Wastewater discharge refers to the intentional release of treated or untreated wastewater from point or non-point sources into receiving environments such as rivers, lakes, coastal waters, or groundwater. As a research topic, it encompasses the characterization of effluent composition (e.g., nutrients, organic load, pathogens, micropollutants), hydrodynamic and dispersion processes, and the assessment of impacts on physicochemical water quality, ecological status, and human health. It also includes development and evaluation of regulatory standards, discharge permits, and best available technologies to minimize pollutant loads, as well as modeling and monitoring strategies to quantify emissions and their environmental fate.
Water pollution caused by pharmaceuticals, pesticides and other organic contaminants is an increasing global issue, especially in regions with limited wastewater treatment infrastructure. A new doctoral thesis from Umea University ...
Biotechnology
Jun 8, 2026
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The surge in caravan and camper usage within Australia could place extra pressure on regional wastewater treatment systems because of the chemicals commonly used in caravan and camper toilet systems, according to new research ...
Environment
Jun 6, 2026
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15
Depression, anxiety and sleep disorders are among the conditions often treated with antidepressant drugs. Yet, up to 90% of these drugs pass through the body into wastewater. They're also difficult to remove during water ...
Environment
Jun 3, 2026
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12
Some 1,000 people jogged along the banks of the Mapocho River in Santiago one Sunday afternoon, an activity that would have been unthinkable a few years ago due to its heavily polluted waters.
Environment
May 26, 2026
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11
More than two-thirds of Saudi Arabia's irrigation water and a third of the country's drinking water comes from groundwater, yet aquifers are being depleted faster than they recharge. At the same time, sewage treatment generates ...
Earth Sciences
May 5, 2026
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13
Methane is the second-largest greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. According to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, anthropogenic methane emissions account for nearly 45% of current net warming, making it an important factor ...
Environment
Apr 27, 2026
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258
When 240 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., starting in mid-January 2026 and running through mid-March, it was estimated to be the largest sewage spill in U.S. history. But it ...
Environment
Apr 16, 2026
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40
Human urine—often flushed away without thought—could be key to making agriculture and wastewater treatment more sustainable and energy efficient, according to new research from the University of Surrey. Although urine only ...
Environment
Apr 14, 2026
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Every time we flush the toilet, wastewater containing more than tens of thousands of unknown substances, some of which may be toxic to animals and plants, runs into streams and the marine environment. In a study published ...
Environment
Apr 9, 2026
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10
After a successful trip around the moon, everything has been going smoothly on the Orion spacecraft's journey back to Earth—except for the $23 million toilet, which has gotten clogged.
Space Exploration
Apr 9, 2026
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