Phosphorus as a limiting factor on sustainable greywater irrigation

Ryan D.R. Turner; Geoffrey D. Will; Les A. Dawes; Edward A. Gardner; David J. Lyons

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.061

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Phosphorus as a limiting factor on sustainable greywater irrigation

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Phosphorus as a limiting factor on sustainable greywater irrigation

Ryan D.R. Turner, Geoffrey D. Will, Les A. Dawes, Edward A. Gardner and David J. Lyons

Science of the Total Environment, Vol.456-457, pp.287-298

2013

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.061

PMID: 23624003

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Abstract

Greywater

Irrigation

Phosphorus

Soil

Sustainability

Water reuse

Water reuse through greywater irrigation has been adopted worldwide and has been proposed as a potential sustainable solution to increased water demands. Despite widespread adoption, there is limited domestic knowledge of greywater reuse. There is no pressure to produce low-level phosphorus products and current guidelines and legislation, such as those in Australia, may be inadequate due to the lack of long-term data to provide a sound scientific basis. Research has clearly identified phosphorus as a potential environmental risk to waterways from many forms of irrigation. To assess the sustainability of greywater irrigation, this study compared four residential lots that had been irrigated with greywater for four years and adjacent non-irrigated lots that acted as controls. Each lot was monitored for the volume of greywater applied and selected physic-chemical water quality parameters and soil chemistry profiles were analysed. The non-irrigated soil profiles showed low levels of phosphorus and were used as controls. The Mechlich3 Phosphorus ratio (M3PSR) and Phosphate Environmental Risk Index (PERI) were used to determine the environmental risk of phosphorus leaching from the irrigated soils. Soil phosphorus concentrations were compared to theoretical greywater irrigation loadings. The measured phosphorus soil concentrations and the estimated greywater loadings were of similar magnitude. Sustainable greywater reuse is possible; however incorrect use and/or lack of understanding of how household products affect greywater can result in phosphorus posing a significant risk to the environment.

Details

Title: Phosphorus as a limiting factor on sustainable greywater irrigation
Authors: Ryan D.R. Turner (Corresponding Author) - Queensland Department of Science, Information, Technology, Innovation and the Arts
Geoffrey D. Will (Author) - Queensland University of Technology
Les A. Dawes (Author) - Queensland University of Technology
Edward A. Gardner (Author) - Central Queensland University
David J. Lyons (Author) - Queensland Department of Science, Information, Technology, Innovation and the Arts
Publication details: Science of the Total Environment, Vol.456-457, pp.287-298
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date published: 2013
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.061
ISSN: 1879-1026; 0048-9697
PMID: 23624003
Organisation Unit: School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99737995402621
Output Type: Journal article

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Web Of Science research areas: Environmental Sciences

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