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Wastewater Reuse and Sustainability

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Water Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2022) | Viewed by 20671

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mustafa Al Aukidy

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad,Iraq; Department of Engineering, University of Ferrara, Via Saragat 1, 44122 Ferrara, Italy
Interests: water treatment, wastewater treatment, hospital wastewater, wastewater reuse, micropollutants, environmental risks
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Dr. Paola Verlicchi

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Guest Editor

Department of Engineering, University of Ferrara, Via Saragat 1, 44122 Ferrara, Italy
Interests: wastewater treatment and options for reuse; occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern in water environments; removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater; hospital effluent management and treatment; polishing treatments’ constructed wetlands; disinfection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the scarcity of fresh water resources, the reuse of wastewater could be a sustainable option to alleviate the water shortage in different parts of the worlds, and so far, the the reuse of wastewater in various sectors has been implemented, with the most popular in the field of agricultural irrigation.

The main advantages of reusing treated wastewater are the availability, the low cost of irrigating agricultural land, and the fact of being a constant source of water. Other benefits of wastewater reuse are the ability to use nutrients in wastewater, reducing the use of fertilizers, solving problems associated with wastewater disposal, and recharging groundwater. So today, the practice of wastewater reuse is adopted in various countries as part of sustainable water management.

There is no common regulation of wastewater reuse worldwide due to different climatic, geological and geographical conditions, water resources, type of crops and soil characteristics, socio and economic aspects and political strategies. Some countries and organizations have already established standards for reuse such as US EPA, California, WHO, FAO, France, Jordan, Tunisia and Italy. Most developing countries have adopted national standards based on the guidelines set by FAO, WHO, California, etc.

This Special Issue will include a selection of papers that promot sustainable development of wastewater management in agriculture, industrial and urban reuse. Papers selected for this Special Issue will be subject to a rigorous peer-review process with the aim of rapid and wide dissemination of research results, developments, and applications.

Dr. Mustafa Al Aukidy
Prof. Paola Verlicchi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

wastewater reuse
wastewater management
sustainability
agricultural reuse
industrial reuse
advanced wastewater treatment

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2725 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physicochemical Characterization of Natural Rocks and Their Applications for Wastewater Treatment

by Abdelkader T. Ahmed, Qazi Umar Farooq and Hamad Almohamadi

Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2177; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14042177 - 14 Feb 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1226

Abstract

Arid countries such as Arabian Gulf countries are suffering from a water shortage, especially with the recent high-water demand. The best solution for this shortage is the management of currently available water resources, through the reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation purposes. This solution also solves the problem of regularization of wastewater discharge, with positive impacts on the environment. This study aimed to apply an innovative, advanced method for treating wastewater with a favorable environment, low economic cost, and less energy consumption. The research investigated the possibility of using natural rocks such as volcanic and zeolite for advanced treatment of wastewater effluent. The research methodology relied on an experimental work in the lab scales and applied on materials available in Saudi Arabia. The experiments included a leaching batch test to first examine what leaches out from these rocks into water. Then, the materials were tested with wastewater effluent. The main mechanism of treatment was based on the absorption process. The results exhibited significant improvement in the water quality of treated wastewater. On the other hand, the results of the leaching tests showed many ions being dissolved from both rocks into water; thus, it is recommended to soak and flush these solid materials with clean water before using them for the treatment process. Further research is required to determine the best pretreated methods to be applied on these rocks to improve their performance as absorbents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wastewater Reuse and Sustainability)

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18 pages, 3915 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fermentation of Washed Rice Water Increases Beneficial Plant Bacterial Population and Nutrient Concentrations

by Abba Nabayi, Christopher Teh Boon Sung, Ali Tan Kee Zuan and Tan Ngai Paing

Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13437; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132313437 - 04 Dec 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 15598

Abstract

Washed rice water (WRW) is said to be a beneficial plant fertilizer because of its nutrient content. However, rigorous scientific studies to ascertain its efficiency are lacking. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of fermenting WRW on the bacterial population and identification, and to measure how fermentation affects the nutrient composition of WRW. Rice grains were washed in a volumetric water-to-rice ratio of 3:1 and at a constant speed of 80 rpm for all treatments. The treatments were WRW fermented at 0 (unfermented), 3, 6, and 9 days. Bacterial N fixation and P and K solubilization abilities in the fermented WRW were assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The isolated bacterial strains and the WRW samples were also tested for catalase and indole acetic acid (IAA) production ability. Significantly greater N fixation, P and K solubilization, and IAA production were recorded after 3 days of fermentation compared with other fermentation periods, with increases of 46.9–83.3%, 48.2–84.1%, 73.7–83.6%, and 13.3–85.5%, respectively, in addition to the highest (2.12 × 10⁸ CFU mL⁻¹) total bacterial population. Twelve bacteria strains were isolated from the fermented WRW, and the gene identification showed the presence of beneficial bacteria Bacillus velezensis, Enterobacter spp., Pantoea agglomerans, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia at the different fermentation periods. All the identified microbes (except Enterobacter sp. Strain WRW-7) were positive for catalase production. Similarly, all the microbes could produce IAA, with Enterobacter spp. strain WRW-10 recording the highest IAA of up to 73.7% higher than other strains. Generally, with increasing fermentation periods, the nutrients N, S, P, K, Mg,

{NH}_{4}^{+}

, and

{NO}_{3}^{-}

increased, while pH, C, and Cu decreased. Therefore, fermentation of WRW can potentially increase plant growth and enhance soil health because of WRW’s nutrients and microbial promotional effect, particularly after 3 days of fermentation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wastewater Reuse and Sustainability)

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Review

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14 pages, 1894 KiB

Open AccessReview

Environmental, Economic, and Social Potentialities of Ornamental Vegetation Cultivated in Constructed Wetlands of Mexico

by Irma Zitácuaro-Contreras, Monserrat Vidal-Álvarez, María Graciela Hernández y Orduña, Sergio Aurelio Zamora-Castro, Erick Arturo Betanzo-Torres, José Luis Marín-Muñíz and Luis Carlos Sandoval-Herazo

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6267; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13116267 - 01 Jun 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2969

Abstract

Sustainable development implies the proper use of natural resources, such as water resources, but the environmental, economic, and social benefits should also be considered. In the water sector, for example, sanitation is one of the challenges that arise in rural localities. However, issues related to it may be solved with the use of constructed wetlands (CWs), which may allow the cultivation of ornamental plants with phytoremediation properties. Through a content analysis, the environmental, economic, and social potential of ornamental species used in Mexico for phytoremediation in CWs is documented in this study. The environmental potential of the plants was considered based on their phytoremediation properties. The economic potential was determined from research articles and from the National Agri-Food Information System. The social potential was analyzed considering the ornamental and artisanal use of the plants. In total, 21 species of phytoremediation plants were identified. Anthurium andreanum and Zantedeschia aethiopica stand out for their commercial value, reported in 2018 to be 272,875 and 30,318 USD, respectively, at the national level. The social potential was identified by the ornamental or artisanal use for flower arrangements and weaving. This study reveals that the use of CWs with ornamental vegetation is a sustainable option to clean wastewater, reuse water, and generate economic incentives. Thus, it is essential to provide the community with adequate training for the management of CWs in those sites that lack treatment systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wastewater Reuse and Sustainability)

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