Water Reuse Projects Research Articles

Feasibility of Using Reclaimed Water from the Alegria Wastewater Treatment Plant in Concrete Mixing Plants in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Due to the rising costs of transportation and the more advanced treatment needed to meet the water demands of the urban population, the costs of potable water tend to increase as cities expand. For some water uses, potable water is not required, such as concrete mixing industries. Previous studies have proven the viability of using reused water in concrete production. In Caju, Rio de Janeiro, four large concrete mixing plants (CMPs) are located close to the Alegria Wastewater Treatment Plant. This study focused on assessing the technical and financial feasibility of reusing these effluents as an alternative source of water for the four CMPs. The alternatives were potable and reused water via two supply methods, water tank trucks and pipelines. All costs were analyzed and projected into the future with the market cost of capital. After comparing the costs, the use of reclaimed water proved to be highly feasible, especially when a using pipeline to supply the CMPs. The present costs for the reclaimed water supply were calculated to be USD 0.99 per m3 for the pipeline alternative and the other alternatives varied in being 5 to 7 times more costly. This water reuse project using pipelines to transport reclaimed water to concrete mixing plants provides a feasible, sustainable alternative water supply in water stressed regions such as Rio de Janeiro.

A communication strategy for water reuse in South Africa

ABSTRACT Water-scarce regions, including South Africa, have identified water reuse as one of the promising solutions to augment water supply to meet the ever-increasing demand for freshwater resources. However, public perceptions have been identified as a critical factor, which can either facilitate the success and acceptance of water reuse projects or become a formidable barrier. To address this challenge in South Africa, the National Strategy for Water Reuse calls for the development of a national communication strategy to promote understanding of water reuse and foster its public acceptance. This paper outlines the journey from consultation with stakeholders to development of a national communication strategy for water reuse in South Africa. The strategy has been crafted using a framework that is based on an understanding of the complex interplay of public opinions and perceptions of water reuse. The strategy targets public education and aims to empower the public to become water reuse literate. The framework used to develop the strategy is versatile, and capable of effectively addressing the multi-dimensional and context-specific aspects of water reuse.

Public acceptance in direct potable water reuse: a call for incorporating responsible research and innovation

ABSTRACT As global issues such as climate change and diminishing resources become increasingly pressing, water recycling has moved into the focus. However, the successful implementation of Direct Potable Water Reuse (DPR) projects hinges on securing public acceptance, which remains challenging. This paper aims to flesh out possible reasons for the lingering public rejection of DPR. We will do so by conducting a literature review on how public acceptance is understood and what approaches are proposed to enhance it. These approaches are analyzed using Responsible Research and Innovation principles and the `opening up', `closing down' and `leaving ajar' approaches. Our research identifies an overreliance on the controversial information deficit model, closing down large parts of public engagement. We advocate for becoming more inclusive through the `leaving ajar' approach. Particularly, attention should be paid to reflexivity and responsiveness to public concerns to ensure meaningful public engagement.

‘Squeezing Out’ the Nile Delta’s Drainage Water to Irrigate Egypt’s Desert Land

Egypt’s quota of Nile River water has been constant since the 1950s, despite the continual agricultural land expansion. To facilitate land reclamation, Egypt has reallocated Nile water from downstream users, mostly smallholders in the ‘old lands’ of the Delta. As water demands have grown, more attention has gone to the reuse of waste/drainage water as a reliable source for irrigated agriculture in the “old lands”. Recently, new mega plants for drainage water treatment have been built to promote reclamation of ‘new lands’ in desert-front governorates located outside the Nile Delta. Through these plants and the related water conveyance infrastructure, drainage water from the ‘old lands’ is now being collected, treated, and reallocated to these newly reclaimed areas. This article scrutinizes this transformation of access to drainage water, examining who benefits and what implications it holds for smallholder farmers in the old lands. The analysis suggests that waste/drainage water reclamation schemes do not tap into unused water but actually risk depriving smallholders in the Nile Delta of water access. It argues that more attention should be given to existing informal reuse arrangements and that smallholders’ access to water is guaranteed in light of new drainage water reuse projects.

