Innovative Approaches for Sustainable Wastewater Resource Management

Sustainable wastewater management is essential for conserving water resources and reducing environmental pollution. Traditional wastewater treatment methods primarily aim to purify water for reuse, yet they often involve high energy consumption, extensive chemical use, and loss of potentially recove...

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Main Authors: Ayşe Ulusoy, Atılgan Atılgan, Roman Rolbiecki, Barbara Jagosz, Stanisław Rolbiecki
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Agriculture
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/12/2111
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author Ayşe Ulusoy
Atılgan Atılgan
Roman Rolbiecki
Barbara Jagosz
Stanisław Rolbiecki
author_facet Ayşe Ulusoy
Atılgan Atılgan
Roman Rolbiecki
Barbara Jagosz
Stanisław Rolbiecki
author_sort Ayşe Ulusoy
collection DOAJ
description Sustainable wastewater management is essential for conserving water resources and reducing environmental pollution. Traditional wastewater treatment methods primarily aim to purify water for reuse, yet they often involve high energy consumption, extensive chemical use, and loss of potentially recoverable resources, which pose sustainability challenges. With approximately 2.2 billion people worldwide currently lacking access to clean water—a number projected to exceed 3 billion by 2025—water scarcity has become an urgent issue. Traditional wastewater treatment processes handle around 330 billion cubic meters of water annually; however, they account for 3–4% of global energy consumption and produce 300 million tons of carbon emissions. This situation underscores the need for more sustainable treatment methods. Innovative wastewater treatment technologies have the potential to facilitate the reuse of approximately 50 billion cubic meters of water each year, helping to alleviate water scarcity. Additionally, energy recovery from these processes aims to achieve an annual energy savings of 20 TWh, in contrast to conventional treatment methods. This article examines recent advances in sustainable wastewater management technologies, specifically focusing on biological, physicochemical, and membrane-based processes. It discusses strategies for optimizing these processes to minimize environmental impact. Furthermore, innovative approaches, such as advanced oxidation processes and energy recovery, are explored for their potential to harness energy and recover nutrients from wastewater. The article concludes that implementing innovative strategies in sustainable wastewater management can significantly contribute to water conservation, energy savings, and a reduction in carbon footprint.
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spelling doaj-art-e1d406bd4e534f899ecc6bbd60b45bb82025-08-20T02:00:59ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722024-11-011412211110.3390/agriculture14122111Innovative Approaches for Sustainable Wastewater Resource ManagementAyşe Ulusoy0Atılgan Atılgan1Roman Rolbiecki2Barbara Jagosz3Stanisław Rolbiecki4Department of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat, 07425 Alanya/Antalya, TurkeyDepartment of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat, 07425 Alanya/Antalya, TurkeyDepartment of Agrometeorology, Plant Irrigation and Horticulture, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, 85-029 Bydgoszcz, PolandDepartment of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 31-120 Krakow, PolandDepartment of Agrometeorology, Plant Irrigation and Horticulture, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, 85-029 Bydgoszcz, PolandSustainable wastewater management is essential for conserving water resources and reducing environmental pollution. Traditional wastewater treatment methods primarily aim to purify water for reuse, yet they often involve high energy consumption, extensive chemical use, and loss of potentially recoverable resources, which pose sustainability challenges. With approximately 2.2 billion people worldwide currently lacking access to clean water—a number projected to exceed 3 billion by 2025—water scarcity has become an urgent issue. Traditional wastewater treatment processes handle around 330 billion cubic meters of water annually; however, they account for 3–4% of global energy consumption and produce 300 million tons of carbon emissions. This situation underscores the need for more sustainable treatment methods. Innovative wastewater treatment technologies have the potential to facilitate the reuse of approximately 50 billion cubic meters of water each year, helping to alleviate water scarcity. Additionally, energy recovery from these processes aims to achieve an annual energy savings of 20 TWh, in contrast to conventional treatment methods. This article examines recent advances in sustainable wastewater management technologies, specifically focusing on biological, physicochemical, and membrane-based processes. It discusses strategies for optimizing these processes to minimize environmental impact. Furthermore, innovative approaches, such as advanced oxidation processes and energy recovery, are explored for their potential to harness energy and recover nutrients from wastewater. The article concludes that implementing innovative strategies in sustainable wastewater management can significantly contribute to water conservation, energy savings, and a reduction in carbon footprint.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/12/2111advanced treatment technologiesrecyclingreusewaste management
spellingShingle Ayşe Ulusoy
Atılgan Atılgan
Roman Rolbiecki
Barbara Jagosz
Stanisław Rolbiecki
Innovative Approaches for Sustainable Wastewater Resource Management
Agriculture
advanced treatment technologies
recycling
reuse
waste management
title Innovative Approaches for Sustainable Wastewater Resource Management
title_full Innovative Approaches for Sustainable Wastewater Resource Management
title_fullStr Innovative Approaches for Sustainable Wastewater Resource Management
title_full_unstemmed Innovative Approaches for Sustainable Wastewater Resource Management
title_short Innovative Approaches for Sustainable Wastewater Resource Management
title_sort innovative approaches for sustainable wastewater resource management
topic advanced treatment technologies
recycling
reuse
waste management
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/12/2111
work_keys_str_mv AT ayseulusoy innovativeapproachesforsustainablewastewaterresourcemanagement
AT atılganatılgan innovativeapproachesforsustainablewastewaterresourcemanagement
AT romanrolbiecki innovativeapproachesforsustainablewastewaterresourcemanagement
AT barbarajagosz innovativeapproachesforsustainablewastewaterresourcemanagement
AT stanisławrolbiecki innovativeapproachesforsustainablewastewaterresourcemanagement