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Treated wastewater irrigation: unlocking sustainability in agriculture and food security—a comprehensive review
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This comprehensive review explores treated wastewater as an alternative irrigation source for agriculture in water-scarce regions. While treated wastewater can improve soil fertility and crop growth, the review notes concerns about contaminants including microplastics that can accumulate in soil and potentially enter the food chain, emphasizing the need for effective treatment technologies.
Water scarcity caused by high population growth and climatic change has been a significant challenge particularly in arid regions. This current review explores the potential of treated wastewater (TWW) as an alternative water source for agriculture offering a sustainable solution to reduce pressure on freshwater resources and support long-term environmental sustainability. Moreover, TWW has been shown to improve soil fertility, enhance crop growth and reduce their dependence on chemical fertilizers by supplying essential plant nutrients as well as significant amounts of organic matter. Moreover, it improves water use efficiency and contributes to increased crop production, with positive effects observed in various crops. Nevertheless, there are some issues that are associated with the application of TWW in agriculture, such as social perception, lack of infrastructure, and the fear of contaminants like heavy metals, pathogens, and microplastics, which can be deposited in soil and enter the food chain. This review explains that effective treatment technologies are necessary to ensure the safe use of TWW, minimizing environmental risks and protecting human health. Another important point discussed in this review is the increasing use of TWW worldwide especially in the water-stressed regions, where it has proven to be an effective, solution for alleviating water scarcity.
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Contaminants of emerging concern in treated wastewater: a threat to sustainable agricultural reuse?
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This review pulls together existing research showing that treated wastewater used to irrigate crops often still contains trace drugs, hormones, pesticides, and microplastics that standard treatment doesn't fully remove. While reusing wastewater helps conserve scarce freshwater, the authors say better monitoring and regulations are needed to make sure these lingering contaminants don't build up in our food or harm health over time.
Impact of Wastewater on the Soil–Plant–Atmosphere Interface: Challenges and Remediation Approaches
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This review examines the wide-ranging impacts of using wastewater for agricultural irrigation, covering effects on soil health, crop safety, and greenhouse gas emissions. Among the many concerns discussed, microplastics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria emerging from wastewater reuse are flagged as growing threats requiring better monitoring and policy responses. For readers interested in microplastics, the paper highlights how irrigation with wastewater is one of the pathways by which plastic particles enter farmland soils and ultimately the food chain.
Reusing water, reshaping nitrogen: Unravelling nitrogen dynamics in soils receiving treated wastewater.
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This review summarizes existing research on how treated wastewater used for irrigation affects nitrogen cycling in soil, including contaminants like microplastics. It finds effects vary depending on soil type, plant species, and treatment level, and identifies gaps needing further field and laboratory studies.
Microplastics in wastewaters and their potential effects on aquatic and terrestrial biota
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This review of over 200 studies found that microplastics from wastewater are contaminating both aquatic and land environments, especially when treated wastewater or sewage sludge is used for irrigation. The microplastics can harm fish, soil organisms, plants, and microbial communities, and they serve as carriers for other toxic pollutants. The findings highlight that wastewater is a major pathway through which microplastics reach farmland and, ultimately, human food and drinking water.
Microplastics in Irrigation Systems: A Growing Threat to Agriculture Soil and Crop Plant
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This review examines how microplastics enter agricultural soil through irrigation water, where they can degrade soil quality and harm plant growth. Microplastics from wastewater, plastic mulch, and contaminated water sources accumulate in farmland and can be taken up by crops. The study highlights a growing concern that irrigated agriculture may be a major pathway for microplastics to enter the human food supply.
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