. However, if it is managed wisely, nitrogen can be recovered and reused, helping society move closer to a circular economy.
A recent study published in Water Research discusses how the "Twin Transition" can support the future of wastewater management. The Twin Transition means combining green transformation with digital transformation.
In simple terms, wastewater systems should not only become more sustainable, but also smarter, more data-driven, and easier to control. This perspective is particularly useful for nitrogen management, because nitrogen transformation in wastewater is complex and often affected by many changing conditions.
The article explains that future wastewater treatment should move beyond the traditional goal of pollutant removal. Instead of treating ammonia–nitrogen only as something harmful, engineers can view it as part of a larger nitrogen cycle. With better process design, monitoring, and decision-making tools, wastewater treatment plants may become platforms for recovering nutrients, reducing emissions, and supporting resource circulation.
Digital tools can play an important role in this transition. Sensors, data analysis, process modeling, and intelligent control can help operators understand what is happening inside treatment systems more clearly. These tools may also help improve stability, reduce unnecessary energy use, and support better decisions under changing wastewater conditions. At the same time, green technologies can help reduce environmental impacts and make nitrogen recovery more practical.
The key message of this study is that sustainable wastewater management requires both technological innovation and system-level thinking. Digitalization alone is not enough, and green treatment alone may also face practical limitations. When the two are connected, wastewater treatment can become more reliable, lower-carbon, and more resource-efficient.
"The twin transition provides a new pathway for connecting digital innovation with sustainable nitrogen management, helping wastewater systems move from pollution control toward circular resource recovery," says corresponding author Prof. Shu-Yuan Pan at the Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering at National Taiwan University.
Publication details
Hau-Ming Chang et al, Advancing twin transition in wastewater management for nitrogen cycle, Water Research (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2026.125948
Journal information: Water Research
Key concepts
waste treatment and disposal
recycling
water resource management
Energy utilization
Sustainability
Provided by National Taiwan University