Advances in the Field of Wastewater Treatment and Reuse

Dear Colleagues,

Since ancient times, humankind has used wastewater to satisfy the water demand in agriculture and animal husbandry, harnessing the organic residues as a source of nutrients for crops. Nevertheless, this practice conveyed a significant risk for spreading disease and the eutrophication of surface water bodies. In the early 20th century, sewage treatment systems reduced the proliferation of waterborne diseases at the time by removing organic matter in effluents, which resulted in safer reuse schemes. Still, wastewater systems were rapidly overwhelmed by the continuous release of new synthetic substances through sewage. Herbicides, pharmaceuticals, personal care products and, more recently, nanomaterials are poorly removed from sewage in most cases, resulting in a significant risk for those reusing wastewater and consuming crops irrigated with effluents. In recent decades, advanced treatment systems have been developed to remove recalcitrant and emerging pollutants, some of them based on multibarrier schemes and, more recently, have been used in biological systems aimed at nutrient recovery. Several challenges are ahead to achieve safe wastewater reuse in different regions. In the Global South, for instance, untreated sewage is frequently used in agricultural irrigation, and health and environmental risks are faced considering the payoffs related to this practice. An increase in soil organic matter, water-shortage relief, and aquifer recharge are some impacts on the physical sphere, whereas higher incomes and a reduction of migration and food security are positive impacts in the socioeconomic sphere. Even when tremendous advances have been achieved for safe wastewater reuse, most of these innovations have been developed and applied in the Global North. Moreover, some advanced wastewater treatments are not appropriate for impoverished regions, where electric power is scarce, for instance, raising the necessity of new research and technological developments aiming at providing ad hoc solutions for safer wastewater reuse schemes in developing countries. This is especially relevant in arid and semiarid areas (most of them in the Global South), where water and food security must be preserved for this and future generations.

This Special Issue is meant to cover new research on wastewater treatments for reuse in agriculture, animal husbandry, and drinking, with an emphasis on solutions for the Global South. The removal of persistent and emerging pollutants will be explored through advanced, conventional, and natural-based processes for sewage treatment systems. The risks related with the reuse of treated and untreated wastewater can be broadly discussed from different perspectives, on topics including (but not limited to) the spreading of antibiotic resistance, microbiological hazards, and epidemiological threats. Articles on wastewater-based epidemiology are also welcome.

You are kindly invited to contribute to this expert dialogue by exploring the current problems in this matter and proposing pertinent and innovative solutions to achieve safe wastewater reuse in a changing world.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in IJERPH.

Dr. Juan Carlos Durán-Álvarez
Guest Editor

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• advanced water treatment systems
• dryland development paradigm
• emerging pollutants
• Global North
• Global South
• natural attenuation processes
• pathogens
• risk assessment
• water shortage