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Driving Water Reuse by New Technologies, Land Use and Infrastructure...
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Driving Water Reuse by New Technologies, Land Use and Infrastructure Planning, and Legislation Policies

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Resources Management, Policy and Governance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 9817

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Martin Wagner

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institut IWAR, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Franziska-Braun-Straße 7, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
Interests: new infrastructure systems; aeration and gas transfer; innovative concepts for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment; water-reuse; water-reuse in industrial parks
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Sonja Bauer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule (OTH) Amberg-Weiden, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring 23, 92224 Amberg, Germany
Interests: water-reuse concepts for urban; rural and industrial areas; sustainable spatial development; urban and infrastructure planning; water-reuse and water-saving potentials; water-reuse concepts for industrial parks; spatial analysis and geoinformation systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have set targets for climate protection until 2030. Increasing periods of drought in many countries around the world has shown that water supplies are reaching their limits. Reusing treated wastewater, which is available in predictable quantities on a daily basis, is an important resource, along with the storage of rainwater. Therefore, to achieve the SDGs, new technologies in connection with planning strategies, as well as new legislative policies, must be developed or improved to drive the use of recycled wastewater. In particular, municipalities, industry, and agriculture can reduce water stress by reusing treated wastewater for various purposes, such as street cleaning, refilling cooling water, and crop irrigation. In addition to reusing treated wastewater, efficient water-use practices also contribute significantly to reducing water consumption, such as the use of specific irrigation techniques and the optimal distribution of land with specific uses.

In general, most countries have regulations for the discharge of treated wastewater into water bodies, but more advanced regulations for the production of reused water according to the “fit-for-purpose” principle are sometimes lacking. Consequently, advanced treatment steps, as well as their implementation, are essential for wastewater treatment, so that the treated water has a quality that corresponds to the “fit-for-purpose” principle.

Holistic water management concepts and strategies are advantageous to improve the situation around scarce water locally and also regionally. Only a few countries have implemented holistic integrated water management concepts that also include the reuse of treated wastewater, which is why there is a need for further research in this area in particular. Overall, regions and cities affected by water scarcity need to analyze all aspects of the local water supply situation, as well as their potentials and opportunities for water reuse. In general, regulations and technologies in this area exist, but implementation is lacking, and therefore stakeholders in planning and water/wastewater management need to work closely together to advance water reuse. Only in this way will it be possible to achieve SDG 6 in the near future.

In this context, we welcome contributions dealing with, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • New energy-reduced technologies for municipal and industry wastewater treatment with respect to water reuse;
  • Removal of micro-pollutants, antibiotic resistance, microplastics, etc.;
  • Dimensioning/planning and operation;
  • Innovative water reuse concepts and technologies for land use and infrastructure planning;
  • Water reuse applications that are “fit for purpose” in urban, rural and, industrial areas;
  • Requirements and acceptance of reused water;
  • Water-reuse concepts, implementations, case studies, and best practices;
  • Legislation policies for implementing water reuse.

Prof. Dr. Martin Wagner
Prof. Dr. Sonja Bauer
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • water reuse
  • municipal wastewater treatment
  • industrial wastewater treatment
  • removal of micro-pollutants, antibiotic resistance, and microplastics
  • dimensioning/planning and operation
  • legislation policies for implementing water reuse

