VRCRI
Explore the system

Regenerative Systems Atlas

Explore the connected wastewater-to-regeneration system.

Eighteen research domains, each with three subtopics, linked by explained relationships. The domains are an editorial taxonomy, not performance ratings of any utility. Relationships are original synthesis. Related sources are shown for context and do not prove a relationship.

Directory of domains

The same 18 domains as a list. Works without hover or the graph.

Domain H / Cross-cutting

Contaminant fate

Capture, transfer, transformation and verified destruction are different outcomes that must not be conflated.

Subtopics

  • PFAS and emerging contaminants. Treat each contaminant class and exposure route with current evidence.
  • Metals, pathogens and organics. Track different forms of hazard with material-specific testing.
  • Fate, mass balance and verification. Distinguish capture, transfer, immobilisation and destruction.

Where a decision here travels

Domains reached by following the selected relationship types, by number of steps. Structural reach only; it does not show material flow or size of effect.

Downstream

  1. 1 step: ;
  2. 2 steps: ; ;
  3. 3 steps: ;

Upstream

  1. 1 step: ; ;

Feedback loops through this domain (0)

No closed loop passes through this domain in the register.

Relationships (5)

  • Dependency

    Source identification and acceptance to PFAS and emerging contaminants: Known source and acceptance determine contaminant risk across downstream materials.

    Question raised: Which decisions in A Source control or H Contaminant fate must be settled before the other can be treated as fixed?

    Why connected? (R01)
    Basis: Editorial systems synthesis
    Editorial systems synthesis supplied in the VRCRI relationship register. No source is registered as direct support, and none is registered as qualifying or contrary.
    What remains uncertain
    How strongly one side depends on the other depends on the site, the technology and the regulatory context. No magnitude is asserted.
    Direct supporting evidence
    None registered.
    Qualifying or contradictory evidence
    None registered.

    Draft analysis (not reviewed)

    Written to be checked, not relied on. No source supports it yet.

    1. Relationship and direction
    Dependency: Source identification and acceptance (domain A) to PFAS and emerging contaminants (domain H).
    2. Proposed mechanism
    What a utility knows about who discharges to the sewer, and what it agrees to accept, may set which contaminants can reach the solids and liquids. Inputs that are not screened leave the contaminant profile uncertain.
    3. Why it matters
    It affects how much testing a downstream material may need before any use is considered.
    4. What it could change
    Upstream: Discharger screening and acceptance criteria. Downstream: Testing scope, product qualification and destination options.
    5. Source support
    None reviewed. 3 unchecked research leads are queued for review. Leads are not support.
    6. Limits and alternatives
    Source control does not remove contaminants already in the network or arriving from diffuse household sources, and it does not replace measuring the actual material.
    7. What would settle it
    Catchment discharger records compared with measured PFAS in influent and solids over time.
  • Evidence required

    Gas, char and residual handling to Fate, mass balance and verification: Fate proof must include all important process output streams.

    Question raised: What would have to be shown in G Pyrolysis and thermal processing before a claim in H Contaminant fate can be made?

    Why connected? (R16)
    Basis: Editorial systems synthesis
    Editorial systems synthesis supplied in the VRCRI relationship register. No source is registered as direct support, and none is registered as qualifying or contrary.
    What remains uncertain
    What counts as sufficient evidence is set by the relevant regulator, scheme or study design. None is specified here.
    Direct supporting evidence
    None registered.
    Qualifying or contradictory evidence
    None registered.

    Draft analysis (not reviewed)

    Written to be checked, not relied on. No source supports it yet.

    1. Relationship and direction
    Evidence required: Gas, char and residual handling (domain G) to Fate, mass balance and verification (domain H).
    2. Proposed mechanism
    A claim about what happens to a contaminant needs measurement across all significant output streams. Capture in one stream is not the same as destruction.
    3. Why it matters
    It separates demonstrated fate from assumed fate.
    4. What it could change
    Upstream: Sampling of every output stream. Downstream: Any claim about contaminant fate.
    5. Source support
    None reviewed. 4 unchecked research leads are queued for review. Leads are not support.
    6. Limits and alternatives
    Analytical methods for some contaminants are still developing, and mass-balance closure may not be achievable.
    7. What would settle it
    A balance across all outputs, with documented analytical methods.
  • Constraint

    PFAS and emerging contaminants to Batch testing and qualified use: Contaminant profile constrains product qualification and lawful use.

