More clean water for agriculture and horticulture in times of drought

Is it possible to safely use treated wastewater (effluent) from sewage treatment plants (WWTPs) as irrigation water in agriculture and horticulture? A group of water boards, knowledge institutions and companies, led by Wageningen University & Research, have launched a study to investigate how this can work in practice. Last summer it became painfully clear once again that drought and water shortages for agriculture and horticulture can lead to major damage to crops. Especially in Zeeland and Brabant, the urgency of this problem has been strongly felt in recent years. A number of local and national parties led by Wageningen University & Research have joined forces and are jointly searching for alternative sources of water for irrigation. One obvious source is treated wastewater, effluent, from sewage treatment. However, this water is not clean enough because of micropollutants present, a collective name for drug residues, plant protection products and other persistent chemicals. Within the EffluentFit4Food project, a way is now being developed to analyze the water quickly and inexpensively and, if necessary, post-treat and purify it in a way that is safe, affordable, sustainable and scalable.