Advancements in sustainable technologies for agricultural wastewater treatment
摘要
Increased population growth, urbanization, and industrialization have triggered increased agricultural activities and the generation of agricultural wastewater in recent decades. Inappropriate disposal and improper management of agricultural wastewater portends grave health crises, and pollution of the ecosystems. The study reviews recent advances in the application of sustainable technologies for agricultural wastewater treatment to reduce the impact of agricultural wastewater on public health and the ecosystem. The process, benefits, and limitations of the deployment of physical, chemical, biological, and electrical techniques for removing various contaminants are highlighted. Bearing in mind the limitations of the traditional pretreatment, primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment processes, the study discusses the use of nanotechnology, bioremediation, and other hybrid/novel technologies for the effective removal of pollutants from agricultural wastewater. Using computational tools and models to analyze, predict, and optimize process parameters, ensure efficient pollutant removal, guarantee economic and operational effectiveness, reduce faults and downtime in treatment plants, and drastically reduce energy consumption in agricultural wastewater treatment plants. The study recommends the categorization of agricultural wastewater as an invaluable resource, the introduction of advanced but efficient wastewater treatment technologies, and the commissioning of more collaborative studies to develop more innovative technologies for sustainable agricultural wastewater treatment. More advanced and hybrid computational tools and models should be deployed to monitor and predict wastewater treatment processes. The government should incentivize wastewater conversion, and enact implementable laws, policies, and standard procedures for agricultural wastewater treatment.