WASTEWATER RECLAIMING AND RECYCLING: ESSENCE AND DIRECTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION

Abstract

Topicality. The topicality of the research results from the fact that according to the data of the United Nations (UN), 36% of the world's population lives in water-scarce regions, in particular Ukraine is ranked 125th among 179 countries on the indicator of total internal renewable water resources per capita, which states that Ukraine is poorly supplied with freshwater. In recent years, special attention of international communities have been paid to the wastewater reclaiming and recycling as a possible alternative to traditional water supply and solution of water scarcity problem. In the UN World Water Development Report 2017, it is noted the need to use wastewater as a resource since fresh water has become increasingly scarce. Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is to determine the essence, features and directions for wastewater reclaiming and recycling implementation to ensure sustainable water resources management in Ukraine. Research results. The results indicate that climate change, rapid urbanization and population growth affect the state of water resources and the population's access to fresh water. In order to find ways to overcome the natural water shortage, it was proposed to use alternative sources of water supply, in particular, wastewater reclaiming and recycling. Based on the analysis of national and foreign regulatory legislation, the modern semantic content of the concepts of "wastewater reclaiming" and "wastewater recycling" has been clarified, and a scheme for introducing the wastewater reclaiming and recycling into the water cycle has been developed. Statistical data on providing the population of Ukraine with centralized water supply and drainage systems and the amount of volumes of untreated wastewater discharged into the environment have been analyzed. The analysis was carried out and the main areas of recycling of wastewater reclaiming components were determined. Conclusion. Considering the importance of ensuring sustainable water resources management, the authors of the article determined the place and role in the introduction of wastewater reclaiming and recycling. The study demonstrated that 97% of Ukraine's wastewater is not recycled, and more than a quarter of the discharged wastewater in the Odessa region is discharged without proper treatment, which has extremely detrimental consequences for the environment and human health. The stages of technological processes of centralized water supply and sanitation services are considered and the introduction of wastewater reclaiming into the water use cycle, in particular in the energy, manufacturing, agricultural sectors and for municipal and domestic needs, is proposed. It is argued that the introduction of wastewater reclaiming and recycling contributes to the development of a circular economy and provides certain socio-economic-environmental benefits, including reducing environmental impact, avoiding overexploitation of water resources and increasing water availability in arid regions of Ukraine.