Potential changes in soil properties following irrigation with surfactant-rich greywater

Wiel-Shafran, Alit; Ronen, Zeev; Weisbrod, Noam; Adar, Eilon; Gross, Amit

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2005.12.008

Cited by 140 publications

(109 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Surfactants, such as linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS), are other common waste-water contaminants, which accumulation in soil may have adverse effects. Although these effects are not always observed and depend on the surfactant type (Abu-Zreig et al, 2003;Sklarz et al, 2013), their accumulation may generate water-repellent soils, with effects in hydraulic properties and crop productivity (Doerr et al, 2000;Wiel-Shafran et al, 2006). In addition, changes in the structure of soil bacterial communities due to surfactant contamination have been reported (Sánchez-Peinado et al, 2010).…”

Section: Contaminantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wastewater reuse in irrigation: A microbiological perspective on implications in soil fertility and human and environmental health

Becerra-Castro

Lopes

Vaz‐Moreira

et al. 2015

Environment International

427

211

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The reuse of treated wastewater, in particular for irrigation, is an increasingly common practice, encouraged by governments and official entities worldwide. Irrigation with wastewater may have implications at two different levels: alter the physicochemical and microbiological properties of the soil and/or introduce and contribute to the accumulation of chemical and biological contaminants in soil. The first may affect soil productivity and fertility; the second may pose serious risks to the human and environmental health. The sustainable wastewater reuse in agriculture should prevent both types of effects, requiring a holistic and integrated risk assessment. In this article we critically review possible effects of irrigation with treated wastewater, with special emphasis on soil microbiota. The maintenance of a rich and diversified autochthonous soil microbiota and the use of treated wastewater with minimal levels of potential soil contaminants are proposed as sine qua non conditions to achieve a sustainable wastewater reuse for irrigation.

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Section: Contaminantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wastewater reuse in irrigation: A microbiological perspective on implications in soil fertility and human and environmental health

Becerra-Castro

Lopes

Vaz‐Moreira

et al. 2015

Environment International

427

211

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Wielshafran et al (2006) suggest that irrigation with insufficiently treated, surfactant-rich greywater could cause soil to take on hydrophobic properties. propose that irrigation with greywater could adversely affect the productivity of receiving soils over the long term due to high levels of sodium, zinc, and aluminum, high SAR values, and excessive alkalinity.…”

Section: Effects On Soil and Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reuse of Domestic Greywater for the Irrigation of Food Crops

Finley

Barrington

Lyew

2008

Water Air Soil Pollut

105

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As global water resources decline, reuse of domestic greywater for the irrigation of home gardens is quickly becoming widespread in many parts of the world. However, the sanitary implications of reusing greywater to water edible crops remain uncertain.This study examined the benefits and risks associated with domestic greywater reuse for the purposes of vegetable garden irrigation. Untreated (settled only) and treated (settling and slow sand filtration) greywater collected from a family home was analyzed for basic water quality parameters, over a period of eight weeks. During that time, both greywaters were used to irrigate individually potted plots of lettuce, carrots and peppers in a greenhouse. Tap water was used as control. Upon maturity, plants were harvested and the edible portions tested for fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci, common indicators for the presence of pathogenic microorganisms. Heavy metals were not detected in the greywater, but both fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci were present in high levels, averaging 4 x 10 5 /100mL and 2 x 10 3 /100mL of greywater, respectively. Despite these high counts, no significant difference in contamination levels was observed between crops irrigated with tap water, untreated and treated greywaters. Fecal coliform levels were highest in carrots and fecal streptococcus levels highest on lettuce leaves. However, contamination levels for all crops were low and do not represent a significant health risk.Plant growth and productivity were unaffected by the water quality, owing to the low N, P and K levels of the greywater. These results reinforce the potential of domestic greywater as an alternative irrigation source.

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“…However, when wastewater or greywater is reused on the household or in a small property scale, whether due to lack of centralized treatment options or homeowner initiative to save water, adequate treatment is often lacking (Wiel-Shafran et al, 2006). It is a frequent misconception that greywater is cleaner than combined wastewater and therefore can be reused with minimal or without treatment (Gross et al, 2007).…”

Section: Treatment Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Below are listed some reported negative effects about greywater irrigation:  Development of soil hydrophobicity (Chen et al, 2003;Tarchitzky et al, 2007;Wallach et al, 2005);  Reduction of soil hydraulic conductivity by the surfactants or food-based oils (Travis et al, 2008);  Surfactants are, as said, a class of synthetic compounds commonly found in greywater and a significant accumulation of these compounds in soils, may ultimately lead to water repellent soils with adverse impacts on agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability (Shafran et al, 2005;Wiel-Shafran et al, 2006);  Increase of pH in soils and reduced availability of some micronutrients for plants (Christova-Boal et al, 1996);  Substantial reduction in transpiration rate when pH is above 9 (Eriksson et al, 2006);  Possibilities of accumulation of sodium and boron in soil, that affects soil properties and plant growth adversely (Misra & Sivongxay, 2009;Gross et al, 2005) Misra et al, (2010) suggested that laundry greywater has a promising potential for reuse as irrigation water to grow tomato, once that compared with tap water irrigated plants, greywater irrigated plants substantially uptake greater quantity of Na (83%) and Fe (86%);  As said, a large proportion of the ingredients of laundry detergents are essentially nonvolatile compounds dominated salts, some of them can be beneficial to plants, particularly nutrients, although a balanced concentration is required to avoid nutrient deficiency or toxicity in plants (Misra et al, 2010).  Important water savings and resulting environmental benefits.…”

Section: Advantages and Disadvantagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Greywater contributes significantly to wastewaters parameters such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), ammonium (NH 4 + ), total phosphorous, boron, metals, salts, surfactants, synthetic chemicals, oils and greases, xenobiotic substances, and microorganisms (Friedler, 2004;Wiel-Shafran et al, 2006;Travis et al, 2008;Eriksson et al, 2002;Gross et al, 2007;Eriksson & Donner, 2009). Untreated domestic wastewater typically contains 50 to 100 mg/L of oils and greases with approximately 2/3 of the load contributed by greywater (Gray & Becker, 2002;Tchobanoglous et al, 2003).…”

Section: Greywater Characteristics 211 Quality Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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