Constructed Wetlands for Sustainable Wastewater Treatment in Oman: Experiences from Research and Case Studies

Constructed Wetlands for Sustainable Wastewater Treatment in Hot and Arid Climates: Opportunities, Challenges and Case Studies in the Middle East

“…An innovative prototype compact and mobile CW design was developed in 2017 (Reedbox; Bauer Nimr LLC, Muscat, Oman) to receive raw domestic wastewater without pre-treatment [67]. The design is a VFCW combined with an aerated wetland in a single stage.…”

“…Sludge is separated and dewatered on the filter media surface, as in the first stage of the French VF wetland, but the water level is maintained below the filter media layer, which is mostly saturated and aerated artificially. The filter media comprise of lightweight materials: the main layer is recycled HDPE, a material that was previously tested successfully for the first time in pilot wetland units for agro-industrial wastewater treatment [68], while a thin top layer of lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) is also used [52,67]. The main structural element of this novel CW is a 12 m container (surface area 28 m 2 ), but a 6 m container can also be used for smaller volumes.…”

“…The main structural element of this novel CW is a 12 m container (surface area 28 m 2 ), but a 6 m container can also be used for smaller volumes. It can serve a small population (up to 40 and 75 persons equivalent to 7 and 15 m 3 /day, respectively) in areas where the public sewage network or a treatment plant is not available, such as in remote and isolated areas, which in the case of the Middle East would be remote industrial camps, small and medium settlements or oil rigs [67]. It can also provide an onsite wastewater treatment option for a block of flats, tourism facilities, hotels etc., as a compact system that can be easily installed without the need for permanent infrastructure [52].…”

Remote Sensing Analysis for Vegetation Assessment of a Large-Scale Constructed Wetland Treating Produced Water Polluted with Oil Hydrocarbons

“…These systems, known as Constructed Wetlands (CWs), are nature-based solutions that have been used for many years for flood protection, water storage, habitat creation, and water quality improvement [4,5]. The research and development advances in this field of ecological engineering enabled the widespread use of CWs across the world for the treatment of wastewater from many sources such as municipal [6,7], industrial [8][9][10], and agro-industrial sources [11][12][13]. Wetlands provide various benefits like cleaning water, preventing floods, shielding coastlines, saving soil and water, filtering mud, removing pollution, and offering beauty and recreation [14].…”