Recent Advances in Water Reuse Research in South Africa

Due to limited water resources, water reuse is pursued as a major component of an overall strategy to optimise water use in South Africa. Progress in South African water reuse research, mainly since 1985, is reviewed. In the field of potable reuse research, the topics addressed are epidemiological studies, activated carbon, the microbiology of reclaimed water, bioassaying, and reverse osmosis. Information is provided on the scale of direct agricultural and industrial reuse of purified sewage effluents. Indirect reuse is steadily increasing and research which traditionally addressed direct potable reuse is becoming of equal relevance to indirect reuse. In addition, research becomes necessary on problems which relate specifically to indirect reuse, such as : treatment of algal waters, variation of raw water quality, upgrading of sewage effluent quality, organohalogens, and salination problems. Recent advances in research on internal water reuse by industry focused in particular on membranes and salt removal technology. Cases mentioned are textile dyehouse, scouring, bleaching and mercerising processes; bottle washing; wool scouring; water works wash water; and power station cooling.

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International research agency perspectives on potable water reuse

Environmental Science Water Research & Technology ◽

10.1039/c5ew00165j ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 1 (5) ◽

pp. 563-580 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Jo Burgess ◽

Melissa Meeker ◽

Julie Minton ◽

Mark O'Donohue

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

International Research ◽

Water Reuse ◽

Potable Water ◽

Political Issues ◽

Potable Reuse ◽

The Usa ◽

Direct Potable Reuse

This paper summarises the technical, social and political issues regarding direct potable reuse in the USA, Australia, and South Africa.

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Toilet power: potable water reuse and the situated meaning of sustainability in the southwestern United States

Journal of Political Ecology ◽

10.2458/v26i1.23257 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 633

Author(s):

Kerri Jean Ormerod

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Water Reuse ◽

Q Methodology ◽

Potable Water ◽

Urban Metabolism ◽

Urban Wastewater ◽

Southwestern United States ◽

Potable Reuse ◽

Contextual Understanding ◽

Direct Potable Reuse

Proposals to recycle urban wastewater for potable purposes are at the forefront of water development. In this article I combine political ecology's attention to networked relations with Q methodology to identify the shared positions of select stakeholders in the southwestern United States, an urbanizing region increasingly reliant on potable water reuse. I employ critical Q methodology to provide a contextual understanding of how water and sanitation technology shapes subjects and environments. The analyses reveal two distinct sanitary subjectivities, which I label neosanitarian and ecosanitarian, whose views most sharply diverge regarding the appropriateness of direct potable reuse and composting toilets. The findings highlight the situated meaning of sustainability and also underscore the role that wastewater and water reuse play in shaping ecologies, which in turn, helps to identify the environments of elimination that make specific innovations in the water sector possible. In conclusion, I suggest that in the broader context of potable water reuse, the toilet is in a perniciously powerful position to make city-spaces and shape the future citizenry.Keywords: infrastructure, urban metabolism, Q methodology, water recycling, composting toilet

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Water Quality for Potable Reuse

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1991.0675 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 23 (10-12) ◽

pp. 2171-2180 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

William C. Lauer

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Water Reuse ◽

Potable Water ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Treated Wastewater ◽

Test Results ◽

Potable Reuse ◽

Extensive Analysis ◽

Animal Feeding ◽

Direct Potable Reuse

Denver's Potable Water Reuse Demonstration Project is designed to examine the feasibility of converting secondary treated wastewater to potable water quality. A 1.0 mgd (44L/s) treatment plant began operation in 1985 and during the first three years many processes were evaluated. Data from the evaluation period was used to select the optimum treatment sequence which is now being used to produce samples for the two-year animal feeding health effects study now underway. Operation in this configuration will continue until early 1991 during which time comprehensive analytical studies will further define the water quality in relation to existing standards and Denver's current potable supply. A decision concerning the full-scale implementation of direct potable reuse will follow extensive analysis of the test results and in-depth economic evaluation.

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Progress on legal and practical aspects on water reuse with emphasis on drinking water – an overview

Water Science & Technology Water Supply ◽

10.2166/ws.2021.412 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ana Silvia Pereira Santos ◽

Vimbai Pachawo ◽

Marilia Carvalho Melo ◽

José Manuel Pereira Vieira

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Water Reuse ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Public Confidence ◽

Wastewater Management ◽

Potable Reuse ◽

Global Evolution ◽

The Subject ◽

Water And Wastewater ◽

Direct Potable Reuse

Abstract The present study highlights the evolution, the progress and the prospects of future practices of water reuse in the world. The objective was to produce a comprehensive timeline on the global evolution and progress of water reuse. This was achieved through the analysis of the state of the art on the subject. The present study is a qualitative research, where three aspects have been considered to highlight the global evolution of water reuse: i) Regulations, Standards, Criteria or Guidelines (RSCG); ii) Indirect Potable Reuse Projects (IPR); and iii) Direct Potable Reuse Projects (DPR). The study focused on both legal and practical aspects of water reuse and considered 3 timelines in the context of RSCG, IPR and DPR: 29 RSCG instruments, institutionalized from 1918 to 2020, where only 4 instruments were solely dedicated to drinking water reuse; 10 IPR projects; 5 DPR projects. To achieve good, effective results, the regulatory framework must support the objectives of a structured water reuse policy in addition to guaranteeing legitimacy and maintaining public confidence. Integrated water and wastewater management, based on technological and scientific advances, has become a relevant aspect for implementation of more adequate measures by decision makers to address future global water challenges.

