Breaking Barriers to Wastewater Reuse as a Resource for Irrigation Sustainability: Challenges, Innovations, and Future Directions
A special issue of Resources (ISSN 2079-9276).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2027 | Viewed by 95
Special Issue Editor
Interests: environmental engineering; sustainable management; soil and water chemistry; soil restoration and remediation; desalination & wastewater treatment; water security; arid and semi-arid regions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The global water crisis is exacerbated due to population growth, industrialization, urbanization, agriculture, climate change, and limited water resources. Irrigation for agriculture can account for up to 70% of global freshwater withdrawals, driving the development of innovative technologies and strategies to promote sustainable water management and reduce this substantial demand. By 2030, global water demand may reach ~160% of the currently available supply. Water reuse has been adopted across continents, including water-rich countries like Canada and Brazil, and is applied in agriculture, industry, groundwater recharge, and other sectors. The primary aim of this Special Issue is to address the barriers to agricultural water reuse/ recycling, encompassing its challenges, innovations, and future directions. Farmers, stakeholders, and governments may encounter seventeen major obstacles to wastewater reuse/ recycling. Interdisciplinary contributions that offer practical solutions to these obstacles are welcome, aiming to bridge the gap between theoretical research and field-scale implementation. To provide a comprehensive framework, these 17 challenges have been categorized into four strategic themes: Technical, Infrastructure, Economic, and Social and Policy. These challenges could be summarized as follows.
Theme I: Technical Innovation and Quality Assurance
- The characteristics of reclaimed water;
- Insufficient nutrients in treated wastewater resulting from high-efficiency processes (e.g., tertiary treatment);
- Negative impacts on soil, plants, and human beings;
- Excessive concentrations of nutrients (nutrient toxicity) in wastewater receiving only pre-treatment or in areas distant from advanced WWTPs;
- Occurrence of micro pollutants in wastewater.
Theme II: Infrastructure Resilience and Engineering Excellence
- Amounts/availability of treated wastewater;
- Construction of water reservoirs;
- Insufficient capacity of Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs);
- Locations of the WWTPs;
- Proper irrigation system for the treated wastewater.
Theme III: Economic Viability and Financial Sustainability
- Imbalance between demand and supply for treated wastewater;
- The financial challenges;
- High costs associated with testing/analysis of treated wastewater.
Theme IV: Governance and Policy and Social Dynamics
- Public acceptance and building social trust;
- Comprehensive regulations worldwide for wastewater reuse/ recycling;
- Coordination between governing agencies;
- The lack of knowledge about the criteria for the reusing/ recycling of reclaimed water.
Dr. Ahmed Abou-Shady
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- agricultural water reuse
- circular economy
- wastewater recycling barriers
- water security
- emerging contaminants
- public acceptance
- sustainable irrigation
- water governance
- arid and semi-arid regions
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