Floating treatment wetlands: A review and bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) have attained tremendous popularity for water purification purposes. Through this phyto-technology, naturally occurring macrophytes are allowed to grow on the water surface on a buoyant raft or a rigid support, keeping the plant roots permanently in contact with the water and removing pollutants via several processes. The objective of this study was to review studies that have developed FTWs and to perform a bibliometric analysis using three keywords: “Floating”, “Treatment” and “Wetlands”. From bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer software and the Web of Science database, it was possible to verify the number of publications over the years and the countries and authors with the most published articles on these systems and other related terms. Subsequently, a review was performed on the main mechanisms of pollutant removal by FTWs as well as experiences and recommendations for major design and operating aspects for their application, such as water depth, hydraulic retention time (HRT), floating mat, water surface coverage, artificial aeration, plant selection and pruning or harvesting. It was verified that FTWs are a potential technology for treating several wastewater types and water remediation under different conditions. Even with the increasing number of publications in recent years, many design and operation aspects related to system performance still demand more research in order to better understand the relations between macrophytes and other pollutant removal mechanisms and to thereby improve the treatment efficiency of FTW systems.