Environmental technology and wastewater treatment: Strategies to achieve environmental sustainability

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2022-01, Vol.286, p.131532-131532, Article 131532
• Main Authors: Khan, Syed Abdul Rehman, Ponce, Pablo, Yu, Zhang, Golpîra, Hêriş, Mathew, Manoj
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Environmental technology. Sewage treatment. Environmental degradation. Panel quantile regression. OECD countries
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131532

Water is the vital liquid for human subsistence and is used as a resource in various production processes. However, the degradation of the environment is being reflected in the water resources of the planet. One of the leading causes of water pollution is ineffective wastewater treatment, which results in greywater being returned to the environment without having gone through a decontamination process. Ideally, wastewater should have the lowest concentration of polluting materials to be reused and exploited in other activities, such as agriculture or the generation of renewable energy. However, in its various forms, technological progress plays a vital role in improving wastewater treatment processes, becoming a determining factor in improving greywater quality. This study examines how environmental technology contributes to wastewater improvement in 16 selected OECD countries during 2000–2019. Annualized information is used and collected from various official sources of information, subsequently processed with various econometric approaches. The results obtained show a heterogeneous behaviour in the quantiles of wastewater treatment, environmental technology and renewable energy are positively related to an increase in wastewater treatment between 0.09% - 0.20% and 3.5 e−12% - 5.74 e−12%, respectively. Based on the results obtained, the policy implications suggest promoting environmental technology to improve wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] ●Environmental technology contributes significantly to wastewater treatment between 0.16% and 0.20%.●Renewable energy increases wastewater treatment between 3.50 e−12% and 5.74 e−12%.●It is evident that industrialization contributes to the treatment of wastewater at approximately 0.023%.●Economic growth can be guaranteed without compromising wastewater treatment.●Second generation tests are used to perform the cointegration analysis.