As global water scarcity worsens, potable water reuse is increasingly considered a vital solution for augmenting water supplies. However, public acceptance remains a significant barrier, presumably because of a misalignment between the public values reflected by these systems and those that are held by the communities that these systems intend to serve. This study explores this potential misalignment by systematically identifying and analysing the most prevalent values inscribed in academic research on potable water reuse. We employ a mixed-methods approach, combining probabilistic topic modelling with thematic analysis of 2940 academic publications to identify and conceptualise latent values discussed in the literature. Our findings suggest that the values ‘reliability’, ‘sustainability’, ‘health’, and ‘safety’ are most prevalent but that their conceptualisation remains largely ambivalent. For example, sustainability exhibits an ambivalent relationship with safety, sometimes conflicting and sometimes supporting, depending on the research perspective. Crucially, this research demonstrates a predominantly technocentric understanding of these values. While this technical focus is undeniably important, it also risks overlooking broader societal concerns and other value interpretations. This research highlights the need for a more value-sensitive approach to ensure a more responsible potable water reuse, incorporating a wider range of public values to promote the system’s social and ethical desirability.

With the increasing reliance on technological advancements, it becomes imperative to critically examine and evaluate their implications on society and the environment. The concepts of acceptance and acceptability have gained prominence among researchers shaping technology implementation strategies. However, the lack of precise definitions for these concepts leads to diverse interpretations, compromising their usefulness in technology development and impeding further progress in research endeavours. This paper illustrates how these important concepts have been used in the energy technology discourse and develops a schematic overview highlighting the varied overarching interpretations of these concepts: the funnel of acceptance and acceptability. It underscores how different research levels – institutional, societal, and individual – affect the relevant understanding of these concepts. The funnel metaphor emphasises the interconnectedness of these interpretations and underlines the importance of addressing all research levels to ensure technology implementation processes advance in a desirable and responsible manner.