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Surface waters are all under threat, with freshwater ecosystems now facing unprecedented levels of contamination, even after a century of ever stricter legislation and regulation. The increase in population and especially in urbanization without sufficient planning and investment to ensure adequate wastewater collection and treatment coupled with the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with wastewater treatment is leading to a crisis in wastewater treatment in many countries. Natural treatment systems which use plants and soil micro-organisms are very much nature-based solutions and wherever applicable might offer sustainable and low emissions options for a range of wastewater problems protecting surface waters as well as creating new habitats to support and enhance wildlife diversity. In terms of circularity, natural treatment systems have the potential to produce a staggering array of useful and valuable by-products, including high-value compounds for the pharmaceutical industry.
Introduction to Sustainable Natural Wastewater Treatment
Sustainability and Water
The Circular Economy
Global Warming and Climate Change
Natural Treatment Systems
Land Treatment
The Purification Process
Subsurface Wastewater Infiltration Systems
Slow-rate Irrigation Processes
Rapid Infiltration Processes
Overland Flow
Constructed Wetland Systems
The Use of Microalgae and Macrophytes in Wastewater Treatment
High-rate Algal Ponds and Photobioreactors
Wetlands
Constructed Wetlands Incorporating Emergent Vegetation
Waste Stabilization Ponds:
Introduction to Waste Stabilization Ponds and Lagoons
Anaerobic Lagoons
Oxidation Ponds
Partially and Completely Mixed Aerated Ponds
The Future
Sustainable Wastewater Treatment Systems