Published Systems

This page documents the systems that have been/is being developed using QSDsan with links to the source codes in GitHub and publications.

Water Resource Recovery Facilities

Benchmark Simulation Models

The Modelling and Integrated Assessment (MIA) Specialist Group of the International Water Association has established benchmark simulation models (BSMs) to provide a consistent environment for wastewater treatment plant (WWTP)/water resource recovery facility (WRRF) evaluation (see BSM webpage and MATLAB implementation and report).

When publishing the paper that introduces QSDsan [1], we validated the process modeling and dynamic simulation capacities of QSDsan through BSM1 (bsm1 EXPOsan module, bsm1 archived codes). BSM2 is also implemented in EXPOsan.

WERF Treatment Trains

In Zhang et al., 2026 [2], we developed 18 benchmark combinations of liquid and solid treatment trains, which cover over 70% of the total treatment capacity of publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) in the Contiguous United States. These configurations were based on the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF, now a part of the Water Research Foundation, WRF), report on net-zero energy solutions for WRRFs [3].

These simulation models have been implemented in the werf EXPOsan module. More details can be found in the interactive page.

Distinguishing features of benchmark WRRF configurations. A WRRF configuration is referred to as a unique combination of a liquid code (a) and a solid code (b) as defined in [2]. Configurations followed by a star (*) are implemented in EXPOsan.

Other WRRFs

1. Validation of QSDsan implementation of the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) [4]

   • adm EXPOsan module

2. Validation of QSDsan implementation of the Activated Sludge Models (ASMs) [5]

   • asm EXPOsan module

3. Conventional activated sludge process

   • Publication: Shoener et al., 2016 [6]

   • cas EXPOsan module

   • cas archived codes

4. Modular encapsulated two-stage anaerobic biological (METAB) system

   • Publication: Zhang et al., 2024 [7]

   • metab EXPOsan module

5. EcoRecover system: microalgae-based tertiary P recovery process

   • Publication: Kim et al., 2025 [8]

   • pm2_batch EXPOsan module

   • pm2_ecorecover EXPOsan module

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Non-sewered sanitation systems (NSSSs)

Biogenic Refinery

• Publication: Rowles et al., 2022 [9]

• biogenic_refinery EXPOsan module

• biogenic_refinery archived codes

Bwaise

• Publication: Trimmer et al., 2020 [10]

• bwaise EXPOsan module

• bwaise Trimmer et al archived codes; bwaise Li and Zhang et al archived codes

Eco-San

• eco_san EXPOsan module

NEWgenerator

• Publication: Watabe et al., 2023 [11]

• new_generator EXPOsan module

• new_generator archived codes

Reclaimer

• reclaimer EXPOsan module

SCG Zyclonic

• scg_zyclonic EXPOsan module

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Other Systems

1. Hydrothermal systems for biobinder and biofuels from food waste

   • Publication: Ahmand et al., 2026 [12]

   • biobinder EXPOsan module

2. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) Synthesis from Urine

   • Publication: Müller et al., 2025 [13]

   • hap EXPOsan module

3. Hydrothermal systems for fuel and fertilizer production from wet organic wastes

   • Publication: Feng et al., 2024 [14]

   • htl EXPOsan module

4. Point-of-use disinfection technologies

   • Publication: Elijah et al., 2024 [15]

   • pou_disinfection EXPOsan module

5. Hydrothermal systems for sustainable aviation fuel from food waste

   • Publication: Si et al., 2026 [16]

   • saf EXPOsan module

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Other Publications

The following publications also used QSDsan for process modeling and/or sustainability assessment:

1. DMsan: A Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Framework and Package to Characterize Contextualized Sustainability of Sanitation and Resource Recovery Technologies

2. Defining Economic and Environmental Typologies across 77 Countries to Prioritize Opportunities for Nonsewered Sanitation

3. Advancing the Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Rare Earth Element Recovery from Phosphogypsum

4. N2O as reactant rather than pollutant at wastewater treatment plants: Life Cycle Assessment and Techno-Economic Analysis of N2O-to-phenol

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[1]

Li, Y.; Zhang, X.; Morgan, V. L.; Lohman, H. A. C.; Rowles, L. S.; Mittal, S.; Kogler, A.; Cusick, R. D.; Tarpeh, W. A.; Guest, J. S. QSDsan: An Integrated Platform for Quantitative Sustainable Design of Sanitation and Resource Recovery Systems. Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol. 2022, 8 (10), 2289–2303. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2EW00455K.

[2] (1,2)

Zhang, X.; Rai, S.; Wang, Z.; Li, Y.; Guest, J. S. An Agile Benchmarking Framework for Wastewater Resource Recovery Technologies. npj Clean Water 2025, 9 (1), 4. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00537-4.

[3]

Tarallo, S., Shaw, A., Kohl, P. & Eschborn, R. A Guide to Net-Zero Energy Solutions for Water Resource Recovery Facilities. https://iwaponline.com/ebooks/book/293/ (2015).

