Wastewater Reuse in Agriculture: Effects
on Soil-Plant System Properties
Giuseppe Gatta, Angela Libutti, Anna Gagliardi, Grazia Disciglio,
Emanuele Tarantino, Luciano Beneduce, and Marcella Michela Giuliani
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
1.1 Legislative Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
1.2 Characteristics of the Municipal and Agro-Industrial Wastewaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
2 Main Advantages and Risks of Treated Wastewater Reuse in Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
2.1 Supply of Mineral Nutrients for Crop Growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
2.2 Heavy Metal Accumulation in Soil and Crops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
2.3 Microbiological Risks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
3 Agronomic Practices Related to Treated Wastewater Reuse: The Role of Irrigation
Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
4 Effects of Wastewater on Soil-Plant System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
4.1 Effects on Physical and Chemical Characteristics of the Soil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
4.2 Effects on Soil Microbiological Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
4.3 Quantitative and Qualitative Response of Crops to Irrigation with Wastewater . . . . . 94
5 Final Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Abstract The use of non-conventional water resources can help to mitigate water
stress and can support the agricultural sector. Treated municipal wastewater is one of
the most readily available alternative water resources, and its use in agriculture has
been adopted to reduce fresh water usage in several countries, under their respective
water quality regulations. This chapter reviews the results of past and current
research on the reuse of treated wastewater (municipal and agro-industrial) for
irrigation and the corresponding effects on soil and plant systems. Particular attention has been given to research efforts highlighting the effects of chemical-physical
G. Gatta (*), A. Libutti, A. Gagliardi, G. Disciglio, E. Tarantino, L. Beneduce, and
M. M. Giuliani
Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia,
Italy
e-mail: giuseppe.gatta@unifg.it
Sandra Pérez Solsona, Nicola Montemurro, Serge Chiron, and Damià Barceló (eds.),
Interaction and Fate of Pharmaceuticals in Soil-Crop Systems: The Impact of
Reclaimed Wastewater, Hdb Env Chem (2021) 103: 79–102, DOI 10.1007/698_2020_648,
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020, Published online: 29 August 2020
79
on Soil-Plant System Properties
Giuseppe Gatta, Angela Libutti, Anna Gagliardi, Grazia Disciglio,
Emanuele Tarantino, Luciano Beneduce, and Marcella Michela Giuliani
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
1.1 Legislative Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
1.2 Characteristics of the Municipal and Agro-Industrial Wastewaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
2 Main Advantages and Risks of Treated Wastewater Reuse in Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
2.1 Supply of Mineral Nutrients for Crop Growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
2.2 Heavy Metal Accumulation in Soil and Crops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
2.3 Microbiological Risks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
3 Agronomic Practices Related to Treated Wastewater Reuse: The Role of Irrigation
Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
4 Effects of Wastewater on Soil-Plant System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
4.1 Effects on Physical and Chemical Characteristics of the Soil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
4.2 Effects on Soil Microbiological Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
4.3 Quantitative and Qualitative Response of Crops to Irrigation with Wastewater . . . . . 94
5 Final Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Abstract The use of non-conventional water resources can help to mitigate water
stress and can support the agricultural sector. Treated municipal wastewater is one of
the most readily available alternative water resources, and its use in agriculture has
been adopted to reduce fresh water usage in several countries, under their respective
water quality regulations. This chapter reviews the results of past and current
research on the reuse of treated wastewater (municipal and agro-industrial) for
irrigation and the corresponding effects on soil and plant systems. Particular attention has been given to research efforts highlighting the effects of chemical-physical
G. Gatta (*), A. Libutti, A. Gagliardi, G. Disciglio, E. Tarantino, L. Beneduce, and
M. M. Giuliani
Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia,
Italy
e-mail: giuseppe.gatta@unifg.it
Sandra Pérez Solsona, Nicola Montemurro, Serge Chiron, and Damià Barceló (eds.),
Interaction and Fate of Pharmaceuticals in Soil-Crop Systems: The Impact of
Reclaimed Wastewater, Hdb Env Chem (2021) 103: 79–102, DOI 10.1007/698_2020_648,
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020, Published online: 29 August 2020
79