Safe water reuse through a quasi-natural water cycle

Abstract

Safe water reuse usually means the provision of reclaimed water with its quality meeting the criteria for safeguarding human health and aquatic ecology. Regarding this, people often overstress the technological magic in terms of hazardous substances removal by engineered processes while ignoring the utilization of nature's power to provide an additional barrier for safety control. Based on an understanding of the function of the hydrological cycle to secure water quality and the fact that water reuse is through a water loop, the author presented his viewpoint on creating a quasi-natural water cycle for water reuse. Existing data showed the remarkable effects of emerging pollutants removal and associated reduction of biotoxicities from the reclaimed water during open-storage under a quasi-natural condition. Adsorption by soil particles, sunlight-induced photolysis and purification by aquatic life were thought to be the major actions contributing to effective water quality improvement in a quasi-natural manner. Safe water reuse through a quasi-natural water cycle can thus be a recommendable strategy for system design in accordance with the purposes of water use.