    Question raised: Which limits in H Contaminant fate narrow what J Product formulation and quality assurance can do?

    Why connected? (R17)
    Basis: Editorial systems synthesis
    Editorial systems synthesis supplied in the VRCRI relationship register. No source is registered as direct support, and none is registered as qualifying or contrary.
    What remains uncertain
    Which limits apply and what their values are depends on jurisdiction and site. No limit values are asserted.
    Direct supporting evidence
    None registered.
    Qualifying or contradictory evidence
    None registered.

    Draft analysis (not reviewed)

    Written to be checked, not relied on. No source supports it yet.

    1. Relationship and direction
    Constraint: PFAS and emerging contaminants (domain H) to Batch testing and qualified use (domain J).
    2. Proposed mechanism
    The measured contaminant profile of a batch determines whether it meets the criteria for a particular use.
    3. Why it matters
    Eligibility for a use depends on testing, not on the process alone.
    4. What it could change
    Upstream: Sampling and analytical suites. Downstream: Eligible uses and restrictions.
    5. Source support
    None reviewed. 4 unchecked research leads are queued for review; SRC-002, SRC-003 in the register may be relevant context. Leads are not support.
    6. Limits and alternatives
    Criteria and methods are changing, and rules vary by jurisdiction.
    7. What would settle it
    Batch analyses compared with the current regulatory criteria.
  • Evidence required

    Fate, mass balance and verification to Evidence, provenance and audit: Destruction claims require documented mass-balance and test records.

    Question raised: What would have to be shown in H Contaminant fate before a claim in R Governance and evidence can be made?

    Why connected? (R18)
    Basis: Editorial systems synthesis
    Editorial systems synthesis supplied in the VRCRI relationship register. No source is registered as direct support, and none is registered as qualifying or contrary.
    What remains uncertain
    What counts as sufficient evidence is set by the relevant regulator, scheme or study design. None is specified here.
    Direct supporting evidence
    None registered.
    Qualifying or contradictory evidence
    None registered.

    Draft analysis (not reviewed)

    Written to be checked, not relied on. No source supports it yet.

    1. Relationship and direction
    Evidence required: Fate, mass balance and verification (domain H) to Evidence, provenance and audit (domain R).
    2. Proposed mechanism
    A fate claim is only as strong as the records behind it. Audit needs traceable data, methods and mass balances.
    3. Why it matters
    It determines whether a removal or destruction claim can be defended.
    4. What it could change
    Upstream: The measurement programme. Downstream: The audit trail.
    5. Source support
    None reviewed. 4 unchecked research leads are queued for review. Leads are not support.
    6. Limits and alternatives
    Audit expectations depend on the claim being made.
    7. What would settle it
    A recorded method and dataset that a third party can check.
  • Evidence required

    Filtration or adsorbent media to Fate, mass balance and verification: Spent sorbent fate matters even if an inlet stream was cleaned.

    Question raised: What would have to be shown in L Other land uses before a claim in H Contaminant fate can be made?

    Why connected? (R26)
    Basis: Editorial systems synthesis
    Editorial systems synthesis supplied in the VRCRI relationship register. No source is registered as direct support, and none is registered as qualifying or contrary.
    What remains uncertain
    What counts as sufficient evidence is set by the relevant regulator, scheme or study design. None is specified here.
    Direct supporting evidence
    None registered.
    Qualifying or contradictory evidence
    None registered.

    Draft analysis (not reviewed)

    Written to be checked, not relied on. No source supports it yet.

    1. Relationship and direction
    Evidence required: Filtration or adsorbent media (domain L) to Fate, mass balance and verification (domain H).
    2. Proposed mechanism
    Spent media concentrates what it captures, so the fate of the spent media determines the final fate of the substance.
    3. Why it matters
    Cleaning one stream does not settle where the substance goes.
    4. What it could change
    Upstream: Media selection and loading. Downstream: Regeneration, disposal and fate claims.
    5. Source support
    None reviewed. 3 unchecked research leads are queued for review. Leads are not support.
    6. Limits and alternatives
    Fate depends on how the spent media is managed.
    7. What would settle it
    Records of spent media quantity, contaminant content and destination.

Claim status: Interpretation. This is original synthesis, not measured data or a performance rating.