How to Overcome Barriers for Wastewater Agricultural Reuse in Sicily (Italy)?

Ventura, Delia; Consoli, Simona; Barbagallo, S.; Marzo, Alessia; Vanella, Daniela; Licciardello, Feliciana; Cirelli, Giuseppe Luigi

doi:10.3390/w11020335

Cited by 29 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…CWs are complex, integrated systems involving water, plants, animals, microorganisms, and the environment. They are used to improve the quality of point and nonpoint sources of water pollution, including municipal wastewater, urban stormwater, agricultural run-off, industrial wastewater, landfill leachate, and mine drainage [1], in which wastewater reuse also plays a crucial role [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evapotranspiration from Horizontal Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetlands Planted with Different Perennial Plant Species

Milani

Marzo

Toscano

et al. 2019

Water

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This paper presents the results of an experiment carried out in Southern Italy (Sicily) on the estimation evapotranspiration (ET) in pilot constructed wetlands planted with different species (Chrysopogon zizanioides, Myscanthus x giganteus, Arundo donax, Phragmites australis, and Cyperus papyrus). In the two monitored growing seasons, reference ET0 was calculated with the Penman-Monteith formula, while actual ET and crop coefficients were measured through a water balance and the FAO 56 approach, respectively. The highest average seasonal ET value was observed in Phragmites australis (17.31 mm d−1) followed by Arundo donax (11.23 mm day−1) Chrysopogon zizanioides (8.56 mm day−1), Cyperus papyrus (7.86 mm day−1), and Myscanthus x giganteus (7.35 mm day−1). For all plants, crop coefficient values showed different patterns in relation to growth stages and were strongly correlated with phenological parameters. Myscanthus x giganteus and Arundo donax showed a water use efficiency values significantly higher than those observed for the other tested species. Results of this study may contribute to select appropriate plant species for constructed wetlands located in semi-arid regions, especially when the use of reclaimed water and/or the use of aboveground biomass are planned.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evapotranspiration from Horizontal Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetlands Planted with Different Perennial Plant Species

Milani

Marzo

Toscano

et al. 2019

Water

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“…As discussed in Section 1, the existence of social, technical, economic and regulatory barriers can hamper the widespread implementation of wastewater and sewage-sludge reuse. Concerning wastewater reuse, the most critical factor for the sustainability of the reclamation scheme is not the technology itself, but public acceptance [45,46]. Indeed, if on one hand there is good support of reclaimed wastewater for agriculture, public utilities and low-contact purposes, the majority of objections concern projects where humans may come in close contact with recycled water [14].…”

Section: Barriers Bottlenecks and Challenges For Wastewater And Sludge Reusementioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing a Transition to a Circular Economy in the Water Sector: The EU Project WIDER UPTAKE

Mannina

Badalucco

Barbara

et al. 2021

Water

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Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) require an urgent transition from a linear to a circular economy operation/design concept with a consequent resource recovery and more sustainable waste management. Natural resources have to be preserved, and wastes have to become an opportunity for recovering resources and materials (water reuse, energy, sludge reuse). However, the transition toward a circular economy is a complex and long process due to the existence of technical, economic, social and regulatory barriers. These existing barriers are critical challenges for a modern and sustainable WWTP concept. The recovery of resources must be considered a strategic target from the earliest process-design phase. In this context, the European Union’s Horizon 2020 project “Achieving wider uptake of water-smart solutions—WIDER UPTAKE” aims to overcome the existing barriers (technological, regulatory, organizational, social and economic) toward the transition from a linear to a circular economy model for WWTPs. This study is aimed at increasing the awareness of the existing barriers to a circular economy and summarizes the key contributions of the WIDER UPTAKE project in terms of water reuse, sludge reuse and nutrient recovery.

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“…Similarly, principal barriers limiting the reclaimed water use for agriculture in Italy (particularly in Sicily) were analyzed by Ventura et al (2019), highlighting the complex and strict Italian legislations on the reuse of treated wastewater, and commenting that potential users should rely on the support of private or public agencies such as the Italian Irrigation Consortia.…”

Section: Water Reclamation and Sanitation For Water Safetymentioning

confidence: 99%

Policy and legislative barriers to close water-related loops in innovative small water and wastewater systems in Europe: A critical analysis

Cipolletta

Özbayram

Eusebi

et al. 2021

Journal of Cleaner Production

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Water supply and reuse through non-conventional water resources can significantly decrease the stress on natural water resources. Decentralized systems can help not only to alleviate issues of water security in arid areas, but also to create a sustainable framework within a 2 circular economy. Although these small-scale innovative technologies are able to achieve ready-to-use, high quality of recovered/treated water on-site, the loop cannot be closed in most cases due to legislative barriers. Similarly, the end-use of sewage sludge after treatment in decentralized systems still lacks specific regulations that limit its valorization. This work analyzes the current policy and legislation related to water supply, wastewater treatment, water reuse, and resource valorization within the context of decentralized state-of-the-art technologies applied in rural areas. The drawbacks in the current EU legislation that set barriers to close water-related loops in European countries are highlighted. A regulatory fitness check is applied to each type of loop to identify the key factors to accomplish the legislative compliance, and financing pathways are further evaluated at the EU level. As a possible solution, further development of an innovation deal approach is recommended to address the environmental, regulatory, and financial gaps in water management through an integrated framework, providing ad-hoc policies and prescriptions for the sustainable reuse of all water resources.

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How to Overcome Barriers for Wastewater Agricultural Reuse in Sicily (Italy)?

Cited by 29 publications

References 19 publications

Evapotranspiration from Horizontal Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetlands Planted with Different Perennial Plant Species

Evapotranspiration from Horizontal Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetlands Planted with Different Perennial Plant Species

Enhancing a Transition to a Circular Economy in the Water Sector: The EU Project WIDER UPTAKE

Policy and legislative barriers to close water-related loops in innovative small water and wastewater systems in Europe: A critical analysis

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