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 8739 KiB  
Article
Geospatial Approaches to Improve Water Availability through Demand Assessment in Agriculture Based on Treated Wastewater: A Case Study of Weinstadt, Baden-Württemberg
by Sourav Karmaker, Sanchalita Bandyopadhyay and Sonja Bauer
Water 2024, 16(5), 704; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16050704 - 28 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1177
Abstract
The sustainable management of water scarcity is a globally crucial issue. Germany has established efficient water management systems, but the agricultural sector still struggles with water scarcity as the demand surpasses the available water supply. In this work, the primary aim was to [...] Read more.
The sustainable management of water scarcity is a globally crucial issue. Germany has established efficient water management systems, but the agricultural sector still struggles with water scarcity as the demand surpasses the available water supply. In this work, the primary aim was to establish a framework for making water accessible for irrigation and additional use in households through the effective utilization of recycled water from wastewater treatment facilities. The research inquiries were focused on evaluating the changes in the CROPWAT agricultural irrigation model, determining the spatial distribution of zonal severity, estimating the capacity of urban roof catchments, and evaluating the economic value addition of retreated water from the existing wastewater treatment plant supply. According to the findings, the annual amount of water required for agriculture in the designated study location is approximately 2.9 million m3. Although there is no initial need for irrigation water, the demand for irrigation water increases during the development, active growth, and mature stages of maize, winter wheat, and wine grapes, reaching around 189 mm, 223 mm, and 63 mm, respectively. According to our observations, the annual water supply in Weinstadt is around 4 million m3. On the other hand, the compensated volume of water to the current water supply calculated from the urban roof rainfall is estimated to be 0.8 million m3, which is considered valuable from an economic standpoint. This economically efficient volume of water would reduce the current treated water supply, which indicates an opportunity for enhanced agricultural irrigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Driving Water Reuse by New Technologies, Land Use and Infrastructure Planning, and Legislation Policies)
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36 pages, 8444 KiB  
Article
From District to City Scale: The Potential of Water-Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD)
by Joachim Schulze, Simon Gehrmann, Avikal Somvanshi and Annette Rudolph-Cleff
Water 2024, 16(4), 582; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16040582 - 16 Feb 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2527
Abstract
The summer of 2022 was one of the hottest and driest summers that Germany experienced in the 21st century. Water levels in rivers sank dramatically with many dams and reservoirs running dry; as a result, fields could not be irrigated sufficiently, and even [...] Read more.
The summer of 2022 was one of the hottest and driest summers that Germany experienced in the 21st century. Water levels in rivers sank dramatically with many dams and reservoirs running dry; as a result, fields could not be irrigated sufficiently, and even power generation and supply were affected. The impact of abnormally high temperatures for extended periods (heatwaves) is not restricted to nature and the economy but is also a considerable public health burden. Experts worldwide agree that these extreme weather events are being driven by climate change and will increase in intensity and frequency in the future. The adverse impact of these extreme weather events multiplies among dense urban environments, e.g., through heat islands. This calls for cities to take action to heat-proof and water-secure their urban developments. Water-Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) is one such approach to mitigate the aforementioned challenges by leveraging the urban water ecosystem with special attention to the subject of water reclamation, retention, treatment and distribution. This paper introduces and builds upon a prototype of WSUD that centers around an artificial lake as an integrated water resource management system (IWRMS) fed by treated grey water and storm water obtained from two housing blocks flanking the water reservoir. Based on the specifications of this prototype, indicators of site suitability are derived and applied to identify potential locations for replicable projects in the city of Darmstadt. The results confirm the impact WSUD can have: a total of 22 sites with 2527 apartments are found suitable for prototype implementation in Darmstadt. Savings in town water consumption from these 22 sites would add up to 147 million liters. Further benefits include the provision of 24 million liters of irrigation water, storm water retention, adiabatic cooling during heatwave, increased biodiversity and the improvement in livability of the sites and the city. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Driving Water Reuse by New Technologies, Land Use and Infrastructure Planning, and Legislation Policies)
