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.
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