Grey Wastewaters: Treatment and Potential Reuse in an Arid Climate

Abstract

We investigated the effects of treated grey wastewaters on soil properties, on seeds germination and on plants growth. The application of these wastewaters for irrigation of the soil and plants gave significant results. Indeed we noticed improvement of soil water retention capacity (SWRC) by an average of 12%, soil organic matter content (SOM) which increases by 30% and enhancement in soil microflora count by 80%. Besides, the germination indexes of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) were increased by an average of 30% and 50% respectively in soil irrigated by untreated and treated grey wastewaters. Moreover, better growth levels for tested plant species—Wheat (Triticum durum), Barley (Hordeum vulgare) and Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) were obtained in presence of treated wastewaters.