Life Cycle Assessment as an Innovative Strategy for Sustainable Water Reuse Management – a Critical Review

Increasing global water scarcity has driven the adoption of water reuse as a sustainable strategy, especially in regions subject to drought and pressure on natural resources. This paper presents a review of the application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in water reuse projects by analyzing trends, methodological approaches, and opportunities for improvement. Twelve studies were selected out of 57 published since 2020, focusing on reuse systems assessed through LCA. The results indicate a predominance of research in Europe, reflecting regulatory advances and academic interests. The most frequent keywords were “water reuse”, “LCA”, and “wastewater treatment”, highlighting the centrality of these themes. The most analyzed environmental impact categories were global warming, human toxicity, eutrophication, and ecotoxicity, present in all studies. Energy transportation and consumption stand out as the most impactful stages of the life cycle, especially in scenarios with large distances or the use of fossil fuels. Despite these challenges, most studies point to the environmental viability of water reuse, especially when renewable sources and logistics optimization strategies are integrated. The critical analysis revealed the need for greater integration of economic and social aspects in the assessments, as well as for adapting the methodologies to the local context. These findings reinforce the role of LCA as an essential tool for making more sustainable water reuse management decisions.