By Daniel Vázquez Tous and Benoît Lefèvre (AQUATEC)
Many regions of southern Europe suffer from a serious problem of water scarcity (quantity and quality) due to factors such as low rainfall, high evaporation, increased demand for water by agriculture and tourism and serious problems of chemical contamination (excess fertilizers, pesticides, wastewater discharge, etc.). This limitation of water endangers the sustainability of one of the main economic activities of these regions: agriculture.
The main benefits of reusing purified water for agricultural irrigation are, in addition to increasing available water resources, significant savings in fertilizers. The technologies assessed in Life Conquer aim at promoting the reduction of nitrogenous fertilizers needed since we recover the ammoniacal compounds that allow us to save subsequent fertilization of the crops. With this, we manage to reduce the carbon and water footprint, since for the manufacture of nitrogenous fertilizers the consumption of natural gas as fuel is very high.
The inclusion of reclaimed water in the comprehensive management of water resources promotes a series of benefits for the entire water circuit in the natural environment, such as:
In the European Union, water scarcity affects 17% of its territory and 46% of its population lives in areas with water stress. Agriculture is the economic activity that consumes the largest amount of water, representing 36% of consumption at the European level and 75% of consumption in Mediterranean countries.
In this context, work is being done at a European level on the development of a common Regulation for the use of reclaimed water in agriculture. In February 2020, the Proposal for a European Regulation for the Reuse of Water for Agricultural Irrigation (COM (2018) 337) has been accepted by the European Parliament. This proposed regulation aims to establish the minimum quality and control requirements for reclaimed water, and the obligation to carry out certain key risk management tasks for the safe reuse of treated urban wastewater in the context of integrated water management, and contributes to achieving the objectives established in Directive 2000/60/EC.
This Regulation would make it possible to regulate and harmonize central elements of the use of reclaimed water in agriculture at a European level, granting sufficient flexibility for each country to adapt it to its local scenario.
In summary, agriculture consumes around 75% of the water used in Spain, being the activity that requires this resource the most. Considering that it is a Mediterranean territory, the scarcity of water increases the pressure on the country’s water resources and favors the diversification of water sources and the promotion of non-conventional sources such as reclaimed water. Life Conquer allows improving the yields and qualities in obtaining this regenerated water, reducing the water and carbon footprint in many aspects of its development.
Bibliography: