Perspectives on sustainable wastewater treatment technologies and reuse options in the urban areas of the Mediterranean region

This paper discusses several options to achieve sustainability in wastewater treatment in urban areas of the Mediterranean region. The first was by decentralizing the treatment rather than installing expensive sewer systems that combine and increase the volume of the waste. The next involved choosing an appropriate treatment technology for the community where several types proposed included lagoons/wetlands, upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB), and soil aquifer treatment (SAT). The common characteristic of all of the described types is that they encourage “zero-discharge” technology. This cyclical, rather than linear approach includes the reuse of the treated effluent for agricultural reuse. The reuse of the wastewater decreases the money spent on fertilizers and it is considered safe, since it has been treated for microorganisms. The traditional linear treatment systems must be transformed into the cyclical treatment to promote the conservation of water and nutrient resources. Using organic waste nutrient cycles, from point-of-generation to point-of-production, closes the resource loop and provides an approach for the management of valuable wastewater resources. The urban areas of many Mediterranean countries are growing rapidly, and ecological sanitation systems must be implemented that are sustainable and have the ability to adapt and grow with the community's sanitation needs. In order to decide what the appropriate treatment system is, the developer must consider the area's climate, topography, and socioeconomic factors. There is still a great need in this area for research to improve or optimize the current methods of wastewater treatment. The result of increased attention to this topic will improve the health, economic, and agricultural conditions of a developing community.