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17 pages, 992 KiB  
Article
Reuse of Treated Wastewater for Crop Irrigation: Water Suitability, Fertilization Potential, and Impact on Selected Soil Physicochemical Properties
by Solomon Ofori, David Kwesi Abebrese, Iveta Růžičková and Jiří Wanner
Water 2024, 16(3), 484; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16030484 - 1 Feb 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3048
Abstract
This study evaluates the suitability of treated wastewater (TWW: secondary effluent and membrane effluent) for crop irrigation and the resultant impact on crop growth and soil physicochemical characteristics. Carrot seeds (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) were grown on loam soil and irrigated [...] Read more.
This study evaluates the suitability of treated wastewater (TWW: secondary effluent and membrane effluent) for crop irrigation and the resultant impact on crop growth and soil physicochemical characteristics. Carrot seeds (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) were grown on loam soil and irrigated with tap water (Tap), secondary effluent (SE), and membrane effluent (ME) until maturity. Bacteriological analyses showed four log counts of E. coli and thermotolerant coliforms for secondary effluent, making it unsafe for the irrigation of carrots. Tap water and membrane effluent fulfilled the microbial limit for water reuse and were suitable for irrigation. The sodium absorption ratio, Kelly index, and magnesium hazard assessments indicated that all three irrigation water streams were suitable for irrigation. The average mass of carrot fruits for Tap, SE, and ME was 2.14 g, 3.96 g, and 3.03 g, respectively. A similar trend was observed for the dry matter composition: Tap had 15.9%, SE had 18.3%, and ME had 16.6%. The soil pH increased from 7.08 to 7.26, 7.39, and 7.33 for tap water-, secondary effluent-, and membrane effluent-irrigated soils, respectively. Nitrate-nitrogen and potassium levels increased in the TWW-irrigated soil, while that of the tap water-irrigated soil decreased. Sodium levels in the TWW-irrigated soil increased significantly but did not induce soil sodicity. The application of the TWW enhanced the growth of the carrot plants and increased the soil nutrient levels. Hence, using TWW in agricultural irrigation could promote food production and also limit the overdependency on freshwater resources. However, TWW should be disinfected by using UV disinfection and ozonation to reduce the risk of microbial contamination. Such disinfection methods may not lead to the formation of toxic byproducts, and therefore secondary pollution to crops is not anticipated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Driving Water Reuse by New Technologies, Land Use and Infrastructure Planning, and Legislation Policies)
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12 pages, 2266 KiB  
Article
Colorimetric Quantification for Residual Poly-DADMAC in Water Treatment
by Ilil Levakov, Ido Maor, Chen Barak, Yael Kirshenbaum and Giora Rytwo
Water 2023, 15(19), 3352; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15193352 - 24 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1968
Abstract
Poly-DADMAC (PD) is a commonly used organic polymer in water treatment, known for its effectiveness as a coagulant. However, its presence as a residue in water raises concerns related to membrane fouling and the potential formation of carcinogenic compounds. Therefore, fast and simple [...] Read more.
Poly-DADMAC (PD) is a commonly used organic polymer in water treatment, known for its effectiveness as a coagulant. However, its presence as a residue in water raises concerns related to membrane fouling and the potential formation of carcinogenic compounds. Therefore, fast and simple quantification is necessary to efficiently control and monitor the optimal dose of poly-DADMAC with minimal negative effects. This study introduces a new colorimetric quantification method for poly-DADMAC, based on complexation with a cationic dye (fast green-FG). The method was examined through varying conditions, which included different analytical and commercial poly-DADMAC formulations and concentrations. These experiments confirm its effectiveness in quantifying poly-DADMAC with a detection limit of 3.22 µg L−1 (0.02 µM based on monomers’ molecular weight), which is one order of magnitude lower than regulatory requirements (50 µg L−1). To validate the method, the effect of pH was examined, and implementation demonstrations were conducted on cyanobacteria and cowshed-polluted water samples. This research introduces a fast, cost-effective innovative method to accurately quantify poly-DADMAC, enhancing water treatment strategies for high-quality purification and water reuse Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Driving Water Reuse by New Technologies, Land Use and Infrastructure Planning, and Legislation Policies)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

1.

Tentative title: Research on the Transformation Characteristics and Optimal Allocation of Water Resources in the Yellow River Delta

Authors: Tianjiang Xu, Wenjun Dou, Xiaohuang liu, Chunfu Liu, Xue Meng*

 

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