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Direct potable reuse: a future imperative

Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination ◽

10.2166/wrd.2011.000 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 2-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 94

Author(s):

Harold L. Leverenz ◽

George Tchobanoglous ◽

Takashi Asano

Keyword(s):

Distribution System ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Water Reuse ◽

Water Distribution ◽

Water Supplies ◽

Future Expectations ◽

Potable Reuse ◽

Dual Distribution ◽

The Cost ◽

Direct Potable Reuse

As a result of population growth, urbanization, and climate change, public water supplies are becoming stressed, and the chances of tapping new water supplies for metropolitan areas are getting more difficult, if not impossible. As a consequence, existing water supplies must go further. One way to achieve this objective is by increased water reuse, particularly in supplementing municipal water supplies. Although water reuse offers many opportunities it also involves a number of problems. A significant cost for nonpotable water reuse in urban areas is associated with the need to provide separate piping and storage systems for reclaimed water. In most situations, the cost of a dual distribution system has been prohibitive and thus, has limited implementation for water reuse programs. The solution to the problem of distribution is to implement direct potable reuse (DPR) of purified water in the existing water distribution system. The purpose of this paper is to consider (a) a future in which DPR will be the norm and (b) the steps that will need to be taken to make this a reality. Following an overview, the rationale for DPR, some examples of DPR projects, technological and implementation issues, and future expectations are examined.

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Guidelines for Engineered Storage for Direct Potable Reuse

Water Intelligence Online ◽

10.2166/9781780408477 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 15 (0) ◽

pp. 9781780408477-9781780408477

Author(s):

A. Salveson ◽

E. Steinle-Darling ◽

S. Trussell ◽

B. Pecson ◽

L. Macpherson

Keyword(s):

Potable Reuse ◽

Direct Potable Reuse

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Experimental Investigations into the Use of Emergent Plants to Treat Sewage in South Africa

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1987.0097 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 19 (10) ◽

pp. 51-59 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

W. V. Alexander ◽

A. Wood

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Experimental Investigations ◽

Artificial Wetlands ◽

E Coli ◽

Effluent Quality ◽

Emergent Plants ◽

Treatment Facilities ◽

High Standards ◽

Oxidation Ponds

South Africa is a relatively water-short country which has many rural communities with water-borne sewage infrastructures requiring low technology treatment facilities. In order to protect the water resources of the country the authorities have set high standards for effluent quality (COD < 75 mg/l, NH3 < 10 mg/l, E. coli < 1000 and in some areas P < 1 mg/l). Traditionally, oxidation ponds have been used in these applications but have not been able to consistently meet the required standards and recently interest has been shown in artificial wetlands as a low technology means of solving the problem. As a result several experimental projects are at present being initiated in South Africa, both as primary and secondary treatment for domestic sewage and also as a tertiary treatment to remove nitrogen, phosphorus and E. coli from conventional sewage plant effluents. The designs of these experimental projects are described in the paper and it is hoped that data will be available for presentation at the seminar.

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Treatment of Trace Organic Compounds by Membrane Processes: At the Lake Arrowhead Water Reuse Pilot Plant

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1999.0603 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 40 (4-5) ◽

pp. 293-301 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Bruno B. Levine ◽

Kapal Madireddi ◽

Valentina Lazarova ◽

Michael K. Stenstrom ◽

Mel Suffet

Keyword(s):

Pilot Plant ◽

Water Reuse ◽

Ultra Violet ◽

Treatment Efficiency ◽

Small Molecular Weight ◽

Potable Reuse ◽

Low Concentrations ◽

Neutral Compounds ◽

Indirect Potable Reuse ◽

Trace Organic

Organic and trace organic performance data for ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) at the Lake Arrowhead water reclamation pilot plant are analyzed to determine the treatment efficiency of these processes in an indirect potable reuse design. Four organic parameters were studied: dissolved organic carbon (DOC), ultra-violet absorbance at 254 nm (UV-254), SUVA and base neutral analysis (BNA). UF and NF removed the larger compounds from the influent, but had no significant impact on the base neutral fraction with the exception of sterols. The RO process removed DOC and UV-absorbance compounds from the effluent to their respective detection limits. Base neutral compounds were significantly removed by RO, leaving at extremely low concentrations small molecular weight compounds, indicating indirect potable reuse is technically feasible.

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