Improvement of wastewater treatment in Latin America and the Caribbean
A comprehensive study by a team of wastewater scientists from Aarhus University including AIAS fellow Dennis Konnerup shows that constructed wetlands could be a suitable solution to improve wastewater issues in the region.
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Most of the wastewater in Latin America is discharged to nature without any treatment and with an increasing population, there is an immediate need of a sustainable solution. The discharge of untreated wastewater from households and industries is a threat to nature and humans and causes eutrophication of surface waters and transmission of waterborne diseases.
The advantages of a nature-based solution as constructed wetlands are the utilization of natural processes, a high process stability and cost-effectiveness.
The review just published this week entitled ”Constructed wetlands in Latin America and the Caribbean: A review of experiences during the last decade” shows that this technology is only used to a very limited extent in the region today, so there is a great potential for further implementation and advancement of the technology. Furthermore, the warm and tropical climate in large parts of the region ensures that the wetlands have a high, constant treatment capacity.
For more details, read the full scientific article here
‘Constructed wetlands in Latin America and the Caribbean: A review of experiences during the last decade’ by Marco A. Rodriguez-Dominguez, Dennis Konnerup, Hans Brix, Carlos A. Arias in: Water, Vol 12(6):
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/6/1744
Contact
Dennis Konnerup, Assistant Professor, AIAS-COFUND Fellow
Email: dennis.konnerup@aias.au.dk
Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (AIAS)
Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 6B
DK-8000 Aarhus C
Denmark