A Nexus Analysis of Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse for Agriculture and Sustainability: A Life Cycle Assessment

ABSTRACT The sustainability of the wastewater treatment process relies on the capacity to maximize resource recovery while minimizing environmental impacts and cost. Treated wastewater reuse for agriculture has emerged as a potential solution to build resilience and sustainability. However, treating wastewater for reuse comes at a significant cost, hence the need to carefully examine the trade‐offs. This study used the life cycle impact (LCIA) model ReCiPe 2016 methods to compare the impacts of treated wastewater reuse against the non‐reuse scenario. The findings suggest that non‐reuse of wastewater had negative impacts on freshwater eutrophication and water consumption, while treated wastewater reuse had a negative impact on global warming and a positive impact on water consumption. The coal‐based electricity mix was found to be the main contributing factor to high greenhouse gas emissions. However, the reuse of treated wastewater was found to be more beneficial in terms of its contributions to social, economic, and environmental sustainability. This paper argues that the negative impacts of treated wastewater reuse can be offset by adopting cost‐effective treatment technology and focuses on exploiting the potential of treated wastewater reuse in reducing water scarcity, improving food security, and promoting a green economy.