Wastewater-fertigated short-rotation coppice, a combined scheme of wastewater treatment and biomass production

ǂa ǂstate-of-the-art review

Mirko Hänel (Author), Darja Istenič (Author), Hans Brix (Author), Carlos A. Arias (Author)

Abstract

Vegetated filters based on short-rotation coppice (SRC) can be used to treat various industrial and municipal wastewater while producing valuable biomass in an economical and sustainable way, showing potential in the field of pollution control and bio-based circular economy. This study provides an overview of the state of the art in wastewater-fertigated SRC systems (wfSRCs) worldwide. Different designs, wastewater sources, tree species and varieties, planting schemes, geographic locations, and climates for wfSRC implementation were identified after conducting a literature review. The performance review includes standard water quality parameters as well as the extent of pathogen and emergent contaminant removal and biomass production rates. Identified knowledge gaps and important factors to support the practical implementation of wfSRCs are highlighted. Europe leads the research of wfSRC, followed by North America and Australia. The available publications are mainly from developed countries (73%). The most applied and studied tree species in wfSRC systems are willows (32%), followed by eucalyptus (21%) and poplars (18%). Most of the reviewed studies used domestic wastewater (85%), followed by industrial wastewater (8%) and landfill leachate (7%). Most data show high BOD5 and COD removal efficiencies (80%). There are large differences in the documented total nitrogen and total phosphorus removal efficiencies (12%–99% and 40%–80%, respectively). Enhanced biomass growth in wfSRC systems due to wastewater fertigation was reported in all reviewed studies, and biomass production varied from 3.7 to 40 t DM/ha/yr. WfSRCs seem to have high potential as viable and cost-effective wastewater treatment alternatives to conventional treatment technologies.

Keywords

wetland treatment;nature-based wastewater treatment systems;biomass production systems;vegetated filters;

Data

Language:	English
Year of publishing:	2022
Typology:	1.02 - Review Article
Organization:	UL ZF - University College of Health Studies
UDC:	628.35:502.131.1
COBISS:	109083139
ISSN:	1999-4907
Views:	79
Downloads:	26
Average score:	0 (0 votes)
Metadata:

Other data

Secondary language:	Slovenian
Secondary keywords:	čiščenje mokrišč;naravni sistemi za čiščenje odpadne vode;sistemi za proizvodnjo biomase;rastlinski filtri;
Type (COBISS):	Article
Pages:	str. 1-17
Volume:	ǂVol. ǂ13
Issue:	ǂiss. ǂ5
Chronology:	2022
DOI:	10.3390/f13050810
ID:	15417506