Abstract
Wastewater is any type of low-quality water negatively affected by anthropogenic influences. Currently, 80% of the world’s wastewater is not treated. This generates considerable negative socioeconomic and environmental externalities. In this context, new wastewater management systems are required, in order to improve efficiency and focus on expanding the lifespan of this natural resource that can be reused. This study analyses research conducted on wastewater management over the last 30 years on a global scale. The driving agents of the research, the principal subject areas and research needs are identified and the most recent review studies are also analyzed. The results reveal that there are four lines of research mainly focused on the treatment of wastewater, urban wastewater management, wastewater management related to agriculture and wastewater management and the environment. It is concluded that the development of wastewater management frameworks is required that take into account all the dimensions of sustainability (economic, social and environmental).
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Acknowledgments
This study has been partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund by means of the research project ECO2017-82347-P, and by the Research Plan of the University of Almería through a Postdoctoral Contract to Juan F. Velasco Muñoz.
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Velasco-Muñoz, J.F., Aznar-Sánchez, J.A., Román-Sánchez, I.M., Fidelibus, M.D. (2020). Advances in the Global Research on Wastewater Management. In: Hussain, C. (eds) Handbook of Environmental Materials Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58538-3_178-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58538-3_178-1
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