Conventional and advanced techniques of wastewater monitoring and treatment

Industrialization, modern agriculture activities, and an ever-increasing population and living standards result in the generation of a huge amount of wastewater that needs to be either disposed of safely or recycled. Prior to treatment, wastewater is analyzed for its constituting pollutants to determine the most appropriate treatment. With time, analytical techniques have become more advanced and handy to deliver real-time on-site outcomes. This chapter presents recent advances in analytical techniques ranging from lab-based analysis to on-field monitoring to wireless sensor networks with soft sensors and early warning systems. The introduction of nanotechnology and microfluidics leads to the development of miniaturized devices. Commercialized water analysis kits based on biosensors and nanosensing platforms are discussed, which found their way from laboratories and scientific publications to the global market. Subsequently, various traditional and advanced treatment methods including microbial fuel cells, membrane filtration, and ultraviolet irradiations have been described for wastewater treatment. This chapter also provides insights on wastewater treatment plants in developed and developing countries on a large scale. The future prospective for further research possibilities and constraints in scaling up existing strategies is also discussed. A great deal of research is needed to explore the enormous possibilities to treat and utilize the abundance of wastewater in efficient and beneficial ways.