TY - JOUR
T1 - Constructed wetlands for resource recovery in developing countries
AU - Avellán, Tamara
AU - Gremillion, Paul
N1 - Funding Information:
Tamara Avellán thanks the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Saxon State Ministry for Science and the Arts (SMWK) for providing research funding for UNU-FLORES. Neither of the donors were involved in any phases of the design and analysis of the research or the publication process. The authors would also like to thank Ms. Anh Bui for her assistance in developing the database for biomass density and Dr Andreu for the provision of the map of figure 2 .
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2019/1
Y1 - 2019/1
N2 - Constructed wetlands (CW) are effective in treating wastewater, particularly in settings that require low technology and low maintenance as operational constraints. Biomass harvested from CW can be used as a renewable energy source and treated effluent can provide irrigation for agricultural uses. Biomass yields for four selected wetland plants in CW, namely Phragmites spp., Typha spp., A. donax, and C. papyrus, ranged from an average of about 1500 g of dry mass per square meter (g/m2) for Typha spp., up to 6000 g/m2 for A. donax. The energy yield for direct combustion of these plants occupied a narrow range, averaging about 18 megajoules per kilogram of dry mass (MJ/kg) for all plant types, a comparable amount to Acacia spp. Methane yields varied from about 170–360 L of methane (normalised to standard conditions) per kilogram of dry mass (LN/kg). 1 m2 of CW planted with A. donax can produce on average 110 MJ through direct combustion or 1660 L of methane from biogas production. In a village of 200 people the biomass from a CW planted with Typha spp. can reduce cooking fuel needs by 4–55% and therefore save up to 12 ha of forest per year. The water footprint of these plants was measured as the percent loss in water in the CW from evapotranspiration (ET). Under a fixed set of assumptions on climate and operation, the water used through ET, the CW could deliver from 64% to 76% of the influent water for subsequent use. In summary, CW have the potential to offset energy and irrigation needs at scales ranging from small communities to peri-urban areas. Constructed wetlands used to treat wastewater have the potential to provide a sustainable bioenergy source without placing burdens on water resources or displacing other food or energy crops.
AB - Constructed wetlands (CW) are effective in treating wastewater, particularly in settings that require low technology and low maintenance as operational constraints. Biomass harvested from CW can be used as a renewable energy source and treated effluent can provide irrigation for agricultural uses. Biomass yields for four selected wetland plants in CW, namely Phragmites spp., Typha spp., A. donax, and C. papyrus, ranged from an average of about 1500 g of dry mass per square meter (g/m2) for Typha spp., up to 6000 g/m2 for A. donax. The energy yield for direct combustion of these plants occupied a narrow range, averaging about 18 megajoules per kilogram of dry mass (MJ/kg) for all plant types, a comparable amount to Acacia spp. Methane yields varied from about 170–360 L of methane (normalised to standard conditions) per kilogram of dry mass (LN/kg). 1 m2 of CW planted with A. donax can produce on average 110 MJ through direct combustion or 1660 L of methane from biogas production. In a village of 200 people the biomass from a CW planted with Typha spp. can reduce cooking fuel needs by 4–55% and therefore save up to 12 ha of forest per year. The water footprint of these plants was measured as the percent loss in water in the CW from evapotranspiration (ET). Under a fixed set of assumptions on climate and operation, the water used through ET, the CW could deliver from 64% to 76% of the influent water for subsequent use. In summary, CW have the potential to offset energy and irrigation needs at scales ranging from small communities to peri-urban areas. Constructed wetlands used to treat wastewater have the potential to provide a sustainable bioenergy source without placing burdens on water resources or displacing other food or energy crops.
KW - Energy
KW - Food
KW - Nexus Approach
KW - SDGs
KW - Waste
KW - Water
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U2 - 10.1016/j.rser.2018.09.024
DO - 10.1016/j.rser.2018.09.024
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85054021281
SN - 1364-0321
VL - 99
SP - 42
EP - 57
JO - Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
JF - Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
ER -