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Advanced Roles of Constructed Wetlands: Environmental Mitigation, Ecoservices and Resource Recovery

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2020) | Viewed by 19402

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Erik Meers

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Guest Editor

Department of Green Chemistry and Applied Ecochemistry,Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry and Applied Ecochemistry,Ghent University,Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 131, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
Interests: biobased resource recovery; sustainable resource management; refinement of chemicals, materials, energy, and products from biobased waste streams; biobased (waste)streams as an input for the circular economy; bioprocesses; sustainable bio-energy production in its various shapes and forms; resource recovery: extracting minerals, chemicals, water, and materials from biomass

Prof. Dr. Patrick Forrestal

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Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, Y35 Y521 Co. Wexford, Ireland
Interests: nitrogen dynamics in agro-ecosystems; gaseous nitrogen emissions from fertiliser N, urine and dung; improving crop nutrient use efficiency; macro and micronutrient bio-availability; cover-cropping, no-tillage systems, and soil microbiology; variety testing

Dr. Natalia Donoso

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Guest Editor

Department of Green Chemistry and Applied Ecochemistry,Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry and Applied Ecochemistry,Ghent University,Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 131, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
Interests: constructed wetlands; chemical and ecological impact assessment; EU environmental regulations such as the water framework directive, nitrates directive; treatment of wastewater; analytical chemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

To support the implementation of constructed wetlands (CWs) as a sustainable, eco-friendly, and cost-effective treatment technique, water management must be considered a land use issue. Increased use of CWs can be achieved through a simultaneous balance between benefits for human beings and for the environment. In contrast to traditional treatment techniques, CWs can generate several ecosystem services. More than being sustainable and cost-efficient treatment systems, they can serve as a means for resource recovery and to mitigate diffuse agricultural pollution. Unfortunately, the lack of recognition of these advantages and additional eco-services, plus the lack of alignment between environmental policies and implementation strategies, have restricted the application of CWs. Therefore, the study of novel, robust, and sustainable methods to recover resources from CWs are important to support human and ecosystem health, and to promote the circular economy concept. In addition, the study of hydro-morphology, nutrients/pollutants, and carbon dynamics aspects is important to effectively integrate constructed wetlands in the landscape. In this context, this Special Issue aims to inform potential uses of constructed wetlands, beyond treatment plants of point sources of pollution. It will promote their insertion in the landscape and within waterways to mitigate environmental pressure and generate eco-services.

Prof. Dr. Erik Meers
Prof. Dr. Patrick Forrestal
Dr. Natalia Donoso
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

eco-engineering
constructed wetlands
resource recovery
land use
water management
diffuse agricultural pollution

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3207 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Impact of Aeration on the Removal of Organic Matter and Nitrogen Compounds in Constructed Wetlands Treating the Liquid Fraction of Piggery Manure

by Natalia Donoso, Dion van Oirschot, Jayanta Kumar Biswas, Evi Michels and Erik Meers

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(20), 4310; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app9204310 - 14 Oct 2019

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2314

Abstract

The increasing demand for sustainable, robust and cost-efficient wastewater treatment techniques strengthen the implementation of constructed wetlands (CWs) in the agricultural sector. In countries like Belgium (Flanders), the compliance of strict water quality standards and surface area requirements have hindered considerably their application. New wetland designs such as aerated CWs, could help to overcome these challenges. This study evaluated the capacity of artificially aerated mesocosm systems to decrease chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations below the 125 mgO₂/L limit imposed on installations treating animal manure. The treatment of this high-strength wastewater has been slightly studied via aerated CWs. A three-stage experiment investigated the effect of constant, intermittent and non-aeration regimes on: ammonium volatilisation, the evolution of organic and nitrogen compounds concentrations, and denitrification. The results were assessed through a mixed modelling procedure using SAS 9.4 software. A COD removal between 65% and 58% in constantly and intermittent aerated systems, versus 27% COD removal in the non-aerated system indicated the effectiveness of aeration. However, a dissimilarity was encountered in the removal of nitrogen compounds, resulting in an 82% decrease of nitrate concentrations in the non-aerated system, versus 0.5% and 11% in the aerated ones. Based on the results, this experimental set-up adjusted to field operational conditions can prove that aerated CWs can treat the liquid fraction of piggery manure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Roles of Constructed Wetlands: Environmental Mitigation, Ecoservices and Resource Recovery)

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17 pages, 1687 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Treatment of Organic Matter and Tetracycline in Water by Using Constructed Wetlands and Photocatalysis

by Hong Thi Thu Nguyen, How-Ran Chao and Kuan-Chung Chen

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(13), 2680; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app9132680 - 30 Jun 2019

