New strategies in wastewater treatment plants to evaluate the achievement of sustainable development goals: a case study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Water treatment plant managers have to control quality and quantity indicators to regenerate water to be used in irrigation or other municipal services. The need to improve the performance indicators as well as the achievement of sustainability in the facilities implies the need for the development of decision-making procedures. This research proposes a new strategy based on the regulation of water systems to address not only the improvement of performance indicators and therefore of economic and sustainable fulfilment. As novel, the research suggests a new methodology for the application of these pointers to targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in waste-water treatment plants (WWTPs). It showed improvements that reduced energy consumption by 22% and an evaluation of the targets of the SDGs that reached 57% globally, establishing the way the SDGs alignment in the WWTPs. The research demonstrated the evaluation of SDGs is possible and effective to be evaluated.