Public Acceptance of Water Reuse: Barriers and Facilitators in Yazd, Iran, in 2020

Introduction: Droughts and precipitation imbalances in various parts of the world have underscored the significance of alternative water resources. In recent years, recycled water has emerged as a viable alternative, with wastewater being treated to a safe level for diverse purposes. However, the public acceptance of water reuse plays a pivotal role in determining the success of recycling initiatives. This study aims to identify the barriers and facilitators influencing public acceptance of water reuse in Yazd, Iran, during 2020.
 Material and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study involving 384 individuals in Yazd city during 2020 was conducted. Participants were selected using the stratified sampling method. The data collection tool consisted of a researcher-made questionnaire, and the collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Pearson correlation test in SPSS software version 23.
 Results: The most crucial facilitator for acceptance was the concept of segregating drinking water and recycled water networks. The primary barrier to acceptance was the perceived risk of recycled water contamination and potential health hazards. Water reuse was most widely accepted for construction purposes, followed by toilet flush tanks and irrigation of green spaces in parks and sports fields. A positive correlation (r = 0.416) existed between facilitators and acceptance of water reuse, indicating that enhancing facilitators positively affected acceptance.
 Conclusion: To successfully implement water reuse projects, it is essential to consider key facilitators such as segregated water systems for different household uses, raising public awareness about the benefits of water reuse, and building public trust in recycled water safety.

Reuse of Treated Wastewater: Drivers, Regulations, Technologies, Case Studies, and Greater Chicago Area Experiences

Water reuse is a practical solution to augment water supplies in areas where water resources are increasingly scarce. Water reuse technology is versatile and can be used to alleviate the different causes of water scarcity, such as groundwater depletion or increased availability of brackish water. Treatment technologies can be tailored specifically to the end use of recycled water, focusing on these drivers that are region-specific, for a more cost-effective treatment system. This is called a “Fit-for-Purpose” strategy that is commonly implemented in any water reuse project. However, implementing water reuse can be challenging due to infrastructural requirements, economic issues, and social acceptance. To help navigate these challenges, this article provides a comprehensive review of water reuse cases and presents guidelines that can act as a reference framework for future water reuse projects. This article also makes the case for implementing water reuse in the Greater Chicago area as a means of alleviating pressure on withdrawals from Lake Michigan.

Actor Roles and Networks in Implementing Urban Water Innovation: A Study of Onsite Water Reuse in the San Francisco Bay Area.

As climate change and rapid urbanization stress our aging water infrastructure, cities are under increasing pressure to develop more flexible, resilient, and modular water management systems. In response, onsite water reuse practices have been adopted by several cities globally. In addition to technological innovation, these novel water treatment systems also require new stakeholder collaborations, relationships, and processes to support them. There are, however, few models for stakeholder arrangements that support and encourage the adoption and success of such infrastructure. In this paper, we use interviews with stakeholders involved in onsite water reuse projects in the San Francisco Bay Area to create a social network map that describes the interactions between stakeholders at large and during specific phases of project implementation. Using qualitative content analysis of expert interviews and social network analysis, we identify four actor roles that are key to the functioning of this novel water infrastructure paradigm─specialists, continuity providers, program champions, and conveners─and discuss the importance of each role through the course of project implementation. These findings can be helpful for policy interventions and outreach efforts by other cities and communities looking to implement onsite water systems.

Optimal design of water reuse networks in cities through decision support tool development and testing

Water scarcity and droughts are an increasing issue in many parts of the world. In the context of urban water systems, the transition to circularity may imply wastewater treatment and reuse. Planning and assessment of water reuse projects require decision-makers evaluating the cost and benefits of alternative scenarios. Manual or semi-automatic approaches are still common practice for planning both drinking and reclaimed water distribution networks. This work illustrates a decision support tool that, based on open data sources and graph theory coupled to greedy optimization algorithms, is able to automatically compute the optimal reclaimed water network for a given scenario. The tool provides not only the maximum amount of served reclaimed water per unit of invested cost, but also the length and diameters of the pipes required, the location and size of storage tanks, the population served, and the construction costs, i.e., everything under the same architecture. The usefulness of the tool is illustrated in two different but complementary cities in terms of size, density, and topography. The construction cost of the optimal water reclaimed network for a city of approximately 100,000 inhabitants is estimated to be in the range of €0.17–0.22/m3 (for a payback period of 30 years).

Selection of indicator contaminants of emerging concern when reusing reclaimed water for irrigation — A proposed methodology

