Abstract
Although Greece has accomplished wastewater infrastructure construction to a large extent, as 91% of the country’s population is already connected to urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), many problems still need to be faced. These include the limited reuse of treated wastewater and of the surplus sludge (biosolids) produced, the relative higher energy consumption in the existing rather aged WWTPs infrastructure, and the proper management of failing or inadequately designed septic tank/soil absorption systems, still in use in several (mostly rural) areas, lacking sewerage systems. Moreover, the wastewater treatment sector should be examined in the general framework of sustainable environmental development; therefore, Greece’s future challenges in this sector ought to be reconsidered. Thus, the review of Greece’s urban wastewater history, even from the ancient times, up to current developments and trends, will be shortly addressed. This study also notes that the remaining challenges should be analyzed in respect to the country’s specific needs (e.g., interaction with the extensive tourism sector), as well as to the European Union’s relevant framework policies and to the respective international technological trends, aiming to consider the WWTPs not only as sites for the treatment/removal of pollutants to prevent environmental pollution, but also as industrial places where energy is efficiently used (or even produced), resources’ content can be potentially recovered and reused (e.g., nutrients, treated water, biosolids), and environmental sustainability is being practiced overall.
Highlights
Greece is located in the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula, bordering the Ionian, Aegean, and the Mediterranean Seas
The first combined flow sewerage system for the collection of both wastewaters and storm waters run-off was constructed for the first time in the modern history of Greece, noting, that Athens at that time was a small city with only 7000 residents
In the late 1980s, manufacturers who had successfully applied sludge thermal drying technologies in chemical and food industries, transferred existing technologies to sewage sludge [25]. The first such applications are reported in Avonmouth and Countess Wear in England [26], while by 1993 Membrane Biological Reactors (MBR) systems had been reported for use in sanitary application in Europe [27]
Summary
Greece is located in the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula, bordering the Ionian, Aegean, and the Mediterranean Seas. Even though the understanding of the various wastewater treatment processes is important, it is not within this paper’s intentions to provide here the in-depth explanations, which can be found elsewhere This mini-review intends to highlight the major aspects of Greece’s urban wastewater treatment history, its recent developments, and present situation, as well as to identify the remaining challenges, in respect to the country’s specifications, regarding the European Union’s policies and the international technological trends, so as WWTPs to be seen as sites for the treatment/removal of pollutants, and as “industrial” places, where energy can be efficiently used (and produced), and new products (recovery of resources’ content) and business opportunities would be created. We believe the readership of the Journal’s Special Issue would be interested in this mini-review, as it highlights municipal wastewater management of a particular country, but addresses a country’s own wastewater management path in respect to the global thinking of sustainable environmental development
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