Sustainability and Environmental Impact in Liquid Waste Treatment

Liquid waste is one of the most critical environmental challenges due to its increasing amounts coming from various sources, like agricultural, industrial, and domestic sources. This, therefore, leads to the emergence of the demand for sustainable and creative solutions. In light of this, this chapter gives an overview of the shift from traditional treatment techniques to modern, sustainable technologies. It provides an assessment of the negative environmental impacts associated with traditional biological and physicochemical processes and also reviews a set of new methods aimed at increasing efficiency and reducing impact on the environment. Innovations with high breakthrough potential are emphasized, such as applications of nanotechnology, hybrid treatment systems, and integrated resource recovery processes, alongside advanced monitoring methods (real-time sensors and artificial intelligence) for process optimization. By conducting in-depth environmental assessments [life cycle assessment (LCA) and environmental impact assessment], the chapter offers perspectives on the challenges and opportunities for this entire research area and, thus, provides guidance for future research and concrete applications. Through this comprehensive analysis, this work thus seeks to help stakeholders in designing greener and more efficient strategies for liquid waste management.