Water/Waste Processing - Feb 2012
Beneficial Wastewater Reuse An Idea Whose Time Has Come By Joseph A Cotruvo Ph D President Joseph Cotruvo Associates LLC All water is constantly being reused Most is recycled through natural evaporation precipitation solar exposure and percolation through soils into aquifers For example most public water supplies utilizing surface water sources receiving upstream discharges and runoff are engaged in unplanned reuse with conventional filtration and disinfection technologies In addition numerous successful planned reuse projects utilize advanced technologies to meet higher quality goals Wastewater has finally been recognized as a beneficial resource that should be maximally exploited rather than just treated and discarded It is amazing that this obvious conclusion has taken so long to be widely recognized The components of sanitary wastewater are virtually 100 percent reusable It is a source of nitrogen and phosphorous nutrients for agriculture biosolids for beneficial land application oils and grease as potential biofuels methane for energy production and water for cooling and food and non food crop irrigation as well as highly treated water for direct or indirect human consumption Graywater is being used for non human contact applications Wastewater is also being evaluated as a substrate for algal growth for biofuel and nutrient production as well as a purification technique Beyond maximizing efficient use wastewater recycling has the additional benefit of reducing discharges to the water environment so it helps to clean our waterways There are several levels of wastewater treatment applicable for reuse and the water quality goals are a function of the enduse requirements The principal public health criteria are a function of the degree of human contact and exposure Direct and 6 February 2012 Water Waste Processing www waterwaste com
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