Greywater production in airports: Qualitative and quantitative assessment

• The qualitative and quantitative aspects of greywater in airports encourage reuse practices.
• The greatest contribution to greywater production comes from showers and bathroom sinks.
• Greywater production is sufficient to meet the non-potable demand in airports.
• Greywater produced in airports has different characteristics depending on its source.
• Greywater produced in airports has similar quality to greywater produced in residences.

Airport complexes are great water consumers where the adoption of reuse practices adapted to their particular characteristics may represent significant savings of financial and environmental resources. Greywater reuse is an important alternative for reducing potable water consumption in airports. The objective of this study was to assess the quality of greywater produced in airport environments and the reuse potential of such effluent. This study was developed in a mid-size airport in Brazil, where a qualitative assessment of greywater produced by different activities was performed. The results were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate statistics. Greywater production in the administrative buildings was estimated by the application of questionnaires and interviewing employees, and compared to the non-potable demand in these buildings. The results showed that the quality of the greywater produced in the airport is similar to that produced in residences and can be easily treated for reuse purposes. In quantitative terms, greywater reuse can meet the non-potable demand and provide great savings of water and financial resources, in addition to priceless environmental benefits.