The Potential Role of Hybrid Constructed Wetlands Treating University Wastewater—Experience from Northern Italy

Stevo Lavrnić,Maurizio Mancini,Domenico Cupido,Giovanni Lucchese,Maribel Zapater Pereyra,Attilio Toscano,Maria Rosaria Pascale,Sandra Cristino

doi:10.3390/su122410604

Stevo Lavrnić, Maurizio Mancini + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410604

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Dec 18, 2020
Citations: 8	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Bologna

Abstract

University wastewater is a type of wastewater with higher pollutants load and flow rate variability than typical domestic wastewater. Constructed wetlands (CW) could be used for university wastewater treatment and consequently for wastewater reuse. A hybrid CW pilot plant, at the University of Bologna (Italy), was monitored to assess its potential to be used at the university. Its treatment performance was monitored for one year and public acceptance explored through a survey. The pilot plant had two treatment lines, (1) a vertical flow CW (VFCW) and a planted horizontal flow CW (HFCW), and (2) the same VFCW and an unplanted horizontal flow filter (HFF). The HFCW achieved higher removals than the HFF, but it was also found to be prone to higher water losses. However, both treatment lines met the Italian limits for discharge in natural water bodies and some of the limits for wastewater reuse in Italy and the EU. The VFCW alone was not able to meet the same limits, demonstrating the advantages of hybrid over single stage CWs. A positive attitude towards CWs and wastewater reuse was found among the survey participants. Therefore, hybrid CWs (planted and unplanted) are considered a feasible technology for application at universities.

Highlights

Climate change and human activities can have negative effects on the environment [1,2], and nature-based solutions (NBS), the low-cost and green technologies, are gaining more attention in the recent years due to their numerous benefits and the ability to mitigate some of these negative effects [2,3]
The present research had the objective to assess the potential of hybrid Constructed wetlands (CW) to be used in universities for wastewater treatment
The system included a septic tank, a vertical flow CW (VFCW) as a secondary stage, and a horizontal flow CW (HFCW) and horizontal flow filter (HFF) as a tertiary stage. Both treatment lines were tested in parallel in order to determine which one is better according to the applicable reuse regulations

Summary

Introduction

Climate change and human activities can have negative effects on the environment [1,2], and nature-based solutions (NBS), the low-cost and green technologies, are gaining more attention in the recent years due to their numerous benefits and the ability to mitigate some of these negative effects [2,3]. Constructed wetlands (CWs), a type of NBS, are engineered systems that use the processes occurring in natural wetlands in a more controlled environment in order to treat wastewater [4,5]. They can be considered as a good solution for small or medium communities [6,7] since they can be used for different types of wastewater [8,9] and, might be convenient for application in university campuses. CWs can have large area requirements [8] and an increased water loss due to evapotranspiration that can have a considerable influence on their performance [13]

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