Organic and microbial contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), even though not yet regulated, are of great concern in reclaimed water reuse projects. Due to the large number of CECs and their different characteristics, it is useful to include only a limited number of them in monitoring programs. The selection of the most representative CECs is still a current and open question. This study presents a new methodology for this scope, in particular for the evaluation of the performance of a polishing treatment and the assessment of the risk for the environment and the irrigated crops. As to organic CECs, the methodology is based on four criteria (occurrence, persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity) expressed in terms of surrogates (respectively, concentrations in the secondary effluent, removal achieved in conventional activated sludge systems, Log Kow and predicted-no-effect concentration). It consists of: (i) development of a dataset including the CECs found in the secondary effluent, together with the corresponding values of surrogates found in the literature or by in-field investigations; (ii) normalization step with the assignment of a score between 1 (low environmental impact) and 5 (high environmental impact) to the different criteria based on threshold values set according to the literature and experts' judgement; (iii) CEC ranking according to their final score obtained as the sum of the specific scores; and (iv) selection of the representative CECs for the different needs.Regarding microbial CECs, the selection is based on their occurrence and their highest detection frequency in the secondary effluent and in the receiving water, the antibiotic consumption patterns, and recommendations by national and international organisations.The methodology was applied within the ongoing reuse project SERPIC resulting in a list of 30 indicator CECs, including amoxicillin, bisphenol A, ciprofloxacin, diclofenac, erythromycin, ibuprofen, iopromide, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, Escherichia coli, faecal coliform, 16S rRNA, sul1, and sul2.

Quantitative study for the effect of water velocity on water quality change

Atmospheric reaeration process plays a key role in degradation of organic matter and self-purification processes affecting dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in rivers and streams. Moreover, water quality (WQ) processes can be highly dependent on flow velocity conditions. Where, highly reaeration rates are positively correlated with high flow velocity. Therefore, the present work reports deep insights on the role of flow velocity with reaeration process in the concentration of DO and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5). This study was applied along the largest agricultural drainage water reuse project, El-Salam Canal in Egypt. The hydrodynamic (HD) characteristics and WQ parameters (DO and BOD5) along the canal were simulated using a one-dimensional HD and WQ model (MIKE 11). The simulated results indicated that the canal was deteriorated towards El-Salam Canal after mixing with El-Serw and Bahr Hadous drains. Statistical regression fitted line and Pearson correlation analysis, were performed on the simulation results of the reaeration rates with flow velocity and WQ values, indicating a significant correlation. Accordingly, water velocity should be taken into account as a key factor for describing the WQ change.

Identifying Opportunities for Nonpotable Water Reuse Based on Potential Supplies and Demands in the United States

Water scarcity threatens the well-being of individuals, the natural environment, and economic systems that function within society. Faced with growing and evolving water supply concerns, many utilities and industries have relied on nontraditional water sources to mitigate severe shortages and combat water quality concerns. Treated municipal wastewater can serve as a reliable supply of water at a predictable quality and quantity and is especially well-suited for nonpotable end uses. In this work, we identify areas within the contiguous United States where water reuse projects are possible on the basis of existing supplies of treated wastewater at known qualities and quantities, estimated nonpotable demands, and state-level policies that outline water quality requirements for reuse. We use publicly available data to develop a geographic information system-based supply-demand assessment that identifies spatial trends and areas of interest for locally focused water reuse analysis. We find that the feasibility of water reuse is highly sensitive to existing state-level policies and the level of wastewater treatment currently in place. Nonpotable recycled water can potentially offset significant water withdrawals within communities where specific policy and technical criteria are met.

Indicators for the sustainability assessment of MBR technologies for wastewater reuse in Chile: The good, the bad, and the ugly

While Chile faces a mega-drought, wastewater reuse emerges as an alternative solution. In this study we develop a set of indicators for the comprehensive sustainability assessment for the application of advanced wastewater treatment technologies (e.g., MBRs) in a wastewater reuse project in Chile. The methodology is based on the Integrative Concept of Sustainable Development (ICoS) framework. A critical analysis of the set of indicators is presented in terms of the benefits (The Good), the difficulties (The Bad), and the barriers (the Ugly) for their development and potential application. The characterization of the environmental benefits constitutes the useful aspects (e.g., recovery of nutrients, energy, and water). Difficulties include economic aspects (e.g., continuous monitoring of emerging contaminants) and public acceptance. Political and administrative aspects were found to be the main barrier, including water rights in Chile and the absence of a clear regulatory framework for wastewater reuse. To our knowledge, this study is the first to present a detailed methodology for developing indicators for membrane-based water reuse projects in Chile.The steps to develop the indicators are: •Identification of the study zone or case study, characterization of treatment technology.•Identification and formulation of indicators for the specific case study, based on the ICoS framework.•Verification of the relevance of indicators for the case study according to data availability and expert reviews.

