The World Bank's flagship report released in 2025, 《Scaling Water Reuse: A Tipping Point for Municipal and Industrial Use》, provides a forward-looking assessment of global water resource allocation. The report posits that approximately one-quarter of total global municipal freshwater withdrawals could be replaced by reclaimed water, and the scale of reclaimed water utilization in drinking and industrial sectors could reach eight times current levels by 2040. This judgment offers new technological pathways and investment logic for sustainable development in water-scarce regions.
► Current Landscape: Agriculture Irrigation Dominates
At present, the primary destination for global reclaimed water is concentrated in the agricultural sector, accounting for nearly half of total utilization. After municipal wastewater treatment, following basic reclaimed water treatment processes, large volumes of effluent are directly used for non-potable scenarios such as farmland irrigation and landscape greening. While this model alleviates some water supply pressure, it also exposes economic efficiency issues in resource allocation. Agricultural water demands relatively relaxed water quality standards, and the economic output per unit of water volume is low, making it difficult for high-standard treatment facilities to achieve cost recovery.
At the municipal level, some developed regions have begun deploying municipal reverse osmosis system to replenish groundwater or inject into drinking water source reservoirs after advanced wastewater treatment. However, the overall proportion of such projects remains low, with most regions still lingering in a stage of extensive utilization. Limitations in technological pathways and deviations in policy orientation have resulted in the vast potential of reclaimed water remaining untapped.
► Future Outlook: Industrial and Drinking Water Become Growth Poles
The report forecasts that over the next fifteen years, industrial cooling, process water, and direct potable supplementation will become the primary engines of reclaimed water growth. Industrial users demand strict water quality standards and possess stable payment capacity, enabling support for more complex treatment processes. The maturation of technologies such as ultrafiltration drinking water system and reverse osmosis unit industrial provides possibilities for meeting water quality standards across different scenarios. By 2040, total reclaimed water for drinking and industrial uses could reach hundreds of millions of cubic meters per day, equivalent to one-quarter of global urban municipal water demand.
The core driver of this transformation lies in the revaluation of economic value. Industrial water costs are rising annually, motivating enterprises to seek alternative water sources; the drinking water sector faces the dual pressures of source water pollution and climate change, making reclaimed water a reliable strategic supplement. At the technical level, reclaimed water treatment processes have already achieved full-process coverage from microfiltration to nanofiltration, with effluent water quality consistently superior to conventional surface water.
► Scalability Pathway: Five Key Strategies
To achieve the eightfold growth target, the report proposes five systemic strategies encompassing price mechanisms, resource allocation, social cognition, project models, and investment guidance.
► Establish a Price Advantage Mechanism
A rational water pricing system is the primary prerequisite for reclaimed water promotion. Under current water pricing structures, reclaimed water often lacks competitiveness, being unable to cover advanced treatment costs or incentivize users to switch water sources. The strategy recommends pegging reclaimed water pricing to tap water prices, forming a dynamic adjustment mechanism to ensure market attractiveness in industrial and drinking water sectors. Simultaneously, policy tools such as tiered water pricing and water usage quotas should be employed to strengthen economic incentive effects.
► Clarify Priority Development Sequencing
Under conditions of limited resources, priority must be given to sectors with the highest economic value. Industrial and drinking water are identified as core directions for reclaimed water allocation. In industrial scenarios, industrial ultrafiltration systems can achieve precise removal of specific pollutants, meeting stringent standards for water-intensive industries such as electronics and chemicals. The drinking water sector focuses on blended supplementation with existing water sources, gradually increasing its proportion. This sequential layout helps concentrate capital and technology to rapidly create demonstration effects.
► Enhance Public Trust Levels
Social acceptance directly affects the feasibility of potable reclaimed water. Public skepticism regarding the safety of "new water" stems from information asymmetry and psychological barriers. The strategy emphasizes systematically building trust through transparent water quality monitoring data, open facility tours, and community science outreach. Full-process traceability of reclaimed water treatment and third-party certification will serve as technical support to dispel doubts.
► Promote Project Standardization
Large-scale promotion depends on cost control. Currently, most reclaimed water projects are customized constructions lacking unified standards in design, construction, and operation, resulting in high investments. The strategy calls for establishing technical specifications and equipment standards covering different applications, promoting modular and batch production of core components such as ultrafiltration equipment. Standardization can not only shorten construction cycles but also significantly reduce unit investment intensity, creating conditions for large-scale replication.
► Activate Private Sector Participation
Massive investment demands exceed public fiscal capacity, necessitating the introduction of private capital. The strategy recommends reducing investment risks through long-term water supply agreements, government viability gap subsidies, and green finance instruments. Regarding technological innovation, enterprises are encouraged to develop low-energy, high-flux membrane materials and intelligent control systems to enhance overall reclaimed water treatment efficiency. Private sector participation brings not only capital but also injects management flexibility and technological iteration momentum.
► Challenges and Prospects
Despite a clear pathway, achieving eightfold growth still faces practical obstacles such as insufficient pipeline network supporting infrastructure, cross-departmental coordination difficulties, and uneven regional development. The report cautions that without systematic policy implementation, the target may lag significantly. However, the urgency of the water resources crisis is forcing nations to re-examine water cycle strategies. From technological reserves to policy frameworks, reclaimed water has moved from a marginal option to a mainstream solution. Over the next fifteen years, how to translate the blueprint into practice will be the core issue in the global water sector.