Wastewater: A Hidden Resource for Agriculture

Turning Wastewater into Opportunity

Every day, the world generates massive amounts of wastewater. Recent estimates value global wastewater discharge at 400 billion m³/year. While wastewater is mostly water (99%) with 1% suspended and dissolved solids like nutrients, pathogens, and pollutants, it can’t be used untreated. However, when properly treated, it becomes a water resource rich in nutrients, helping address food and water security challenges. In addition to municipal wastewater that can be used for irrigation, there are other wastewater sources, rich in nutrients that can also become an alternative source of water and nutrients. Those sources are wastewater from animal farming such as dairy and pig farms, as well as biogas electricity facilities. 

Hydrotech solutions focus on maximizing the potential of wastewater through advanced treatment technologies that ensure its safe use in agriculture and other industries.

Why Treatment Is Essential

Using untreated wastewater in irrigation can harm soil, crops, groundwater, and public health. Effective treatment removes contaminants, converting wastewater into a safe and valuable resource. Treated wastewater provides year-round water availability, supplementing limited natural resources for industries, municipalities, and especially agriculture.

Despite its potential, only 1% of water used globally comes from reclaimed wastewater due to high treatment costs, limited regulations, and public concerns. Hydrotech is addressing these challenges by developing efficient, cost-effective treatment methods to encourage greater adoption.

Global Examples of Wastewater Reuse

Regions like Israel lead the way, recycling nearly 90% of their wastewater, with 60% used for agriculture. By investing in cutting-edge technologies, including hydrotech solutions, Israel has demonstrated how reclaimed water can secure agricultural and municipal water needs.

In North America and Europe, treated wastewater reuse remains low, representing only 3.8% and 2.4% of total treated wastewater, respectively. However, if fully utilized, treated wastewater in Europe could meet 44% of agricultural irrigation needs, significantly reducing reliance on natural sources.

Drip Irrigation: A Game-Changer

Drip irrigation addresses the challenges of safely dispersing reclaimed wastewater. Its precise water delivery minimizes health risks, eliminates runoff, and prevents groundwater contamination. However, high levels of solids in wastewater can clog systems. The good news is that Netafim, Orbia’s Precision Agriculture business, has developed advanced filtration technologies to ensure efficient drip system operation with treated effluent.

Innovative Applications

Another nutrient rich source of water is animal farming and biogas facilities slurry. The slurry is a by-product of those facilities that is usually spread on the soil surface, leading to soil and environment contamination and ground water pollution. Netafim has developed a novel system to treat the slurry and mix it with irrigation water and use it as an organic fertilizer, while reducing its environmental impact.

Netafim’s partnerships worldwide showcase the creative use of slurry in agriculture:

• California: An award-winning solution blends dairy wastewater with freshwater, turning manure waste into a nutrient-rich fertilizer applied through drip systems. This process reduces reliance on commercial fertilizers and improves soil health.
• Italy: Netafim Italy’s controlled system disposes of biogas facility effluent via drip irrigation, using treated wastewater as a sustainable fertilizer while cutting costs and transportation needs.
• Hungary: A commercial project of dairy farm slurry application with SDI (sub-surface drip irrigation) has been working for the past two years with great increases of yield, reduction in mineral fertilizers application and reduction on-surface slurry application.
• Netherlands: Netafim Netherlands with the Netafim agronomy R&D team, have recently installed a new drip irrigation system that injects treated local dairy farm slurry as an organic fertilizer. This method is compared by academic research to the common practice of on-surface slurry application to show the agronomic and environmental advantages of the Netafim system.

From Waste to Resource

Water scarcity and growing demand underscore the need for sustainable wastewater from different reuse sources. By adopting Hydrotech solutions and precision irrigation practices, we can transform wastewater into a vital resource. Shifting to a circular economy where wastewater is valued as an asset will play a critical role in feeding a growing global population.