Research on the Pricing of Reclaimed Water: A Case Study of a Wastewater Reclamation and Reuse Project

The reclaimed water produced by sewage treatment plants can be reused for many purposes, which has gradually been paid great attention. However, its pricing mechanism has not been well established especially in China, which has brought certain restrictions on the wide application of reclaimed water. Therefore, this paper attempts to analyze the current situation of domestic reclaimed water pricing, combined with the research and analysis of reclaimed water production costs and related industry profits, and gives the recommended reclaimed water pricing. Taking the reclaimed water reuse project in Ningbo, China as an example, the cost and profit are analyzed by season. The recommended price in non-winter is 0.3833 yuan/ton, and the recommended price in winter is 0.4283 yuan/ton. This study may provide some reference for the improvement of the pricing mechanism of reclaimed water, thus contributing to the wide application of reclaimed water.

Nature based-solutions for water reuse: 20 years of performance evaluation of a full-scale constructed wetland system

Water reuse is becoming an important tool in water resource management in regions with recurrent droughts and water shortages, such as the Mediterranean. However, there are still obstacles preventing the multiple application of water reuse projects, such as social acceptability and financial problems. In this context, the use of green infrastructure such as constructed wetlands in combination with conventional mechanical treatments could represent a very practical alternative. In this article, we present the evaluation of the performance and the water quality obtained by a combined system over a long period of 2 decades. The water reuse system is located in Granollers, Barcelona, Spain, and consists of 3 elements: wetland, mechanical reclamation plant and distribution network. The entire system produces >10,000 m3 annually for garden irrigation, and street and sewerage cleaning, and there are plans for a substantial increase of this water reclaimed flow in the next years. The effluent meets the water reuse standards set by the water regional authority for pH, electrical conductivity, TSS, E. coli, Legionella and Nematodes eggs, either as average or as 90th percentiles. Turbidity standard is met as average but not as 90th percentile (being 10.7 NTU, while the limit 10 NTU). The combination of the green infrastructure, represented by the wetland, and the conventional mechanical system, represented by the reclamation plant, results in excellent water quality suitable for the irrigation of public gardens and the cleaning of streets. The integration of both elements increases the reliability of the system and contributes to the social acceptance of water reuse. This work presents long-term and complete evidence at a full-scale of the contribution and benefits of nature-based solutions to sustainable water management.

Empirical Modeling of Bromate Formation and Chemical Control Strategies at Multiple Water Reuse Facilities Using Ozone

ABSTRACT As an increasing number of potable water reuse projects consider feasibility of implementing ozonation for achieving disinfection goals and removal of trace organic compounds, bromate formation presents a practical barrier. In this study, data received from five potable water reuse facilities showed that ozone dissolution method such as fine bubble diffusion resulted in lower concentrations of bromate compared to side-stream addition. When using multipoint ozone dissolution some reduction in bromate formation was also observed. Data from these facilities displayed a positive correlation between ozone (as a function of O3:TOC ratio) and bromate formation (as molar ratio of bromide converted to bromate) with lower formation as monochloramine or hydrogen peroxide concentrations increase. This study provides an empirical model with four equations which can be used to estimate the bromate formation and the required monochloramine or hydrogen peroxide dose to achieve adequate bromate control, i.e. below MCL of 10 µg/L, if a desired O3:TOC ratio and initial bromide concentration are known. The empirical model estimates for monochloramine and hydrogen peroxide were found to be in good agreement with experimental data (R2 = 0.96 and R2 = 0.87, respectively) while within a set of boundary conditions expressed by range of concentrations of typical water quality parameters.

Water Asset Transition through Treating Water as a New Asset Class for Paradigm Shift for Climate–Water Resilience

Climate change is evident around the globe, which requires bold actions now to achieve UN-SDGs and Paris Agreement. The water sector is dominated by public finance and is almost subsidised. In addition, there is an increased risk perception surrounding climate investments in developing countries. Pricing climate risks is a daunting challenge for investors and the private sector, who must estimate the likelihood of various climate scenarios and their implications for physical, liability and transition risks at the firm, project, national, and regional scales. In addition, there is a building momentum to scale up global climate response. To translate this momentum into action will require significantly greater investments, investments in a different set of inclusive assets that address water security, mobilise the private sector and provides sector-based or economy-wide co-benefits to direct and indirect beneficiaries, e.g., job creation, health benefits, improved resilience and scaling knowledge and harmonise data and methodologies. Notably, climate–water finance is facing a dual challenge. It will have to both reduce the present water infrastructure financing gap and ensure that this new infrastructure/asset is low-carbon, resilient to climate change, and meets the goals of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. Therefore, there is a need for a paradigm shift in the way how water asset is defined, developed, and financed. This paper presents this novel approach concept and its content and financial structure that enable treating water as a new asset class to enable private sector investment and ensure providing water for domestic, municipal, and industrial purposes and allows municipalities to scale their water reuse, sanitation, and desalination projects in partnership with the private sector and/or governments. It is increasingly important to treat water as a new asset class, particularly as nations around the world (particularly developing countries) are set to experience an anticipated 40% shortfall in water by 2030 due to climate change, economic recovery and growth, population growth and resource competition. Investment in water could be one of the ways of tackling this deficit by treating water as a new asset class.

