Journal of Advances in Environmental Health Research

Journal of Advances in Environmental Health Research

Municipal Wastewater Treatment in Iran: Current Situation, Barriers and Future Policies

Document Type : Review Article(s)

Authors
Abbas Akbarzadeh 1
Alireza Valipour 1
Seyed Mohammad Hadi Meshkati 2
Nazanin Hamnabard 1
1 Water and Wastewater Research Center (WWRC), Water Research Institute (WRI), Shahid Abbaspour Blvd., Tehran, 16765 313, Iran
2 Department of Hydraulic Engineering and Hydro-Environmental (DHEH), Water Research Institute (WRI), Shahid Abbaspour Blvd., Tehran, 16765 313, Iran
10.34172/jaehr.2023.08
Abstract
With population and economy growth, water usage, wastewater generation and treatment, treatment plants capacity and innovation ability in Iran have increased dramatically in the last decades. Currently, Iran is in the grip of severe water scarcity, with renewable water availability of less than 1700 m3/capita/y. Total municipal wastewater generated in Iran is 4.61 billion m3/y out of which only 42% is treated. The conventional activated sludge process accounted for the largest share (> 60%) in municipal wastewater treatment in Iran. The treatment plants operational costs usually amount up to 0.2 US $/m3 wastewater. About 55% of treated municipal effluent is reused in Iran, with an emphasis on the agricultural sector. The electricity consumption in municipal wastewater treatment facilities amounts for 0.1% (241 million kWh/y) of the total electricity consumption of the country. Meanwhile, the current laws and policies are sometimes inefficient or do not prompt the ideal outcomes. Thus, the present study provides an overview of municipal wastewater treatment in Iran by describing the current situation and collecting data from 68 treatment plants, and defining key barriers and future policies needs towards Iran’s sustainable municipal wastewater management (up to 2040). Here, the opinions of 50 experts from the governmental sector, industry division, and faculty members were surveyed through the meetings of the technical and steering committee. Overall, sustainable municipal wastewater management in Iran would be obtained by developing water resources, increasing the population covered by wastewater facilities (90%), improving effluent discharge standards, and lowering energy usage to 0.45 kWh/m3 wastewater.
Keywords
Water resource
Municipal wastewater treatment
Sludge
Energy
Reuse
Policy
Subjects
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Journal of Advances in Environmental Health Research
Volume 11, Issue 1
Winter 2023
Pages 60-71