Commercial Aquatic Plants Offer Cost-effective Method For Treating Wastewater
Wednesday, October 1, 2008 - 13:07
in Earth & Climate
Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been promoted as inexpensive, low-technology approaches to treating agricultural, industrial and municipal wastewater to comply with increasingly stringent environmental regulations. CWs, or marshes built to treat contaminated water, incorporate soil and drainage materials, water, plants and microorganisms. "Surface-flow" constructed wetlands resemble shallow freshwater marshes and generally require a large land area for wastewater treatment. More effective for greenhouse and nursery operations with limited production space and expensive land are a type of constructed wetland called "subsurface flow."