Towards the new era of wastewater treatment of China: Development history, current status, and future directions
Ao Xu,
Yin-Hu Wu,
Zhuo Chen,
Guangxue Wu,
Qianyuan Wu,
Fangqiong Ling,
Wei E. Huang,
Hong-Ying Hu
Affiliations
Ao Xu
Research Institute for Environmental Innovation (Suzhou), Tsinghua, Jiangsu, Suzhou, 215163, PR China
Yin-Hu Wu
Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State Key Joint Laboratory, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control (SMARC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, PR China; Corresponding author. School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 10084, PR China.
Zhuo Chen
Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State Key Joint Laboratory, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control (SMARC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, PR China
Guangxue Wu
Shenzhen Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China
Qianyuan Wu
Shenzhen Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China
Fangqiong Ling
Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, Green Hall 3120E, MO, 63130, St Louis, USA
Wei E. Huang
Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, OX1 3PJ, Oxford, United Kingdom
Hong-Ying Hu
Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State Key Joint Laboratory, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control (SMARC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, PR China; Shenzhen Environmental Science and New Energy Technology Engineering Laboratory, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Shenzhen 518055, PR China
Water is essential for the sustainable development of human society. With the largest population and rapid economic development, water usage and treatment in China have grown tremendously in the past decades. In order to prevent water pollution, the standards for wastewater effluent discharge in China have been gradually developed and implemented since 1973. After the rapid development during over 40 years, numerous milestones have been achieved in terms of infrastructure coverage, standard and policy system establishment, and technological innovations. In this article, we reviewed the development history and the current status of the wastewater treatment in China, including the generation of wastewater, the construction of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), the overall treatment performance of WWTPs, as well as the developments in effluent discharge standards. In addition, we highlighted the challenges lying ahead in the aspects of influent concentration, sludge disposal and water reclamation. Based on the achievement and foundation built in the past, the new era of wastewater treatment of China is on the way, in which water reclamation, wastewater treatment in rural areas and resource/energy recovery from sludge are becoming the main tasks.
