No abstract

Greywater is a potential source for producing water that can be reused for non-potable purposes. The use of nature-based solutions (NBS) for greywater treatment can contribute to the mitigation of heat and low relative humidity in urban areas. Thus, the goal of this technical note is to present the performance of constructed wetlands, a NBS, with respect to the main parameters of national and international standards considering water reuse, and to assess the suitability of the treated effluent for different reuse purposes. Design examples and a flowchart are presented to support the decision-making process, addressing aspects from the characterization of greywater until choosing an application for the recovered water. In this way, we expect to provide a starting point for enabling an increased reuse of treated greywater for non-potable purposes in Brazil, assisting designers, as well as technicians from regulatory bodies, in the design and evaluation of treatment systems using a simple and promising ecotechnology.

To achieve Goal 6 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and provide water for all, water reuse is essential. We assessed the potential of treating greywater (LGw) while reusing it via irrigation of Canna x generalis, commonly used in nature-based solutions (NBS), with a view on plant development. The study was conducted at a mesocosm scale with factorial designs to test two substrates and four types of irrigation water. Stage 1 tested LGw, LGw with nutrients (LGw + N), and tap water with nutrients (TW + N). Stage 2 tested indoor and outdoor applications of TW (TWi and TWo, respectively) and LGw (LGwi and LGwo, respectively). All treatments resulted in reductions in total nitrogen and phosphate concentrations. The e uent turbidity, chemical oxygen demand, and surfactant contents of LGw + N and LGw decreased considerably after passing through the substrate. The results showed no statistical differences among the measured variables when LGw and TW received arti cial fertilizers, which provided advantageous conditions for complete plant development, as evidenced by owering. Conversely, compared with all other treatments, LGw treatment alone resulted in inferior development and exhibited some symptoms of nutritional de ciency, observed as reductions in dry biomass in the aboveground parts (range: 1.87-6.52 g) and belowground parts (10.03-36.19 g). Overall, Canna x generalis did not exhibit symptoms of toxicity and became fully developed, except for owering, proving to be a robust species that is resistant to adverse environmental conditions, and is therefore recommended for cultivation in nature-based systems for landscaping integrated with LGw treatment and reuse.

No abstract

To achieve Goal 6 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and provide water for all, water reuse is essential. We assessed the potential of treating greywater (LGw) while reusing it via irrigation of Canna x generalis, commonly used in nature-based solutions (NBS), with a view on plant development. The study was conducted at a mesocosm scale with factorial designs to test two substrates and four types of irrigation water. Stage 1 tested LGw, LGw with nutrients (LGw + N), and tap water with nutrients (TW + N). Stage 2 tested indoor and outdoor applications of TW (TWi and TWo, respectively) and LGw (LGwi and LGwo, respectively). All treatments resulted in reductions in total nitrogen and phosphate concentrations. The effluent turbidity, chemical oxygen demand, and surfactant contents of LGw + N and LGw decreased considerably after passing through the substrate. The results showed no statistical differences among the measured variables when LGw and TW received artificial fertilizers, which provided advantageous conditions for complete plant development, as evidenced by flowering. Conversely, compared with all other treatments, LGw treatment alone resulted in inferior development and exhibited some symptoms of nutritional deficiency, observed as reductions in dry biomass in the aboveground parts (range: 1.87–6.52 g) and belowground parts (10.03–36.19 g). Overall, Canna x generalis did not exhibit symptoms of toxicity and became fully developed, except for flowering, proving to be a robust species that is resistant to adverse environmental conditions, and is therefore recommended for cultivation in nature-based systems for landscaping integrated with LGw treatment and reuse.