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3085

Abstract

In this study, the ability of a bench-scale simulated constructed wetland (CW) to remove organic matter (OM) and tetracycline (TC) from water was examined. The performance of CW was evaluated by varying the initial concentrations of the target compounds and the hydraulic retention times (HRTs). Findings showed that OM removal efficiencies were 55.2–80.8%, 28.1–71.9% and 72.1–79.7% for ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (UV-254), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) respectively, under 1 day-HRT, whereas higher initial DOC concentration achieved better removal efficiencies. Changing from 1 day-HRT to 2 day-HRT, the removal efficiency of OMs remained practically unchanged, while that of NH₃-N increased considerably, from 61.7% to 73.0%, implying that the removal of ammonia in CW needs a longer time for complete treatment. CW also showed an excellent performance in removing TC, especially in the first two hours of operation through the absorption process. In addition, the findings from this research revealed an improvement in effluent water quality when photocatalysis (TiO₂/α-Al₂O₃, with ultraviolet A (UVA) irradiation) was used as the post-treatment following CW, presented by the increase in removal efficiency of OMs of the combined system compared to that of CW alone. This study points to the possible and promising application of the low-cost water treatment system for dealing with OMs and TC in water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Roles of Constructed Wetlands: Environmental Mitigation, Ecoservices and Resource Recovery)

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18 pages, 6532 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Variability of Intrinsic Groundwater Vulnerability to Pollution in River Valley due to Groundwater Depth and Recharge Changes

by Ewa Krogulec, Sebastian Zabłocki and Danuta Zadrożna

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(6), 1133; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app9061133 - 18 Mar 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2801

Abstract

Groundwater management can be effectively implemented by assessment of groundwater vulnerability to pollution. The research was carried out in the Vistula River valley (Poland) in an area of shallow groundwater occurrence, defined as a Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystem area. The goal of this study was to identify the average, maximum, and minimum depths of the groundwater table for variant assessment of groundwater vulnerability to contamination. The variants correspond to the average vulnerability, the vulnerability during hydrogeological drought, and the vulnerability during the flood risk period. Theoretical and effective weights of vulnerability parameters were calculated using the DRASTIC method. Vulnerability maps constructed for the various vulnerability variants and by using different parameter weights show the spatial variability of the individual vulnerability classes. Due to the specifics of this protected area, the expected dependency between vulnerability index and chloride concentrations in the monitoring points was not found. Comparison showed strong dependency of water chemistry and the value of recharge, lithology of aquifer, and unsaturated zone. The research results confirm the need for variant vulnerability assessment to protect against floods or predict the effects of climate change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Roles of Constructed Wetlands: Environmental Mitigation, Ecoservices and Resource Recovery)

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Review

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17 pages, 1393 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Role of Wetland Plants and Use of Ornamental Flowering Plants in Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment: A Review

by Luis Sandoval, Sergio Aurelio Zamora-Castro, Monserrat Vidal-Álvarez and José Luis Marín-Muñiz

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(4), 685; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app9040685 - 17 Feb 2019

Cited by 115 | Viewed by 10588

Abstract

The vegetation in constructed wetlands (CWs) plays an important role in wastewater treatment. Popularly, the common emergent plants in CWs have been vegetation of natural wetlands. However, there are ornamental flowering plants that have some physiological characteristics similar to the plants of natural wetlands that can stimulate the removal of pollutants in wastewater treatments; such importance in CWs is described here. A literature survey of 87 CWs from 21 countries showed that the four most commonly used flowering ornamental vegetation genera were Canna, Iris, Heliconia and Zantedeschia. In terms of geographical location, Canna spp. is commonly found in Asia, Zantedeschia spp. is frequent in Mexico (a country in North America), Iris is most commonly used in Asia, Europe and North America, and species of the Heliconia genus are commonly used in Asia and parts of the Americas (Mexico, Central and South America). This review also compares the use of ornamental plants versus natural wetland plants and systems without plants for removing pollutants (organic matter, nitrogen, nitrogen and phosphorous compounds). The removal efficiency was similar between flowering ornamental and natural wetland plants. However, pollutant removal was better when using ornamental plants than in unplanted CWs. The use of ornamental flowering plants in CWs is an excellent option, and efforts should be made to increase the adoption of these system types and use them in domiciliary, rural and urban areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Roles of Constructed Wetlands: Environmental Mitigation, Ecoservices and Resource Recovery)

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