China's wastewater treatment: Status quo and sustainability perspectives

Abstract

After decades of rapid development, China has accomplished the transition of wastewater treatment from underdevelopment to an industrial powerhouse, and China's wastewater treatment has also developed rapidly and achieved some progress in pollution reduction, infrastructure construction, technological innovation, and model management. In this work, the status quo and development trend of wastewater treatment in China were comprehensively and heuristically reviewed. Firstly, the industrial wastewater treatment mode and technology shift induced by the policies and the corresponding emerging problems, as well as some coping strategies were summarized in detail. Then, the achievement and existing limitations of domestic wastewater treatment during the urbanization process were proposed, including the achievement of municipal wastewater treatment, and the dilemma of rural sewage treatment. Thirdly, the actions to help realize the sustainable development of wastewater treatment were also described, focusing more on the water environment safety and solutions for carbon-neutral promotion. This review aims to offer inspiration for further directions in the field of China's wastewater treatment based on historical development progress.