Wastewater Use in Agriculture: Analytical Limits of Sewage for Impact Control in Brazil

Abstract

Water deficit is a current problem of global relevance. This is a problem in Brazil, especially in the Semiarid region, which undergoes severe droughts for much of the year. This requires the search for alternatives, such as the planned wastewater use, which is a successful alternative in developed countries that is applied for various purposes, including agriculture. However, despite the increasing growth of agriculture in Brazil, there are no established control and monitoring policies to minimize its impacts on the environment and human health. The country does not have specific legislation that defines wastewater quality parameters for domestic sewage. The objective of this work was to compile international guidelines and legislations that address this issue and compare them with the national normative resolutions for quality of wastewater and its different uses. The most relevant and locally applicable parameters described in these documents were listed, and the reference limits were defined by comparing them with those found in the scientific literature applied to the Brazilian context. This compilation represents the first step towards the incorporation of regulations for water reuse, having the Brazilian Semiarid region as a first test field, but with expandable application to different regions of the country.

Water rationalization in Brazilian irrigated agriculture

“…A projection points out that more than 9.5 billion people will inhabit the planet in 2050, agriculture will grow by approximately 60% and water consumption by approximately 20%; thus, if there are no significant changes in water management, global water security will be strongly compromised, affecting human, economic and social developments (Cantelle, Lima, & Borges, 2018;Ferreira et al, 2019).…”

Proposals for water conservation in urban areas in Brazil

“…Water deficit is a problem in Brazil, especially in the semi-arid regions, which suffer severe droughts for much of the year, thus requiring the search for alternative water sources, such as the planned use of wastewater, which is a successful practice in developed countries (Ferreira et al, 2019).…”

Quality of the Diluted Landfill Leachate in Water Supply Used in the Performance of Drippers

“…The Brazilian semiarid region is facing acute shortage of water due to prevailing socio economic conditions, lack of drinking water and sanitary services. The use of waste water is a better alternative for improving quality of rural and urban population by harvesting the nutrients from it [1,2].…”