Wastewater treatment plants in mediterranean spain : An exploration of relations between water treatments, water reuse, and governance
Rodríguez-Villanueva, Paula (Institut Català d'Energia. Divisió de Planificació Energètica)
Saurí i Pujol, David (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Geografia)

Date:	2021
Abstract:	Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are fundamental to enable the transition towards the principles of a circular economy in water supply. In Mediterranean Spain, an area with recurrent episodes of water stress, treated wastewater may become a critical resource for the future. However, its incorporation into the array of potential water options opens up questions regarding the different qualities obtained with each treatment, the extent of existing water reuse practices, or the governance regime of plants. In this paper, the state of WWTPs in Mediterranean Spain is analyzed, with focus on plant sizes, treatment technologies, water use, and governance regimes. The latter shows a strong presence of private WWTPs and a lesser extent of public-private WWTPs, while the number of public plants is small. Regarding treatment technologies, the most sophisticated systems are found in public-private plants that are also the largest in size. Reclaimed water is very significant for agricultural and golf course irrigation in some areas (Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia), but still relatively incipient for other uses.
Grants:	Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CSO2015-65182-C2-1-P Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2019-104456RB-C21
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Published in:	Water, Vol. 13 Núm. 12 (february 2021) , article number 1710, ISSN 2073-4441

DOI: 10.3390/w13121710

29 p, 2.6 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles