Nature based wastewater treatment using artificial wetland technique for municipal wastewater and resource recovery

Abstract

Water is an essential element in our life. Increasing population, industrialization, and urbanization put immense pressure on water demand. The United Nations estimates that an American consumes 575L per day in the United States

an Italian consumes 385L, while the Indians and Chinese consume 135 and 85L, respectively. A huge amount of water >80% comes out as waste effluent. It creates a threat to the surroundings and public health. It is now known to be a potential resource if it is managed, or recycling will provide economic and financial advantages after proper treatment. Various technologies have been developed so far to treat wastewater around the globe. One such technique is the nature-based root bed technique called artificial wetlands (AW). It is a method that uses plants, soil, and organisms for the natural functions of wastewater treatment. It is a biofilter and may eliminate from the water several toxins (e.g., biological content, minerals, bacteria, heavy metals). The present study highlights the importance of AW and the role of native wetland species in treating wastewater. Based on several trials of the study, it has been demonstrated that TYPHA (monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae) and PHRAGMYTES (a genus of four species of giant perennial reed grasses that originate in wetlands) are extremely successful in eliminating organic pollutants from the wastewater. The analysis shows that all pollutants were removed by 8d HRT, by approximately 80% in inorganic components and nearly 90% in organic ones. Over 90% and 60% of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) are removed using these indigenous wetlands. AW is a nature-based technology working mainly under a unit process. It is not expressly intended to remove pathogens but is designed to remove other pollutants, such as organic and inorganic compounds. AW is best suited to treat a variety of wastewater like greywater, stormwater runoff, etc. Adopting this technique makes it possible to implement the 3R (reduce, reuse, and recycle) concept in the domestic wastewater system. By harvesting the plants used in the AW units, it is possible to develop several value-added products, and it helps in the resource recovery of wastewater. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.