A Tariff Model for Reclaimed Water in Industrial Sectors: An Opportunity from the Circular Economy

The growth of the world’s population is associated with an increase in demand for water. The consequences of this increase are twofold: On the one hand, it endangers the water balance of the ecosystem, and on the other hand, it considerably increases the volume of wastewater generated. In this sense, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play a fundamental role since their objective is to guarantee the quality of the effluents discharged into the environment. Moreover, current treatment systems allow for the subsequent use of the effluent. Thus, the wastewater treatment sector can be seen as an unconventional source of water, acquiring a special importance in the framework of the circular economy. In this context, water reclamation and reuse are identified as key components of water resource management. However, the economic aspects, in terms of tariff design and cost recovery, represent a major barrier to incentivizing its use. In this paper, the authors analyze these aspects and propose a tariff that combines the cost recovery, an incentive to use reclaimed water and other relevant aspects that guarantee the success of water reuse projects. With this objective, three industrial sectors are evaluated. For the first sector, the user industries would achieve a saving of approximately 10% by changing the consumption of conventional water to reclaimed water; in the second sector, they would achieve a saving of 18% and in the third sector a saving of approximately 16%. In addition to guaranteeing sustainability in the consumption of reclaimed water in industry, the viability of the supplying company is ensured. This research offers valuable results that will be useful for establishing future strategies aimed at encouraging the use of reclaimed water in industrial environments.

Wastewater reclamation trends in Thailand.

Thailand constantly faces the problem of water scarcity, resulting from an imbalance between available water supply and increasing water demand for economic and community expansion, as well as climate change. To address this shortage, wastewater reclamation is being planned and implemented throughout the country, along with a 20-year, long-term integrated water resource management plan. Significant opportunities from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are dependent on the following factors: the establishment of a reuse water framework and a tangible target for treated wastewater set by local government authorities; widespread recognition and adaptation of wastewater reuse measures in the agriculture, industry, tourism and service sectors regarding climate change and water stress; and the implementation of joint investment water reuse projects between private and government agencies. However, wastewater reclamation faces some significant challenges, specifically: the limitations of regulation and monitoring for specific reuse purposes; a lack of public confidence in the water quality; the limited commercial development of reclaimed wastewater research; and difficulties in self-sustaining business models through adapting circular economy principles. This study aims to provide an overview of the wastewater reclamation, present research trends, currently operating WWTPs as well as opportunities and challenges to speed up water reuse activities in Thailand.

Tasting Water at Canal Convergence 2021

Consumer hesitancy around using wastewater as a drinking water source has proved a stumbling block for water reuse projects. When water professionals technologically clean up wastewater, they begin the process of making it “forget” its previous interactions with humans. Current educational and communication approaches used by water utilities, however, “forget” to engage the sociality of tasting. To activate consumers’ sensory experiences—the thing most often seen as getting in the way adoption of water reuse projects—and to investigate how tasting can help bring to remembrance the other things communities value about water, we developed a multi-modal art–science public engagement exhibit, Tasting Water. First exhibited at Scottsdale’s 2021 Canal Convergence festival and again at the 2022 AZ Water Conference, Tasting Water engaged the public and water professionals in an open-ended invitation to rethink the way they use taste within a larger series of remembering practices in evaluating their water.

Analysis on the Knowledge Evolution Path of Public Acceptance of Reclaimed Water Research

Reclaimed water is an important component of available water resources, and public acceptance of reclaimed water is a key factor influencing the implementation of reclaimed water reuse projects. For this reason, it has received attention from different scholars in the international community. Based on the literature data on public acceptance of reclaimed water, this study analyzes the development status of research results and explores the knowledge evolution path with the help of bibliometric methods. Our results show that the field of research on public acceptance of reclaimed water began to grow rapidly after 1990, and identify influential countries, institutions, authors, and journals in the field. In addition, “water quality”, “public health”, and “irrigation” are themes that run throughout the research, and “sustainable development” and “potable reuse” are the emerging research hotspots. As research progresses, the scope of research on reclaimed water reuse and its influencing factors continues to expand, and reclaimed water management policies and standards continue to improve. In the future, in order to improve public acceptance, finding how to improve the public’s risk perception and trust in reclaimed water will become a central research focus.