[4]

IWA Task Group for Mathematical Modelling of Anaerobic Digestion Processes. Anaerobic Digestion Model No.1 (ADM1); IWA Publishing, 2005. https://doi.org/10.2166/9781780403052

[5]

Henze, M.; Gujer, W.; Mino, T.; van Loosedrecht, M. Activated Sludge Models ASM1, ASM2, ASM2d and ASM3. Water Intelligence Online 2006, 5 (0), 9781780402369–9781780402369. https://doi.org/10.2166/9781780402369.

[6]

Shoener, B. D.; Zhong, C.; Greiner, A. D.; Khunjar, W. O.; Hong, P.-Y.; Guest, J. S. Design of Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors for the Valorization of Dilute Organic Carbon Waste Streams. Energy Environ. Sci. 2016, 9 (3), 1102–1112. https://doi.org/10.1039/C5EE03715H.

[7]

Zhang, X.; Arnold, W. A.; Wright, N.; Novak, P. J.; Guest, J. S. Prioritization of Early-Stage Research and Development of a Hydrogel-Encapsulated Anaerobic Technology for Distributed Treatment of High Strength Organic Wastewater. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2024, 58 (44), 19651–19665. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c05389.

[8]

Kim, G.-Y.; Molitor, H. R.; Zhang, X.; Li, Y.; Shoener, B. D.; Schramm, S. M.; Morgenroth, E.; Snowling, S. D.; Hartnett, E.; Bradley, I. M.; Pinto, A. J.; Guest, J. S. Development of an Open-Source Process Simulator for Microalgae-Based Tertiary Phosphorus Recovery. npj Clean Water 2025, 9 (1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00545-4.

[9]

Rowles, L. S.; Morgan, V. L.; Li, Y.; Zhang, X.; Watabe, S.; Stephen, T.; Lohman, H. A. C.; DeSouza, D.; Hallowell, J.; Cusick, R. D.; Guest, J. S. Financial Viability and Environmental Sustainability of Fecal Sludge Treatment with Pyrolysis Omni Processors. ACS Environ. Au 2022, 2 (5), 455–466. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenvironau.2c00022.

[10]

Trimmer, J. T.; Lohman, H. A. C.; Byrne, D. M.; Houser, S. A.; Jjuuko, F.; Katende, D.; Banadda, N.; Zerai, A.; Miller, D. C.; Guest, J. S. Navigating Multidimensional Social–Ecological System Trade-Offs across Sanitation Alternatives in an Urban Informal Settlement. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2020, 54 (19), 12641–12653. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c03296.

[11]

Watabe, S.; Lohman, H. A. C.; Li, Y.; Morgan, V. L.; Rowles, L. S.; Stephen, T.; Shyu, H.-Y.; Bair, R. A.; Castro, C. J.; Cusick, R. D.; Yeh, D. H.; Guest, J. S. Advancing the Economic and Environmental Sustainability of the NEWgenerator Nonsewered Sanitation System. ACS Environ. Au 2023, 3 (4), 209–222. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenvironau.3c00001.

[12]

Ahmad, A.; Kawale, H. D.; Summers, S.; Bogarin Cantero, B. C.; Allen, C. M.; Hajj, R. M.; Davidson, P. C.; Zhang, Y.; Li, Y. Financial Viability and Carbon Intensity of Hydrothermal Waste Valorization Systems for Bio-Based Asphalt Binder. Chemical Engineering Journal 2026, 528, 172283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.172283.

[13]

Müller, I. E.; Lin, A. Y. W.; Otani, Y.; Zhang, X.; Wu, Z.-Y.; Kisailus, D.; Mouncey, N. J.; Guest, J. S.; Rad, B.; Ercius, P.; Yoshikuni, Y. Cost-Effective Urine Recycling Enabled by a Synthetic Osteoyeast Platform for Production of Hydroxyapatite. Nat Commun 2025, 16 (1), 4216. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59416-8.

[14]

Feng, J.; Strathmann, T. J.; Guest, J. S. Hydrothermal-Based Wastewater Solids Management for Targeted Resource Recovery and Decarbonization in the Contiguous U.S. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c07190.

[15]

Elijah, B. C.; Ahmad, A.; Li, Y.; Plazas-Tuttle, J.; Rowles, L. S. Assessing the Relative Sustainability of Point-of-Use Water Disinfection Technologies for Off-Grid Communities. ACS Environ. Au 2024, 4 (5), 248–259. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00017.

[16]

Si, B.; Wang, Z.; Watson, J.; Summers, S.; Li, Y.; Yu, S.; Yang, H.; Yang, Z.; Heyne, J. S.; Jiang, J.; Ren, Z. J.; Ma, H.; Wang, C.; Wang, P.; Zhang, Y. A Circular Hydrothermal Refinery for Sustainable Aviation Fuel from Food Waste. Nat Sustain 2026, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-026-01848-1.