In the oil-rich countries of the Arabian Peninsula, fresh water is in limited supply – the high evapotranspiration rate in this arid region deem surface water bodies to be non-existent, and groundwater resources have rapidly declined because of limited recharge, over-pumping, and mixing with subsurface brine from evaporitic deposits.  Cities in the region tend to be coastal so that they can rely on seawater as a feed-water source for desalination processes, which yield fresh water at a severe energy and carbon penalty.  Conversely, treating municipal wastewater costs only a fraction of seawater desalination, and water reuse can serve to increase the average residence time of desalinated water in the urban water cycle.  Therefore, the reuse of treated wastewater offers a sustainable solution to meet the burgeoning water demand in water-scarce regions, especially for non-potable reuse.  In Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), water reuse is a significant component of the sustainable development goals of the government.  At present, treated wastewater meets less than 10% of Abu Dhabi city’s total water demand, leaving much room for improvement.  With the increasing trend towards water reuse, protection of public health from harmful water contaminants is a paramount concern.  The presence of chemicals either present in the wastewater or produced during disinfection is often overlooked in the reclamation process.<br/><br/>Ongoing research at the Masdar Institute related to the sustainable reuse of treated municipal wastewater has the overarching goal of establishing safe and sustainable practices.  Work accomplished so far has focused on the following key concerns, some of which are unique to the region:  (i) saline water intrusion into the sewage system, its effects on the generation of carcinogenic disinfection byproducts, and the subsequent health risk posed during landscape irrigation; (ii) human bacterial pathogen detection in treated effluent using newly-developed molecular biological methods, and quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) models for edible crop irrigation reuse; and (iii) characterization and removal of residual pharmaceutical micropollutants in treated effluent.  Technical and policy-relevant insights in this field hold the promise of limiting the region’s carbon footprint and energy demand, while enhancing food and water security.

Water quality challenges in creating a sustainable water reuse framework in Abu Dhabi, UAE

254th National Meeting (2017)

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