Reuse-oriented decentralized wastewater and sewage sludge treatment for rural settlements in Brazil: a cost–benefit analysis

Abstract

a b s t r ac tDecentralized sanitation and reuse (DESAR) solutions can contribute significantly to the improvement of wastewater treatment in small urbanized rural settlements (SURUS). Amongst the advantages of DESAR solutions for SURUS is a reduction in final treatment costs because they allow for water reclamation and sewage sludge reuse; predominantly for agriculture. In the present work, a costbenefit analysis on a DESAR system installed into a rural community in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, was conducted. The net present value (NPV) method was applied to assign a monetary value to the economical and environmental benefits associated with water reclamation, sewage sludge reuse and the avoided cost of 5-d biological oxygen demand (BOD 5 ) discharges. The NPV results of this case study revealed that the proposed DESAR solution could recover up to 73% of the total operating and maintenance costs. These findings suggest that DESAR solutions can respond to the need to reduce costs and improve the nutrient recovery capabilities of sanitation interventions in rural communities.

Decentralized systems for the treatment of antimicrobial compounds released from hospital aquatic wastes

“…The treatment of generated wastewater through decentralization is an advanced technological solution to wastewater management by providing the on-site treatment of wastewater, recycling and reuse of resources present in domestic effluent. On-site treatment of wastewater directly from individual homes or buildings is the defining feature of decentralized systems (Capodaglio et al, 2016;Cardona et al, 2016;Chirisa et al, 2017). Initially, decentralized units are built simultaneously, and the volume of units produced varies according to the requirement of the system.…”

Water, waste, energy and food nexus in Brazil: Identifying a resource interlinkage research agenda through a systematic review

“…Freshwater irrigated food crops [50,93,122,141,144,145] Integrated fish, poultry and other small animals, small horticulture, hydroponic farming (Sisteminha EMBRAPA) [93] Soil ploughing/tilling (beans and grains) [114][115][116]148] Minimum tillage [114][115][116] Organic farming and Agroecology [118,[148][149][150][151][152][153][154][155] Slash and burn [93] Simplified systems for treatment of water with low-cost technology to meet the immediate demand of rural communities, such as the simplified diffusion chlorinator (plastic vessel -PVC tube or PET bottle).…”

Efficient Wastewater Treatment and Removal of Bisphenol A and Diclofenac in Mesocosm Flow Constructed Wetlands Using Granulated Cork as Emerged Substrate

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the existence of inadequate sanitation systems in many parts of the world, mainly in several low- and middle-income countries [ 1 ]. In addition, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) implementation and maintenance are costly worldwide and are usually challenging due to the footprint, facilities, energy consumption, personnel skills, and competences required [ 2 , 3 ]. In this sense, constructed wetland (CW) technologies are considered as an effective tool and cost-effective nature-based solution that can effectively improve the water quality and pollution treatment [ 4 , 5 ].…”