Assessment of wastewater reuse potential for irrigation in rural semi-arid areas: the case study of Punitaqui, Chile

Wastewater reuse in agriculture has been identified as an adaptive solution to climate change. This practice copes with two of the most limiting factors that are affecting sustainable development in rural areas: the lack of sanitation services and water shortages. This paper proposes a multi-criteri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clean technologies and environmental policy 2020-08, Vol.22 (6), p.1325-1338
Main Authors: Livia, Serrao, María, Molinos-Senante, Marco, Bezzi, Marco, Ragazzi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural wastes
Arid regions
Artificial wetlands
Case studies
Climate change
Criteria
Decision making
Earth and Environmental Science
Environment
Environmental Economics
Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology
Environmental policy
Evaluation
Industrial and Production Engineering
Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering
Irrigation
Multiple criterion
Original Paper
Rural areas
Rural development
Sanitation
Sanitation services
Semi arid areas
Septic tanks
Sustainability
Sustainable Development
Wastewater reuse
Wastewater treatment
Water balance
Water reuse
Water shortages
Water treatment
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Summary:Wastewater reuse in agriculture has been identified as an adaptive solution to climate change. This practice copes with two of the most limiting factors that are affecting sustainable development in rural areas: the lack of sanitation services and water shortages. This paper proposes a multi-criteria methodological approach to evaluate wastewater reuse potential for irrigation in rural areas and to select the most sustainable and context-aware wastewater treatment technology. In order to validate the procedure, an empirical application for the Coquimbo region (Chile) was developed. The water balance conducted illustrated that the potential wastewater source can only partially substitute for the water canonical sources. According to local citizen preferences, among the three evaluated, the most sustainable wastewater treatment technology option consists of septic tank and constructed wetland. This study provides evidence for the relevance of integrating social and environmental criteria, in addition to technical and economic ones, for supporting decision-making processes related to wastewater reuse. Graphic abstract
ISSN:1618-954X
1618-9558
DOI:10.1007/s10098-020-01874-3