MCDA-DEA approach to construct a composite indicator for effluents from WWTPs considering the influence of PPCPs

Considering current water situation, reuse is an effective solution to meet water demand and reduce pressure on conventional water sources. However, pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) decrease their quality and suitability. With the aim of identifying and monitoring both the influence of PPCPs and the suitability of effluents to be reused, this study proposes the development of a composite indicator (CI) related to PPCP presence in WWTPs, through the common weight multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA)-data envelopment analysis (DEA) model. Obtaining a CI for PPCPs is a novel approach in the published literature, showing a new perspective in PPCP management and their influence in wastewater treatment. Furthermore, this study proposes an improvement on MCDA-DEA model which maintains the initial hierarchy obtained for the units analyzed. The development of CI is based on information about the technological, environmental, social, and biological issues of WWTPs. Results show that 4 of the 33 WWTPs analysed had the best CI values, meaning that their effluents have lower environmental impact. The development of a CI related to PPCPs in WWTPs suggests that further steps are needed to manage the WWTP effluents. Hence, the need to implement preventive measures in WWTPs has been shown, even though the removal of PPCPs is not yet part of European law. This work highlights the importance of considering PPCPs as priority pollutants in wastewater management and reuse frameworks, to guarantee low environmental impact and adapt wastewater reuse based on a circular economy approach. HIGHLIGHTS: Emerging contaminants (PPCPs) are used as effluent quality indicators. A composite indicator for PPCPs performance has been developed through MCDA-DEA model. Indicator obtained allow decision makers implementing concrete actions to assess effluent quality. Results show the improvement capacity of the effluents quality through PPCPs removing.